Sore throat remedy

[POPZ]

Happy New Year to all - especially the admin guys.It will be a good one, I feel it in my bones!

Does anyone have a good old fashioned, honey based remedy for sore throats and coughs - especially pertaining to wives!!!!

[gavin]

Hi Popz

You know me - never one to go with hocus-pocus, ill-defined, unsubstantiated tittle tattle. However ... some time last year I was feeling under the weather and an artist I know offered me advice. She was so persuasive I gave it a go. It was wonderful. Good for bad colds and sore throats. I'll be doing it again next time.

Need:

- thermos flask
- fresh ginger
- lemon (or, at a pinch, lemon juice)
- honey (preferably your own, or good quality commercial)

Take about 1-2 inches of fresh ginger, grate coarsely or slice finely. Finely slice some lemon, add it all to the warmed flask. Add 2-3 teaspoonfuls of honey, maybe more if the missus has a sweet tooth. In goes boiling water. Top on the flask and leave for 20 mins plus. Strain and drink. If the honey was yours, ask Mrs Popz later this evening whether or not it was worth keeping bees after all. If you don't have fresh ginger and lemon in the house, get some immediately the shops open in the morning!

Not sure if it helps the cough, but it should help otherwise.

G.

[Trog]

Hello, Popz; nice to have you back!

Hot toddy: cap-full* whisky, heaped teaspoon honey, hot water (or to taste).

Hot lemon and honey: 2 tsp lemon juice (or capful if in bottle), heaped teaspoon honey, hot water. Dash of cointreau optional but nice!

Oh, and since you ask for treatment pertaining to wives, she needs to be kept warm, preferably under a duvet, with radio easily to hand, a wi-fi laptop available, and her every whim catered for, whether food or drink. :)

*cap = whisky bottle cap, not skipper's, baseball or flat ...

[Rosie]

I used to test all my honey for enzyme activity until I eventually reached the stage where I could predict the result of the test by knowing the thermal history of the sample. I don't do it often now but the test depended on allowing a dilute sample of honey to stand for an hour to allow the glucose oxidase to produce hydrogen peroxide. I now use the trick to produce something to gargle with and it seems to work a treat. Just dilute cold processed honey with room temperature water at the rate of 4 of water to 1 of honey by weight. Allow it to stand for one hour and gargle or sip without spoiling it with whisky, hot water, lemon or any other concoction. Try it!

Rosie

[Trog]

The additives are part of the fun, Rosie ;)

[sipping a mug of hot lemon and honey as I type!]

[Rosie]

[sipping a mug of hot lemon and honey as I type!]

Oh no! You've cooked all those poor enzymes;)

Rosie

[Neils]

My take on a hot toddy:

Take one large mug:

Squeeze enough oranges to fill approx 2/3rds full, strain if Mrs doesn't like the pulp.

Add juice of one Lemon.

Add mix to a pan (or just microwave the mug) with a couple of slices of fresh ginger and heat gently for 5-10 mins, but don't boil.

Remove the ginger Add a couple of teaspoons of honey to taste.

Top up with a good slug of whisky, brandy will do if you like stripey shirts and onions.

Carton/bottled orange and lemon juice also works but isn't as good as using fresh and SWMBO should appreciate just how much effort you've gone to for her.

[POPZ]

Thanks all for your excellent recipes and I have to report that all is well now. The great thing is that at last my lovely lady fully realises that the 'other' ladies really do something useful other than take up a lot of my time, wiping up after extracting adventures, dealing with bad navigators that appear in the kitchen unannounced that have to be carefully removed, mending veils, and other similar pursuits.

Mind you, I notice that nowadays she has a habit of adding some of the powerful, wonderful beebrew (not the cough stuff!!) to her toast in the moring so cheers to all my ladies. An exciting time and bodes well for the coming year.

[Calum]

honey : pear schnapps (williams) 1:1 by weight.
It takes a couple of days for the honey to mix with the snapps (shaking and leaving on a radiator helps).
Very good indeed in so many ways.