Fruits for Health: Recipes for Cough Syrup, Teas, Face Masks

 Fruits for Health: Recipes for Cough Syrup, Teas, Face Masks and More

Try these fun, effective and fantastically fruity concoctions to treat a variety of common ailments, from sore throats and stressed skin to sinuses to constipation.

By James Wong

Fruits in themselves may not seem like cutting-edge drugs, but trapped within the cells of these species are biologically active chemicals with proven medicinal properties — many of which are commonly found in over-the-counter drugs.

Cherry Cough Syrup Recipe

Honey is the magic ingredient in this soothing syrup, but the cherries and lemon add a zingy punch of vitamin C.

Ingredients: 

3 3⁄4 cups cherries (leave the pits in)
1 lemon, sliced
1 cup honey 

Instructions: 

Place all ingredients in a pan with enough water to cover. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes, or until the cherries are soft. Remove from the heat and strain out the solids, then allow to cool. Pour into a sterilized bottle.

Take 2 tbsp, as required, to soothe coughing. Keeps for several days in the refrigerator.

Cranberry and Apple Crush Recipe

Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) is a sharp, sour fruit grown mostly in wet meadows in North America. Although perhaps best known as an accompaniment to Christmas dinner, it has a long history of treating cystitis and other urinary tract infections. It is thought to work by preventing bacteria from sticking to the lining of the urinary tract and increasing the acidity of urine. If you suffer recurrent bouts of cystitis, regularly drinking homemade cranberry juice can help prevent further outbreaks (commercial juices are usually high in sugar). Cranberry is also used to help relieve the symptoms of acute attacks of cystitis, but you check with your family doctor first to make sure it is cystitis and nothing more serious. 

Ingredients:

115 g cranberries
3/4 cup clear apple juice
1 cup water 

Instructions: 

Put all ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Simmer until cranberries are soft. Strain. Drink as often as necessary, adding a little sugar to taste.

Elderberry Throat Gel Recipe

Elderflowers are often made into health-giving cordials and teas, but tiny black elderberries (Sambucus nigra) are less commonly used — perhaps because they have a very short season. However, the berries contain many of the same essential compounds as the flowers and are traditionally used as an anti-inflammatory to soothe coughs, sore throats and bronchial infections, and to make sinus conditions looser. Elderberry has powerful antiviral properties that combat various flu strains and have been shown to shorten the duration of flu attacks, so it is extremely useful for children and the elderly during winter months.

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