Ginger
Ginger is a root vegetable and a spice. It is being used in India from Vedic period and is called Maha-Aushadi, meaning the great medicine. It contributes greatly towards health and is regarded as a food medicine for several ailments.
Ginger is an antibiotic and helps fight infection. It has been used for centuries to treat many infectious diseases like cholera, diarrhoea and chest congestion. Its use has been found especially effective in whooping cough. A teaspoon of the fresh ginger juice, mixed with a cup of fenugreek decoction and honey to taste, acts as an expectorant and diaphoretic in this disease. The fenugreek decoction can be made by boiling one teaspoon of seeds in 250 ml of water till it is reduced to half.
Honey
Honey contains strong antibiotic property. It is very beneficial in case of many infections. For throat infection, gargling with honey water relieves inflammation. This gargle is also an excellent remedy for hoarseness brought about by local infection of the throat.
Another recipe for throat infection and hoarseness is to grind well black pepper, asafoetida, Indian mustard and saffroi In equal quantities and make pills by adding a little honey to it. One pill may be put in the mouth and sucked. After sometime the voice become as clear as before.
Honey is the best medicine for oral ulceration and sore tongue, which are very painful. These conditions may result from fungal or bacterial infection due to poor oral hygiene. The patient finds difficulty in eating, drinking and talking, especially when the ulcers are present at the angle of lips. For immediate relief from this condition, 20 grams of borax should be ground to fine powder and mixed thoroughly with 150 grams of honey and 10 grams of glycerin. This mixture should be applied locally over the ulcers two or three times daily. Proper oral hygiene is necessary with this treatment.
The use of honey has also been found very beneficial in the treatment of middle ear infection, known as Otitis Media in Medical Parlance. This disease is characterised by infection of the ear leading to pus discharge through perforated eardrum. This condition can be treated by instilling honey in the ear. This will drain out all the pus and will lead to early healing of the middle ear infection. Later on, even the perforated eardrum will heal up automatically.
Lemon
The lemon is an important fruit of citrus group. It ranks high as a health food. The various parts of lemon used for medicinal purposes are rind of the ripe fruit, essential oil of the rirtd and expressed juice of the ripe fruit. Lemon is antibacterial food and is highly beneficial in the treatment of infectious diseases. For throat infection, a ripe unpeeled lemon should be roasted slowly until it begins to crack open. One teaspoon of the juice with a little honey should be taken once every hour. In the alternative, the same juice of the roasted lemon should be mixed in a glass of boiled water and taken flavoured with honey. It should be sipped slowly.
Lemon contains wonderful anticholera property. Lemon juice can kill cholera bacilli within a very short time. It is a very effective and reliable preventive against cholera during the epidemic. For this purpose, it can be taken in the form of sweetened or salted beverages. Taking of lemon with food as a daily routine also prevents cholera.