Kashayam for cold: When it comes to cold ailment nothing beats paati vaithiyum/Home remedies learnt from our elders. More recently, I started growing herbs like holy basil(tulsi) and Indian Borage(karpooravalli) in my balcony. These are commonly grown in South Indian households and come handy for cold treatment for all age groups.

I prepared a herbal concoction/kashayam the other day to fight the terrible cold that I was caught with. Sometimes, I crush the herbs and include them in my green tea and have it along with honey & lemon for a quick winter morning relief.

To get more information on herbs and health benefits, Follow me on Pinterest

Ingredients:
1 cup water
4-5 Holi basil(Tulsi) leaves
3-4 Indian Borage/karpooravalli leaves
1 tspn black pepper( slightly crushed)
2 tspn coriander seeds
1 inch ginger(crushed)
1/4 tspn turmeric powder
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
3-4 cloves
1 tspn honey

Directions:

1. Boil 1 cup water in a vessel. Break the leaves into 3-4 pieces using hands or else you could crush them using a mortar and pestle. Add it to the boiling water.
2. Now add the rest of the ingredients(Pepper could be slightly crushed so that some of it remain full and some gets broken. Nicely ground the ginger and add to the boiling water)
3. I generally use coriander seeds and sukku(dry ginger) in my kashayam. Since the stock got over, I haven’t used them. But its ideal to use coriander seeds.
4. Add all ingredients except honey. Let the concoction boil for few minutes until the quantity of water reduces to almost half.
5. Filter the Kashayam and let it cool off. When the kashayam is luke worm, add honey and drink it.

Stay Healthy!