sore throat and cough remedy

I hate to label anyone (myself) as prone to this or that. The Bible says that we shall have whatever we say. That is why I always remind myself to speak words that edify and lift up the Chickadees. I tell them that by His stripes, they are healed. I tell them that they have Favour and Grace because of His finished work.

I have also reached the point where I am trying to look into natural remedies as an alternative or a supplement to medicine. I must admit that I do not have the level of faith yet to throw away all medicine and rely solely on natural remedies. However, I have been seeing results with natural remedies.

One natural remedy that I would like to share in this post is that of a sore throat and cough remedy. Now, I do need to let you know that this recipe requires the addition of essential oil. I am a new user to essential oils, having started in earnest only at the beginning of 2014. It is only as I get more and more familiar with essential oils that I have come to realise that many of the remedies that we have been resorting to all these years actually contain essential oils.

Sounds amazing? Let me give you a few more examples of natural remedies:-

(a) Ru Yee oil - this is an all-time favourite with Asian mothers who rub the oil on their loved ones' tummies or under the soles of their feet to keep their bodies warm, to ease constipation, to make their tummies feel better (in the event of flu, diarrhoea, etc). If you read the ingredient list on the bottle of this oil, you will recognise, among other ingredients, peppermint oil (which is known to be very good for pain, discomfort, to keep the body warm, etc).

(b) Minyk Telon oil - some people call this "nonya oil". Some mothers use this in place of Ru Yee oil. This contains cajuput oil, fennel oil and coconut oil.

(c) fever patch - read the ingredient list and you will recognise eucalyptus, etc.

I recently had a very bad oven burn on my right arm. In the past, I would reach for a burn cream bought from a pharmacy. This time, the first thing that I reached for was my lavender essential oil. After two or three applications, the nasty burn mark was almost as faint as another oven burn mark on my left arm that I sustained about 4 years ago. At that time, I used a store-bought burn cream. After a month or so, I can barely see the burn mark on my right arm. I shared this testimony with my dermatologist the other day and he said, "It is a good result.".

Speaking of dermatologists, interestingly-enough, when I consulted him regarding my swollen finger (which he said is due to excessive exposure to water, ie. I bake/cook too much! haha...), instead of recommending to me some super-duper medical cream to apply on my hand to moisturise it, he advised me to buy extra virgin coconut oil and moisturise my hand with this!

But I digress from the purpose of this post. The recipe for this home remedy uses Thieves essential oil, which is said to be highly anti-bacterial. I am given to understand that you can concoct your own Thieves essential oil. However, I do not have that level of experience and I would defer to the experts. I buy Young Living Thieves essential oil. According to the writeup on their website, "Thieves® was created based on research about four thieves in France who covered themselves with cloves, rosemary, and other aromatics while robbing plague victims. This proprietary essential oil blend was university tested for its cleansing abilities. It is highly effective in supporting the immune system and good health." (source: https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/products/essential-oils/blends/thieves-essential-oil)

When Princess Chickadee was diagnosed with "throat infection" recently, she was prescribed antibiotics and a throat drop. I decided to ask my friends (who have been using essential oils for longer than me) whether they know of any recipe to make my own sore throat remedy using essential oils. I was given a recipe, which I am sharing with you now. I have made a slight modification to the recipe to suit our taste and preference.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lemon

10 tsp Manuka honey

7 drops Thieves® essential oil

METHOD

1. Peel the lemon and cut into small pieces.

2. Mix the lemon, honey and Thieves® essential oil in a small glass jar. Store in the refrigerator.

3. When you are ready to consume, add 1 tsp of the mixture to a bit of boiling water to dissolve the honey, then top up with cool boiled water.

TIPS

1. This recipe makes a small batch, so all you need is a small glass jar, such as a small baby food 4oz jar.

2. When I first made this for Princess Chickadee, I topped up the water to 1/2 a small cup.  Princess Chickadee found difficulty finishing the concoction. It may be due to the cinnamon in the Thieves oil blend. As such, when I prepared the concoction a second time for her, I added less water and she was able to finish it at one go.

3. As there are no preservatives added, it is advisable to keep this in the refrigerator for no more than 2 to 3 months. That is also why the recipe only makes a small batch, so that you can always make a fresh batch when needed.

4. I am given to understand that this is not only a sore throat remedy, it is also a cough remedy. However, I have not used this to treat any cough yet as we are all hale and hearty (save for the "throat infection" that Princess Chickadee had recently). We thank the Lord that we have health and wholeness through Him by the perfect work that He did at the Cross. By His stripes, we are healed!

5. What did I do with the remaining 1/2 of the lemon?  hehe... I sliced it and added a slice to my hot green tea. :)