Kadha is a traditional home-made decoctions made by boiling herbs and spices in water for 10- 15 minutes. A kadha is a great substitute for cough syrups and antibiotic medicines with the added advantage of having no side effects.
This remedy is a mix of home made remedies given to me by my dear friend Jay and my Mum. I am not claiming that this is miracle cure as the cold runs its course no matter what , but this remedy here will give you some serious help .
You will need:
2 , 2 inch stick cinnamon / dal chini
8-10 cloves / laung
4- 6 elaichi / green cardamom
2 tsp caraway seeds / ajwain
2 tsp cumin seeds / jeera
1 tsp fenugreek seeds / methi dana
1 tbs black peppercorn / kali mirch
A big piece of mace / javitri
2- 3 star anise
2 tsp fennel seeds / saunf
15 – 20 stalks of lemongrass (dry will work as well as fresh – I used dry)
1 tbs of dry ginger / saunth ( you can even use fresh )
4 tbsp honey
4 cups of water
Method :
Grind all the dry ingredients to a powder in the coffee grinder. Store in an airtight container and use when needed . It stays good for a month if stored properly .
To make kadha :
Boil 1 cup water. The minute it reaches a rolling boil, add 1 tbs ground powder , ginger & lemon grass ( if using fresh ) Allow this to simmer for 10 minutes on a medium flame.
Add honey as per taste in a cup .
Once this mixture has simmered for at least 10 minutes, sieve it to your cup . Serve steaming hot.
Various ingredients have different curative properties, which make them an integral part of these kadhas, for instance: –
Clove (laung) is a mild anti-bacterial agent
Black pepper relieves sinusitis and nasal congestion
Cinnamon adds fragrance and flavor, preserves body heat and kills bacteria
Hot water washes away toxins from the body.
NOTE:
For maximum benefit, kadha should be consumed hot. The recommended dosage for adults is about half a cup twice a day while young children can be given about a quarter of a cup twice a day.
Kadhas, serves as effective remedy, but they are no substitutes for medicines in case of severe cases of congestion and fever, especially in young children and the elderly.
Here I was expecting some recipe using ingredients I didn’t know, but as it happens I have every single one of these in my kitchen or garden, even the lemongrass. So no excuse for not making it – sounds delicious.
Hilda.. i am using this concoction since last 2 days to get rid of my cough and fever as i avoid taking medicines and this is really helping me a lot and the best part is that most of the ingredients are easily available 🙂