The weather has been quite erratic in the past few weeks : typical of a not so long winter giving way to warmer climes, the city has been quite under the weather (quite literally) with a thick cloud of smog enveloping us till late morning. Once the routine visits to the local doc are done, its astonishing how a simple herbal tea can invigorate one from a bout of cough and cold.
Kashayam (aka Kadha / black tea) without tea leaves is one of the most sought after cures – Kashayam comes in many forms for different ailments : digestive, chest, respiratory, general well being etc and the ingredients vary quite a bit depending on the purpose. Stay tuned for 3 different varieties of teas this week at Blogging Marathon.
Today, we see a herbal concoction with Chukku (dried ginger) and a few herbs to make a Kashaayam (aka kadha in Hindi) to soothe the throat during and after a bad bout of cough and cold. Its quite potent and spicy so make sure to limit its quantity, especially when serving smaller kids.
Prep time : 10 mins, preparation time : 10 mins, Serves : 2-3
You would need:
- Chukku (Dried Ginger) – about 2 inch long piece
- Black pepper – 10 to 15 (crushed fine)
- Karuppati vellam (palm jaggery) – 4 TBSP
- Cumin and Coriander seeds – 1 tsp each crushed fine
- Tulsi (holy Basil) leaves – 1 bunch (I omitted this)
- Water –3 cups
Method:
- Crush the chukku, black pepper, cumin and coriander. Dissolve this spice mix along with jaggery and bring to a rolling boil for 6-7 mins till its reduced to 1.5 cups. If using Tulsi, add while last 3 mins of boiling.
- Strain and drink immediately for relief from cough and cold.
- If serving to kids, dilute 3 tsp of kashayam with 2 tsp of water, add a dash of honey and administer it warm.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#61
Sounds like a good drink to have for cold!..
I caught a bad cough and cold during my visit to India in Dec. The cold has gone but am still left with a cough. I want to try out your remedy but don't get palm jaggery here. Can I use normal jaggery?
Yes Mayuri – you can use normal jaggery….
I caught a bad cough and cold during my visit to India in Dec. The cold has gone but am still left with a cough. I want to try out your remedy but don't get palm jaggery here. Can I use normal jaggery?
The kadha looks perfect for those sick days.Bookmarked.
wow , kashayam . MY HUSBAND has this for sour throat.
Somethibg spicy like your Kaadha sounds perfect for a sore throat especially during winter.
Must have recipe for winter!
Perfect for sore throat and cold!
This is perfect home remedy. Bookmarked
Never forget to make this kashayam to keep ourselves away from the cold. Love this drink.
That is such a wonderful home remedy for cold weather ailments. Thank you for sharing Kalyani.
These recipes are so important to have handy! Love to use the home remedy instead of medicines.
Very useful kashayam.
This is a wonderful tea for cold. I do a little different version..
great use of home spices and much better than using the chemicals in medicines