What Science Has to Say About This Old-School Home Remedy

What Science Has to Say About This Old-School Home Remedy
Hot drink cocktail for New Year, Christmas, winter or autumn holidays. Toddy. Mulled pear cider or spiced tea or grog with lemon, pear, cinnamon, anise, cardamom, rosemary.

(AscendHealthy.com) – Many families have used home remedies for centuries, but how many of them really work is debatable. Now, science is weighing in on a remedy that many folks claim helps reduce the symptoms of the common cold. Read about the surprising results and learn more about this old-school home remedy.

What’s a Hot Toddy?

A hot toddy is a combination of honey, lemon, hot water, and whiskey. Some people also include various spices, but they are optional. These drinks have been used for years to warm people up on cold nights and, allegedly, improve health.

They can “cure” a cold, according to some people, and make cold symptoms less stressful or severe. But do they really work, and can some of the ingredients be substituted? Learning about hot toddies may help us determine whether trying one is the right choice.

Do Hot Toddies Really Help?

As it turns out, this old home remedy may be effective for several reasons. According to experts, a hot toddy could make us feel better when we’re sick because the spices in the drink stimulate the production of saliva. That may help ease a sore throat, and the honey and lemon may also stimulate mucus.

Lemon water with honey also loosens congestion, as can warm drinks in general. Whiskey can help dilate blood vessels, which helps us deal with the sniffles. It may also help fight the infection.

There’s also a comfort factor in the hot toddy, which may provide people who feel ill with a psychological boost. The warmth is soothing, and the idea of doing something proactive to help our colds may provide a placebo effect that might help us feel better faster.

One thing to keep in mind is that it’s best to go easy on the whiskey because drinking alcohol when we’re sick may actually make us feel worse instead of better due to dehydration or even a hangover.

Making a Hot Toddy

Making a hot toddy at home is easy. There are many different recipes, so anyone can choose the one they like the best. The most common way to start is by boiling some water. While it’s boiling, mix 25-50 milliliters (1.5 – 3 tablespoons) of whiskey with a splash of lemon juice and three teaspoons of honey. Then add ¾ cup of boiling water and stir until the honey dissolves. Some people garnish with a cinnamon stick and a slice of lemon, but that’s not strictly necessary.

Many hot toddy variations exist, and for those who don’t drink, the whiskey can be swapped out for tea or left out entirely. Some people just drink hot water with honey, lemon, and spices to ease cold symptoms. Additionally, consider honey and lemon tea or lemon and ginger tea as alcohol-free alternatives.

No matter what we put in our hot toddies, science says they really may help us feel better when we’re sick. That’s also true on cold days when comfort and warmth are the best ways to feel cozy and comfortable. With so many different hot toddy variations, it may be fun to experiment and find the one that tastes just right.

~Here’s to Your Healthy Ascension

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