You'll Side-Eye Me; Garlic and Honey Water Remedy.

When I tell people what I take when I'm ill, they give me the side-eye which is then followed by a look of disgust. Kind of like this right here:

I disapprove.

Stress levels have been through the roof over the past few weeks (I blame my thesis for most of it) and I succumbed to the most unpleasant sore throat last week.

Last Friday, my lovely friend Linda and I spoke on the phone and she realised that something was up with my voice (she thought I cried, bless her!!). I told her that I had a sore throat and she suggested I get some honey. The next day I went to Marks & Spencer's and purchased some honey, which I had with many cups of tea (mainly rooibos and moringa instead of my usual white tea (which ran out)). I also want to add that during the week of my sore throat, I did not drink any coffee and I made sure I stayed as hydrated as possible (why can't I do this when I am not ill? >___>). 

My throat made slight improvements but I needed something stronger for that + something to knock out the common cold I got on the Saturday. Yep. If a sore throat isn't exhausting enough to deal with, I also began to get the sniffles. 

So I did what I usually tend to do when I get the sniffles; mince a clove of garlic and wash it down with water. 

This is how I do it.

I followed this up with something that I never tried before. I stirred in two teaspoons of honey in a glass of water. I stirred, stirred and stirred and drank it all up. 

If you want to do it with style, add ice and a straw. 

I did this on the Sunday and the Monday night, just before bed.

Today is Tuesday. The sore throat is completely gone but I still have a bit of a cough. No sniffles. No blocked nose. I can breathe freely and my body doesn't feel like I've ran a few laps. As precaution, I will do this again tonight! 

Nature heals. Garlic and honey are known for their antimicrobial properties and have been used for centuries in health, diet and beauty. A lot of people think garlic is really nasty and smells, which is why I take it at night (you really shouldn't take it in the morning, for your personal embarrassment and for other people's comfort). If you don't like garlic that way (minced) you can always take it whole, take capsules or just eat it in food to mask the smell and the taste. Keep in mind though that garlic is not suitable for everyone.