Foods to Heal What Ails You
You've done all you could to not get sick. You've taken your vitamin C, gotten plenty of rest, exercised, eaten right, buttoned up....and here you are anyway, feeling lousy! If only mom were here to wipe your fevered brow. Mom always knew which foods to feed when you weren't well: ginger ale for your tummy ache, chicken soup for your cold, and fluids for your flu. Although she probably didn't know the mechanism, mom was making good use of food pharmacology.
Over the years, scientific research has been able to determine why certain foods aid your physical recovery. The following list covers several food "medicines" you can use once a malady has struck. Some treatments are backed by clinical evidence, others are widely accepted by practitioners of herbal medicine. Most listed below are not cures, but rather are methods to alleviate symptoms.
- What Ails You: The Common Cold
Food To Treat: Chicken Soup
Dosage: Small amounts frequently as the effects last only a half hour or so.
Why it Works: Several studies prove chicken soup helps break up congestion and ease the flow of nasal secretions. It seems to inhibit the white blood cells that trigger the inflammatory response that causes sore throats and produces phlegm. Chicken contains an amino acid called cysteine, which is released when you make the soup. This amino acid is similar to the drug, acetylcysteine, which is prescribed by doctors to patients with bronchitis. It functions by thinning down mucus in the lungs, making it easier to cough out. Hot chicken vapors have been proven more effective than hot water vapors in clearing out the cold in your nose. To increase the effectiveness of chicken soup, add lots of hot and spicy ingredients, like cayenne pepper, fresh garlic, and onions.
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