Important Notes About Some Of These Healing Beverages
- When drinking hot drinksbe careful they arent too hot. Drinking very hot beverages has been found to be probably carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the cancer agency of the World Health Organization. What is too hot? A CNN article says, Its hotter than water coming out of sink faucets but not as hot as boiling water. It also mentions that beverages are not usually served this hot in Europe and North America, but are commonly served this hot in regions such as South America, the Middle East, and East Africa.
- Sour beverages, like lemon water, hibiscus, and rosehip teas, can damage your teeth if you dont take the proper steps. To protect your teeth from erosion, be sure to rinse your mouth with plain water after you finish. Or sip through a reusable straw.
- For any herbs, especially if you plan to use them medicinally for an extended time or if you are taking any medications, you may want to check with your healthcare professional. Herbs can be powerful and should be treated with respect.
- For those who are pregnant or nursing, thyme and sage shouldnt be taken medicinally, though they can be used as culinary spices.
Ginger Tea A Soothing Beverage To Warm You Up
A mug of warm tea can be comforting, like a blanket for your insides.
My favorite tea when sick is ginger tea because its super easy to make, lightly spicy, and warms me up quickly.
Ginger has vitamins and minerals, including chromium which can help prevent chills and fevers. This plant can also be useful for a bad cough or a sore throat. Overall, ginger can help break down toxins and cleanse the body.
Ginger also helps to fight the headaches that so often accompany illness.
But dont think sipping on ginger ale will do the trick to get you well. Ginger ale actually doesnt have much ginger. And it has sugar, which can deplete your immune system.
To make ginger tea, cut up raw ginger root, put it in a pot of water, bring it to a boil, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Or if youre looking for a quick and easy way to enjoy a health-promoting ginger tea on-the-go, you may want to give this Ginger Digestion Elixir a try.
Echinacea Tea Powerful And Proven To Shorten The Cold And Flu
Want to shorten the length of your cold or flu and reduce your sore throat, cough and fever? Of course you do.
And echinacea is backed by science to do all those things. In fact, echinacea may be more powerful than commonly prescribed flu medications.
When should you sip this powerful flower? Studies have shown that drinking echinacea tea at the first signs of the cold or flu can reduce the severity and duration of your sickness.
And then, you probably want to keep drinking echinacea. Studies have proven it to increase immune activity and to keep a cold from returning.
You can find echinacea tea bags or simmer the root for at least 10 minutes.
Some herbalists and researchers recommend not taking echinacea for longer than two to eight weeks consecutively. They believe that if you take echinacea for a long period, it could actually be harmful to your immune system.
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But Why Do People Think Orange Juice Is Good For A Cold
The evidence to suggest that vitamin C can cure a cold or flu is conflicting. Regular consumption of vitamin C has been linked to shorter, less severe colds, but not necessarily with lowering the risk of catching a cold in the first place.
While data has suggested that certain subgroups of the population may benefit from consistent vitamin C supplementation, the data does not support a consistent correlation between supplementation and illness. Nevethless, supplementing with high doses of vitamin C within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms, and continuing it for 5 days seems to offer the most benefit.
As a water-soluble vitamin, vitamin C needs to be consumed every day as the body does not store the excess for later use. One cup of orange juice contains just over 200% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C a daily glass of orange juice can be one of the easiest ways to ensure that you are getting enough in your diet.
Oranges are not the only fruit or type of juice that contains vitamin C. Other citrus fruits such as lemons and limes, as well as kiwis, papaya, and pineapple also contain ample amounts of vitamin C. Ultimately, the best way to reduce the risk of catching a cold is by practicing good hygiene. This means washing your hands often, avoiding touching your face, wiping down commonly touched surfaces such as TV remotes and doorknobs, and coughing into a tissue or into your elbow.
You Could Be Eating More Beneficial Foods Instead
If you want to get some micronutrients in, stick to actually peeling an orange. Or try some other Vitamin C heavy foods like broccoli or red bell peppers. You’ll get some added fiber, so you can make it part of a meal.
If you’re not into vegetables, chop up some garlic for a pasta dish They act as a natural antibiotic and provide the most antioxidants when eaten raw.
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Orange Juice For Flu And Cold
It is likely that, as a child, your grandmother or your mother recommended you to take orange juice as a cold and flu preventative, so that the consumption of this wonderful natural juice increased almost exaggerated during the coldest months of the year. year .
