Cold & cough10 min
Cinnamon–honey warm water for a scratchy sore throat
A mug of warm water simmered with a stick of cinnamon and a few cloves, sweetened with honey once it cools a little, is a soothing sip for that raw, scratchy feeling at the start of a cold.
The Ayurvedic view
Most sore throats come with viral colds and settle in a week. Ayurveda would describe the early phase — scratchy throat, heaviness, a little mucus — as kapha building up, and favours warm, pungent spices to keep it moving. Cinnamon (dalchini) and clove (laung) are warming and aromatic; honey coats the throat and, according to Ayurveda, is best taken warm but never cooked.
Ingredients
- 1 small stick of cinnamon (about 2 inches)
- 2 cloves
- 1½ cups water
- 1 teaspoon honey
How to prepare
- Simmer the cinnamon and cloves in the water for 7–8 minutes until it reduces to about a cup.
- Strain and let it cool until comfortably warm, then stir in the honey.
How to use
- Sip slowly two or three times a day while the throat is sore.
- Also gargle with warm salt water morning and night.
Helpful habits
- Rest your voice and drink warm fluids through the day.
- Avoid cold drinks, ice cream and fried food while the throat is raw.
- Humid air (a bowl of hot water in the room or a steamy bathroom) eases dryness.
Precautions
- Never add honey to boiling water, and don't give honey to babies under one year.
- People with diabetes should leave out the honey and check with their doctor.
- Cinnamon in large amounts isn't advisable in pregnancy or with liver problems — keep to one small stick.
- See a doctor for difficulty swallowing or breathing, drooling, high fever, a swollen neck, white patches on tonsils, a rash, or a sore throat lasting more than a week.
