RELIEVE COLD SYMPTOMS

An easy and tasty way to quell cold symptoms starts with a lemon and honey. Sounds like a pretty easy way to soothe sore throats, quell coughing fits, ease congestion and getting one on the road to recovery. Combine 1 tablespoon of raw honey with the juice of a lemon and take it twice a day. Wondering how that will help? Raw honey is a natural cough suppressant, and it also inhibits invading germs. Fresh lemon calms irritated pain nerves, relaxes airways and breaks up mucus to improve breathing.

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EUCALYPTUS

Eucalyptus, an herb from Australia, is great at easing congestion. You will find it as an ingredient in many over-the-counter medications such as VapoRubs, nasal decongestants, cough suppressants, etc. Eucalyptus contains the chemical eucalyptol which contains both decongestant and antiseptic powers. However, one should never ingest eucalyptus oil! Note that teas and internal uses such as cough suppressants that contain eucalyptus use the leaves which are very safe.

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SOUP DOES MORE THAN WARM YOU UP

 I love soup any day of the year. In fact, I could probably live quite happily on soup alone. But one of my favorite times to enjoy a steaming bowl of soup is on a cold, dreary day.  There's nothing like a bowl of soup to warm you from the inside out. But soup is more than just a tasty way to warm up. Soup can actually ease cold symptoms such as congestion and a runny nose. Studies have proven that a hot bowl of soup can reduce inflammation and clear away mucous to ease the symptoms of upper respiratory infections. There's a reason soup is sometimes called "Grandma's penicillin".

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Vicks VapoRub

When I was growing up in Southern Indiana this was the recipe for whatever ailed you! We still use it in our house. It has helped me through many sinus headaches.

BENEFITS OF EATING ONIONS

Onions are not known for their nutritional value!  However, the green tops of onions are a good source of vitamin C.  So don't toss the tops from your green onions!  Chop the tops fine and toss into salads, soups, potatoes, etc.

Onions can serve a variety of uses other than just adding flavor to our dishes.  Some of these ways include:

• When cutting onions their sulfur compounds combine with enzymes to form a type of sulfuric acid.  This is what causes us to "cry" when peeling or cutting onions.  This may actually help clean nasal passages that are congested.
• The sulfur compounds in onions block the potential of some cancer-causing carcinogens.
• Onions have a mild antibacterial effect.
• Some studies indicate onions may protect against the artery-clogging damage of cholesterol by raising the levels of the high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) which are the protective proteins.
• Research has also shown that adenosine, a substance in onions, hinders clot formation which could offer heart protection.