Winter Is Coming!! Beat The Flu With This...

By Dr. Shavit Sachs

Conscious Life Magazine

With winter coming, I know we all want to keep the winter colds and flus at bay.

Ideally, the best way to keep healthy is to equip your body with the ability to fight off any infection incoming and, thereby, preventing colds and flus all together (versus constantly trying to treat the cold/flu), but that isn’t always so possible.

There are various factors that play a role in us getting sick (or not getting sick!)

- How we handle periods of intense stress. - How we keep ourselves warm enough in cold weather. - How we nourish our bodies with nutrients from foods. - Our emotional state. - How well we sleep. - What we drink. - The types of people we surround ourselves with.

Some of these may seem a bit more esoteric, but these factors (and many many more) can help or hinder our immune systems from functioning optimally.

Sometimes, getting sick is inevitable, but I’m going to give you my favourite BEAT THAT FLU concoction. It is perfect for when you start to feel the “sniffles” coming along or even when you’ve got full blown flu, this will help your body fight off the infection! So a great immunestrengthening concoction, as well as great at fighting off the nasty flu or cold.

It contains turmeric, a potent anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral to give the immune system a nice little kick for it to function optimally! NB: please use with caution if you are taking any blood-thinning medication!

Ingredients:

• Turmeric root or powder (the root is better, but not as easily found)

• Onion

• Garlic*

• Ginger

• Raw honey

• Lemon

• Black pepper OR coconut oil (these will help the body to absorb as much turmeric as possible)

*I put garlic in the ingredients but you shouldn’t actually put it in the mix. Rather, place a single clove of garlic in your mouth, bite down and swallow like a pill. The reason for this is that crushing the garlic releases its potent antimicrobial constituent - allicin! Please note that allicin releases quickly so best is to bite it and swallow straight away! This, coupled with my BEAT THAT FLU concoction, should have you up and running in no time.

Method:

• In a pot, put half a teaspoon of turmeric powder (if you use the root, cut up about a 3cm piece).

• A quarter of an onion, cut as you desire, I prefer long pieces.

• 3 small to medium cubes of ginger.

• Juice of half a squeezed lemon (you can put lemon slices if you prefer).

• Add water (measure by how much you want to drink) and switch the stove on.

• Wait for the water to start heating up and stir.

• Once it is boiling, add a teaspoon of raw honey. (If you are using coconut oil, you can add a teaspoon here.)

• Continue stirring!

• Once the turmeric has fully dissolved, bring down to a low heat

• Continue stirring

• Five to ten minutes later, your concoction should be ready. (If you are using black pepper, add a quarter to half a tablespoon here.)

• Pour it into a mug, drink, and enjoy!

I must admit, it doesn’t have a great taste but it works absolute wonders! You can also double or triple the recipe and keep a big batch in the fridge for a week at a time. Just remember to heat it up before you drink it. It’s sort of like a potent turmeric soup!

I would recommend drinking the concoction at least twice a day for 5-7 days and swallowing two garlic cloves daily, one in the morning and one in the evening.

Always remember to consult your local naturopath or healthcare practitioner with any health ailments to ensure the best personalised treatment plan and care for your body!

Conscious Life Magazine