October 31, 2011 by
A Cough Remedy
Honey-Lime Tea, a cough remedy
I have had this Honey-Lime Tea recipe written since last year when my son was sick and missed a week of school with a fever and annoying cough. When it comes to home remedies for coughing, my grandma’s honey-lime tea, which I have had countless times for coughs, that stands out in my memory. It was my son’s tired faceon a rainy day in September 2011 that took me to the kitchen here in Seattle to prepare some. It had been a long while since I had made it, but there is nothing difficult at all about this simple three-ingredient recipe made from lime, honey and salt. All that’s needed is the right balance of salty, sweet and sour to sooth the aching and irritated throat.
Honey image via Wikipedia
Lime is a great source of Vitamin Cand “Honey has also been used for centuries as a treatment for sore throats and coughs and, according to recent research, may be an effective soothing agent for coughs” (from Wikipedia). The risk for honey is only in children under a year of age because of a rare occurrence of infantile botulism, otherwise it is a well-established natural cough remedy in many cultures.
Lime มะนาว - plenty of lime in Thailand
In my kitchen, with the honey, limes and salt in front of me, I recalled standing side by side with my grandma in her kitchen, watching her stirring, tasting and adjusting the sour, sweet and salty. The sour from lime would make my eyes squint, but adding enough honey to cut the sharp edge of the lime would allow my eyes to open once again with sweet delight and the mixture to comfort my sore throat. Then she would add enough salt to pronounce its existence and make the honey and lime dance together in harmony. The warmth of the tea also soothed the sore throat. I would sip this tea slowly as if to allow each sip of honey-lime tea to absorb and sooth and melt away all the discomfort.It is not often I get a credit for my home remedies, but my son did find a tremendous comfort from this tea last year. As I tested this recipe one more time, he took part and enjoyed this tea once again, as both of us had mild colds this week. As we sipped, we both agreed that we appreciated this recipe before and now.
- Honey-Lime Tea
Honey-Lime Tea
Cha Nam PungManao
ชามะนาวน้ำผึ้ง
Don’t judge this recipe by the amount of lime and honey. It is not a tea for daily drinking, but more of a cough remedy for those times that we need all that vitamin C from the lime and the medicinal qualities of the honey. I would recommend that you prepare it according to the recipe and taste it before making any changes or adjustments. Take a good sip and swallow it slowly to allow the warm, well-balanced tea to linger in your throat.
This tea also good for drinking warm just for pleasure, in which case I would reduce the lime juice to 4 tablespoons. I recommend using the full 6 tablespoons of lime juice for use as a cough remedy.
Serves: 1
¼ teaspoon salt plus 2 pinches2 tablespoons honey6 tablespoons hot water4 to 6 tablespoons lime juicePut the water on to heat then prepare the ingredients as follows.Place salt and honey into a tea-cup and pour boiling water or warm water over it, stirring until the salt and honey dissolve. Add lime juice, stir one more time and serve. For use as a cough remedy, use the whole 6 tablespoons of lime juice and sip it slowly. For tea, use just 4 tablespoons lime juice. This is also an ideal summer drink poured over ice.
© 2011PraneeKhruasanitHalvorsenI Love Thai cookingPraneeteaches Thai Cooking classes in the Seattle area.Her website is:I Love Thai cooking.com.Related articles- Honey Lime Vinaigrette (mstanton822.wordpress.com)
- Honey & Lime Sangria (iheartsangria.wordpress.com)
Posted in Pranee's Culinary Tales, Recipes, Thai Beverage Recipe, Thai Gluten Free Recipe, Thai Recipe for Kid | Tagged Honey Home Cough Remedy, Thai Cooking with Children, Thai Cuisine, Traditional Thai Cooking | 6 Comments
6 Responses
on November 2, 2011 at 9:05 am | Reply
HannahI am feeling under the weather now, so I’m going to make a cup of this as soon as I finish writing this comment. Thank you for sharing!
on November 2, 2011 at 9:20 am | Reply
ilovethaicookingI am impressed with this home remedy. It tastes so good and it makes one feel good so fast. Pranee
on February 8, 2012 at 11:48 am | Reply
Acquired Tastes- Tea « A Cup of Mo[…] ~Honey-Lime Tea Recipe, a Cough Remedy~ (ilovethaicooking.wordpress.com) […]
on March 7, 2012 at 7:11 pm | Reply
~Pickled Sweet Radish Omelet Recipe~ « Pranee's Thai Kitchen[…] and have been resting for the past two days. What do I eat on such a do nothing day? I prepared Honey-Lime Tea to sooth my coughing and sore throat. For dinner I prepared myself a rice porridge. While the rice […]
on September 25, 2013 at 12:42 am | Reply
RonAmazing! My grandma told me about it and it is without a doubt the best to get rid of a cough!
RonComments RSS
