Spices not only make your food tasty but also provide health benefits as well. While spices are warm in nature and are packed with anti-inflammatory and antibacterial compounds that protect you from cold and cough.
1. Thyme
Thyme has been used to treat a wide range of ailments like sore throat, nightmares, colic, insomnia, and melancholia. Thymol is a volatile oil reason of its antimicrobial and antiseptic properties. These thymol properties lend themselves to fighting infection and killing germs. Thyme also has antispasmodic, carminative, astringent, stimulant, expectorant, and relaxant, properties as well. Thyme tea is good for bronchial spasms and coughs, it helps to clear mucus of a cold and congestion.
2. Cinnamon
Everyone likes the smell of cinnamon it is enough to make anyone feel better, but do you know that cinnamon has even more strong health benefits than just smelling good? Cinnamon has qualities like antifungal and antibacterial that help your immune system naturally fight off viruses. Its antiviral properties play an excellent role in keeping coughs and colds away from you. All these benefits make cinnamon a perfect spice for those suffering from nasal congestion, coughs, or sinusitis.
3. Holy Basil
Holy basil is also known as Tulsi or The Queen of Herbs. It not only has analgesic and antibacterial qualities that help in treating various conditions like colds, and dry coughs but also basil leaf tea can cure asthma and allergic bronchitis. The leaves, roots, and seeds of tulsi hold a powerful medicinal value. As it can be used both externally and internally.
4. Lemongrass
Mostly lemongrass is consumed in the form of hot tea after brewing the herb overnight. It is rich in antioxidants that aid in reducing flu-like symptoms. lemongrass contains vitamin C, which helps in treating coughs. Lemongrass is most often used as a home remedy to relieve fever, cold, and cough, due to its strong antiseptic property.
5. Turmeric
Turmeric is one of the most excellent spices to keep colds and coughs away. While Turmeric has highly essential ingredients called curcuminoids, which have various therapeutic effects, making turmeric powerful to fight all health issues. Turmeric has major properties like antioxidants, due to which it has anti-inflammatory, antiseptic antibacterial antifungal characteristics. This makes Turmeric ideal for treating wounds and bacterial infections as well. The antioxidant property has an ingredient called curcumin that helps to tackle coughs and colds. Turmeric is also great for your joint function and immune system.
6. Ginger
Ginger is one of the most common kitchen ingredients. This root is well known for its strong warming effects on your body. Ginger contains antibacterial compounds called shofaols and gingerols. This component helps in the fight against infection and germs. Ginger contains diaphoretic and bioactive compounds. The diaphoretic is a compound that induces sweating and the bioactive compounds have anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce the risk of sore throats, coughs, and colds.
7. Black Pepper
The pungent hot spice contains several anti-oxidants that quicken the body’s metabolism and raises body temperature, helping the body in fighting bacterial and viral. Due to its antibacterial characteristics, black pepper helps in preventing the spread of colds and flu. Black pepper contains piperine that has expectorant properties when inhaled or when applied topically to the skin for dry hacking coughs. Including Black pepper in your diet regularly will help strengthen your guard and immunity against chest congestion and respiratory infections.
8. Yarrow
Yarrow is a beautiful wildflower. Yarrow has drying astringent properties, that can be great for sinus infections and wet cough. Yarrow has properties like antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory, it is also high in flavonoids. This can be helpful when you are suffering from a cough. Yarrow is also used as a treatment for wounds, it reduces inflammation, and swelling and stops bleeding. It also has properties called diaphoretic that help in combating fevers.
9. Rosemary
Rosemary is an herb, that provides relief for sore throats and colds. It has properties like anti-microbial and anti-viral. Rosemary stimulates blood circulation to the brain to ease headaches. If you boil the leaf of rosemary and inhale the steam it will be effective for chest congestion and nasal.
10. Licorice root
Licorice root and licorice extract are two different things. It’s a herb that aids flu symptoms by getting active on the mucous membrane lining the throat making it very effective on cough or cold. Licorice root works well as a demulcent and expectorant. You can make your herbal cough syrup. It can be consumed as brewed into tea or like cough syrup.