Recommendation for head cold?

There is no magical tea so unfortunately the power of those little leaves can't make you better, but it can be soothing and enjoyable while under the weather so my best recommendation is to drink what you enjoy. Since that isn't terribly helpful though, I will offer some thoughts I have heard:

• I prefer to drink a nice black tea with lots of pure honey in it.

• That not adding sugar allows more benefit from the tea (I believe it is due to the thought that the tannins bind to the sugar)

• A hot toddy. (tea, honey, lemon, whiskey, etc.) It won't help a damn thing, but you won't care one bit. :)

• The ever-loving Kuding Cha. It's bitter, kind of sweet, hits like a sledgehammer at first but is said to have positive effects for colds, etc.

I've been feeling terrible as of late myself, and today have a nice sore throat and headache. With all the tea I drink if there were any miraculous benefits I wouldn't be miserable on a Monday morning along with ya. I'm going to start off with some aged Pu'er and then probably some spiderleg Sencha in the afternoon.

- Dominic

"Cheryl Rayburn-Mediacom" wrote in news:ONvPg.193694$1i1.149068@attbi_s72:

I love ginger tea when I'm feeling stuffed up. I just slice up a 1" knob of fresh ginger and boil it in water for about 10 minutes, and strain. Add honey and/or lemon, if I feel like it.

Dee

Yes, I completely forgot to mention ginger. My mother is a huge fan of ginger "tea" just as you describe above when she is sick.

FYI, in Asian/Korean markets you can find a box of instant ginger tea. It is a little bag of pellets that are made up of ginger and honey that dissolve in water. I like it. Here is a link to an example.. although this is not the brand I use I can't think of it off the top of my head. It is a yellow box that I have.

Another of my mother's favorite remedies is some hot chicken broth in a mug with as much powdered cayenne pepper as you can handle and then a dash or two more ;)

- Dominic Drinking: Zhong Guo Cha Aged Loose Puerh

Actually, there is some indication that tea may "prime" T cells' immune response to bacteria because of theanine and ethylamine content. But that's not really relevant to a cold.

Ginger and chamomile have been shown to reduce nausea (as, I would expect, would sweetened tea). I find hot black tea extremely soothing when I have a sore throat. However, I avoid it when I'm nauseous because (as I've posted about here), tea increases my nausea and makes me vomit. (This appears, from anecdotal evidence, to be an uncommon reaction, so YMMV.)

Milk can make you feel more congested, although it doesn't (contrary to popular wisdom) actually increase mucus production; still it can feel like it does.

Obviously, there's no point in drinking delicate or expensive teas, since you can't them. Might as well use up the cheap stuff. *grin*

N.

"Dominic T." wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Ooo, that looks interesting! I will check it out next time I visit the local Asian market. That would be more convenient than fresh ginger, which I don't always have in my fridge.

Sounds nummy! Warm and comforting, with a small heaping of excitement ;-)

Dee