Five Recipes for Keeping the Cold and Flu Away

By Asterian Zhang

The temperature in Limerick has been dropping in recent days and a stream of cold air is occupying the city.
Winter is coming, and the cold and flu virus are looking to make a home for themselves in your body.

Here are five useful and handy recipes for preventing flu:

Ingredients: Ginger, Honey

Cut three slices of ginger (better not to peel the skin off) and put them into approximately 30ml of hot water (60℃~80℃).
Add 3 teaspoons of honey (or 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar).
Mix them up!
Now you have a cup of hot ginger tea.
The spicy flavour and warm aroma will make you feel much better.

Ingredients: Mint, Ginger, Sea salt

It’s a salty tea (peculiar, I know) and the recipe originally came from my grandfather.

Pick up fresh mint (peppermint would be better), wash them up and put them into a bowl or a mug.
Cut the ginger into small dices (the amount depends on your personal taste) and put into the bowl or mug.
Use a spoon to mash the two ingredients, next pour in boiling water and stir.

Most importantly, don’t forget to put 3/4 teaspoon of sea salt in before drinking!

Ingredients: Red wine, Brown sugar, Lemon

Red wine should be a delightful drink for the freezing winter and this drink will help sweep your flu away.

Heat the red wine (50ml) on the stove on a medium heat.
When the tiny bubbles are floating up, put into five slices of lemon and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, and bring to the boil.
As the sugar melts and lemon slices are getting soft, you know that it is time to enjoy your hot healthy drink.

Ingredient: Orange

Have you ever imagined what cooked fruit would be like? It sounds incredible, but some fruit might be even more beneficial for your body when it’s cooked. Oranges, for example.

Wash one orange and place it a bowl of salty water for 20 minutes.
Cut off the top of the orange, and then use a fork to jab holes in the orange to make it easier to steam.
Place the orange in a bowl and place that bowl into a larger pot filled with hot boiling water.
Let the orange simmer for 20 minutes on medium heat. Now you can use a spoon to eat the inside of delicious orange treat.

Ingredients: Ginger, Cola, Lemon

Cola was initially used as a cold remedy before becoming the most popular soft drink in the world but surprisingly it can still be used to keep away that nasty cold or flu.

Heat a can of Cola (250ml) for 10 minutes.
Add in approximately 5g of diced ginger and cook for ten more minutes on a medium heat, bringing the cola to a boil.
When it is done, don’t forget to apply two slices of lemon for a better taste!

I guarantee one of these delicious drinks will make you feel better and keep that nasty flu away. Stay warm and stay healthy.