And it is that although until a few years ago it was thought that in fact it was like that, the certain thing is that finally we would be before a myth, before a belief that far from being true is erroneous. Orange juice does not prevent or cure the flu or the cold, but yes it helps the recovery process of our organism when we have a cold, thanks to its content of vitamin C and other essential nutrients that help when it comes to increasing the defenses. And the same would happen with the juice of other fruits rich in vitamin C, as is the case with lemon or kiwi juice.
Once we are clear that orange juice neither prevents nor cure cold or flu, but it helps our body recover much faster, an interesting option is to develop a Orange juice that fulfills that function, prepared not only with oranges but with bee pollen, echinacea and wheat germ, which will precisely help us to strengthen our immune system.
How Oranges Got Their Healthy Reputation
Sunkist positioned the fruit through the lens of health to attract consumers. With their new urban lifestyles, âmany reformers had worried that Americans, deprived of sunlight and the challenges of the frontier, might degenerate,â Douglas Cazaux Sackman wrote in his book Orange Empire: California and the Fruits of Eden. Oranges were accepted symbols of nature and could help city dwellers return to their roots.
âIn the form of the orange, the curative effects of nature could travel to those suffering from the ârustâ of modern life,â Sackman wrote. âTo eat an orange was to imbibe the spirit of the land, to be lifted momentarily from the city sidewalks of Chicago or Boston and placed in the paradise of Californiaâs resplendent valleys.â
Orange juice soared in popularity in the 1920s, when pasteurization and trucking were introduced and people could drink the stuff from a can, Megan J. Elias wrote in her book, Food in the United States, 1890-1945.
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Orange Juice Vs Oranges:
Drinking orange juice has been long thought to be a healthier option than eating the whole orange because orange juice concentrates more vitamins and minerals than the whole fruit and you can only eat so many oranges. At the same time, the juice concentrates more sugar and lacks the beneficial fiber in the fruit. But nutrients in the juice may be more bioavailable. Depending on how much orange juice you drink or how many oranges you eat, both the juice and the whole fruit can be either good or bad for you.
Oranges Preserve Their Vitamins And Minerals Better And For Longer
This is because when you make orange juice, you basically extract the nutrients into the juice and lend them more susceptible to degradation. For example, vitamin C is extremely sensitive to external factors such as air, light and heat and the longer you leave your juice on the table or in the fridge, the more vitamin C it loses. Nutrients in general are better protected within the fruit by the peel, pith and pulp.
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Oregano Oil For Cough
To soothe a cough, oregano oil cuts through phlegm and mucus, reduces inflammation in the respiratory tracts, eliminates the virus or bacteria causing the cough, and stimulates healing of the tissues in the area. When the body detects a buildup of waste that needs to be expelled, coughing is one of the best methods for rapid elimination of wastes or toxins. However, coughing can also be a painful, irritating behavior for the respiratory tracts and the chest.
Coughing is typically acute or chronic, the former being the result of a respiratory infection, and the latter caused by a more long-term respiratory condition, such as bronchitis or emphysema. Oregano oil can be an excellent alternative to pharmaceuticals that are so often recommended to soothe these symptoms. While antitussives and other medications can mask the need to cough and provide relief, they often fail to address the root cause. The antioxidants, antibacterial compounds, minerals and vitamins found in oregano oil help attack the underlying pathogen, while also healing damaged tissues in the throat, relieving inflammation in the chest, and cutting through any congestion to reduce pressure and discomfort.
Remedy #1
- Add a few drops of oregano oil to your pillow at night, or rub a few drops of diluted oil on your chest before you go to sleep.
- The aromatic compounds in oregano oil can help relieve chest pressure and irritation, leaving you cough-free by the morning.
Remedy #2
Orange Juice Won’t Help You Heal From A Cold Or Flu
This winter, as an especially bad flu epidemic has swept the US, people seem to have resumed drinking juice in the hope that it will help them fight off illness. Sales of the drink rose 0.9% in the four weeks ending on January 20,according to The Wall Street Journal the first time in almost five years that Nielsen data showed a year-over-year increase.
But upping one’s OJ intake won’t help. Some studies suggest it could actually do more harm than good, since the juice is high in the sugar fructose, which some evidence suggests could actually suppress your immune system.
Many people believe that drinking juice is a good way to give the body vitamin C. While the vitamin is generally beneficial for your health, studies have found that it does nothing to prevent or treat the common cold. Plus, if you want to up your vitamin C consumption, a lot of other foods pack more of it than an orange. These include guava, red bell pepper, kale, and broccoli.
If you really want to take something to feel better while you’re sick with a cold, studies suggest that zinc not vitamin C might be your best bet.
The mineral seems to interfere with the replication of rhinoviruses, the bugs that cause the common cold.
