My husband came down with a cold at Thanksgiving after a week of sitting in a deer stand.  The cold weather made his body vulnerable to the rhinovirus that causes the common cold.  When you have a cold it doesn’t feel very common, but they are everywhere. So far mankind has not found a cure for the common cold and every doctor will say, “it’s a virus and it has to run its course.”  I read somewhere once that skin cancer had been cured by injecting it with the rhinovirus. That might be an urban legend, but then again, maybe there is a reason why we cannot, or should not, eradicate the common cold.

Instead of eradication, we are working on my husband’s immune system to give it a boost.  Moonshine is what he has dubbed my concoction, partly because I store it in the refrigerator in a mason jar.  I found a recipe that uses water, sliced fresh ginger and lemon simmered for fifteen minutes and then served with honey. (I drink mine cold and no honey. He prefers it hot with honey.) I found that simmering sliced lemon brings out the bitterness of the rind.  So, I simmer the ginger and then add the lemon juice afterwards.  I think it tastes better.

And believe it or not, he is drinking it! And he is feeling better.  I’ve been drinking a little too, to help my immune system stave off his virus.  It might or might not work.

But some of the old-fashioned cures are as good as the more modern ones.  Gargling with salt water for a sore throat, rubbing Vicks Vapor Rub (mentholated topical cream) on your chest to open up the sinuses, making moonshine (ginger drink) to help the immune system do its job, and last but not least, lots of soap and water to wash away the virus (hands, sheets, anywhere bodily fluids can touch).

A word to the wise, go easy on ginger if your digestive system isn’t used to it.  A little bit can go a long way.  I only give it to him once a day.

It’s cold and flu season so be careful out there!