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Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Kashayam ( Cold and cough Remedy )

Come winters and it is not just those cozy quilts and heirloom woolens that come tumbling out of the cupboard. Even as the lovely sweaters woven by grandma bask in sunshine during their annual outing among the glorious chrysanthemums and dahlias, her long forgotten home remedies for cough/cold also get their moment. Albeit in the wintry sun.

Haldi wala doodh or turmeric milk. Kadha. Kashayam. Basil and Honey or 'Tulsi-Mahu' as we call it in Odia . Or even the yummy 'Milagu rasam'. I bet every corner of the country has have something unique to offer for combating the side-effects of the much romanticized winters. And interestingly, every grandma has put her own spin to this traditional remedy. Maybe she learnt it from her grandmother/mother or even chanced upon it quite accidentally during a trial. But somehow she makes sure that we follow it to the T. And almost by magic, each recipe has proved beneficial in my experience.

This recipe for example fell into my hands quite by accident. I had gone to meet my neighbor in the afternoon a few days before Diwali. A bad cold ensured that I was coughing in the middle of every sentence that I managed to utter. And that is when aunty handed me a glass of a warm brown liquid that I could not smell. Thanks to a blocked sinus. It had a sharp smell but I managed to drink it. Within 10 mins, I could feel it working. She asked me to come back after another 3-4 hours for another dose. By night, I was feeling so much better. And that is when I knew that I had to have this recipe.


Read on for the details -




Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -


  • 2-3 betel leaves
  • 5-6 tulsi leaves
  • 10-12 peppercorns
  • 10-12 coriander seeds
  • 2 green cardamom
  • 1 inch ginger 
  • 4 1/2 glasses of water



Preparation - Take all the ingredients except the betel leaves and crush them coarsely.

Take the water in a saucepan and put it on the flame. Add the crushed ingredients .

Tear the betel leaves and add to the water. Let it boil for 15 mins.

Take off from the flame and let the temperature come down to tepid.

Drink 1-2 glasses. And keep the remaining covered .

Warm slightly before you drink and use on the same day.


1 comment:

  1. I have a problem of cough and cold. I tried your recipe and it's get good results in my cold and cough. Thank you for sharing and keep sharing always. Please visit http://www.foodpanache.com/

    ReplyDelete

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