In a 2011 review of studies of people who’d recently gotten sick, researchers looked at those who’d started taking zinc and compared them with those who just took a placebo. The ones on zinc had shorter colds and less severe symptoms.
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Best Drinks When You Have A Cold
When you’re sick, you hear it over and over: “Get plenty of fluids. And its true. Your body needs extra hydration when youre trying to get well.
But what, exactly, should you put in your cup? Some drinks are great for easing symptoms, and others may make them worse. Keep these tips in mind when youre picking what to sip.
Is Drinking Orange Juice For A Sore Throat Or Cold Effective
Orange juice, specifically vitamin c often receives praise as the hero during flu season. But is it really effective for a cold and sore throat or is this another urban myth?
As is mainstream knowledge, a common symptom of a cold is a sore throat. While orange juice may potentially help with your cold, it is not necessarily ideal for a sore throat because it is slightly acidic and drinking it can make your irritated and already sensitive throat all that more painful.
When you have a sore throat, it is best to avoid acidic drinks and stick to soothing teas instead.
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What To Eat When Youre Sick
When youre sick, its important to try to eat something, even if you dont particularly feel like it. In other words, starving a fever may not work.
If you have a viral infection, it is better to try to eat, says Michael J. Brown, R.Ph., a clinical pharmacist in Lake Oswego, Oregon. He says that in studies, mice with viral infections did better when they were fed versus unfed. Fevers can occur with viruses, so starving the body is not always the best plan.
But what should you eat? Lets take a look at the best foods to help your body fight infection.
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Health Experts Say Vitamin C Is No Substitute For The Flu Shot But Consumers Are Reaching For The Oj This Flu Season
The worst flu outbreak in years has Americans reaching for more orange juice this winter.
Americans are drinking more orange juice in an effort to ward off the flu. Experts say dont count on vitamin C to protect you. Get a flu shot.
Heres how some people who spoke to The Wall Street Journal see it:
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What You Dont Need
These drinks wont help you get over your cold or flu, and some could do more harm than good.
- Sports drinks. They can help if youre very dehydrated, but they don’t really do much to make you feel better. Plus, they have a lot of sugar. Other drinks will help you hydrate without the extra sweet stuff.
- Fruit juices. Juice may seem like a good idea, especially for kids, but like sports drinks, most have loads of added sugar. Citrus-based ones like orange juice can also aggravate sore throats. If it’s all your child wants to drink, try adding a splash or two to a cup of water instead of a glassful of juice.
- Coffee. If youre going to sip a hot drink, might as well get your daily dose of caffeine in it, right? Wrong. Try to stick with water and nutrient-rich soups.
- Ginger ale. While ginger in its natural form may have some cold and flu benefits, this carbonated, sugary version won’t offer much relief. Soft drinks of any kind have very little of the nutrients and electrolytes you need to fight off sickness. Get your ginger in a mug of hot tea instead.
- Alcohol. It dehydrates you and can make some symptoms worse, like nausea, headaches, and body aches. Booze can also make your body less able to handle infections. So save that hot toddy for when youre feeling better.
Orange Juice Sales Surge
As the hard flu season continues, the Wall Street Journal reports that orange juice sales have seen an unexpected spike, rising 0.9% in the four weeks that ended Jan. 20
The beverage is often touted for its presumedif unsupportedimmune-boosting benefits, but over the past decade orange juice consumption has fallen, as consumers became more wary of the drink’s high sugar content, the Journal reports. In addition, environmental factors have led to increases in the price of oranges, making orange juice less cost-competitive when compared with other beverages.
In fact, according to Nielsen, the sales surge this year marks the first year-over-year increase for orange juice in almost five yearsthough analysts say the trend will not last much longer than the flu season itself. That said, it’s not the first time orange juicers have benefited from a rough flu season: Sales of orange juice grew 8% during the 2009 swine flu pandemic, the Journal reports.
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Can Drinking Orange Juice Protect Against Covid
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have prioritized keeping their immune systems strong. While it isn’t a guarantee you won’t get the virus, having a strong immune system will help if you do get sick.
The researchers of this recent review reported that some preliminary data suggested that drinking orange juice could potentially offer some protection against COVID-19. However, strong clinical trials in humans would be needed to really determine whether that’s true.
The results of some modeling studies suggested that hesperidinan antioxidant found in citruscould interfere with the viruss entry into host cells, possibly making infection difficult to achieve.
Similarly, laboratory studies have found that hesperidin and naringenintwo key compounds found in orange juicecan impede replication of the virus.
While none of these results are conclusive, this early research suggests that at the very least, there is no harm in including the drink in your diet if you’re trying to bolster your immune system to fight any infection.