In France, traditional remedies are still prevalent, and every Mamie (grandma) has her own recipes to fight flu symptoms. In my experience, natural remedies often work even better than drugs. Especially when it comes to the first symptoms of flu (of course, in case of serious problems, we should all stick to our doctor’s prescriptions).
I want to share with you the recipes of the most popular and most effective traditional anti-flu remedies. I’ve been using all of them for many years now and can guarantee you: it works.
FRENCH ANTI-FLU REMEDIES: HOMEMADE TURNIP SYROP
Here in France, in the drugstore, you can find the same anti-flu powders as everywhere in the world, but when it comes to cough, people still use a lot this old remedy. Turnip juice is a powerful natural expectorant. It helps liquefy your mucus more and helps your body to cough it out easier. You can use different types of turnip for it – black, yellow, or white. Here in France, the white variety is the most common.
You need to take the turnip, wash it thoroughly, and cut a deep hole in it. Put 1 tbsp of sugar inside the hole, cover it with plastic wrap, and put it into the refrigerator for several hours (better even to keep it there overnight). Sugar extracts turnip juice, so in the morning, you will find your turnip soft and filled with syrup. Transfer it to a clean glass jar and keep it in the fridge.
Take one teaspoon of syrup 3 times a day before meals.
HONEY, THYM & GINGER INFUSION
This one is my favorite! It tastes great, it helps to fight flu symptoms, and it warms you up – perfect homemade remedy for the flu season! Hot drink with this infusion helps to eliminate germs from your bloodstream, and thus it helps to recover faster.
- 300 g of raw honey
- 2 lemons
- 1 gingerroot
- fresh thyme
Cut ginger and lemon into slices, then put it in the glass jar (slice of lemon, then a slice of ginger, then a branch of thyme, and again – lemon, ginger, thyme, lemon, ginger, thyme,…). Pour the honey over this pyramid, make sure it covers all the ingredients well. Close the jar and let it infuse for 48 hours.
To make a drink, add 1 tbsp of this infusion to a cup of hot water (make sure to put slices of ginger and lemon as well).
PUMPKIN IMMUNE-BOOSTING SOUP
This recipe came to France from Maroc, but it became extremely popular. You can make a lot of it, put in small containers and freeze so that if you don’t feel good, you can quickly make yourself a nice bowl of warm and healing soup.
You can add any root vegetables to pumpkin, and you can also make it spicy if you want.
- 1 squash
- 2 big carrots
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 tbsp of turmeric powder
- fresh juice of 1 orange
Peel and chop the legumes, cover it with olive oil and bake it in the oven (180 C or 360 F) for 25-30 min. Transfer it to a saucepan, add orange juice, turmeric and mix it well.
The most potent component here is turmeric: it boosts your immune system and helps to kill germs. One portion of this soup also provides you with a good load of vitamins C and A.
ANTI-FLU TEA
In France, tea is not very popular. Instead, people here drink a lot of tisanes or herbal infusions. This one is perfect when you feel under the weather, and I often make it during autumn and winter to get warm.
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 2-3 fresh thyme branches
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 200 ml of water
Boil water, remove it from heat and add cinnamon, cloves, and thyme. Let it infuse for 10 min, then add lemon juice (and some honey, if you like it sweet), and drink. You can also make a big portion (one liter) in advance and warm it and add lemon juice before drinking.
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