Cold & cough10 min
Garlic roasted in ghee for a wet, chesty cough
When a cold settles on the chest with thick mucus and a heavy feeling, many Indian families reach for a couple of garlic cloves gently roasted in ghee. It's warming, comforting and easy to eat with a little jaggery.
The Ayurvedic view
A wet cough with heaviness, congestion and sticky phlegm is what Ayurveda calls kaphaja kasa. Kapha is cold, heavy and sticky, so the remedy is warm, pungent and light. Garlic (lahsun, rasona) is one of the most heating foods in the kitchen and is traditionally used for chest colds; roasting it in a little ghee softens its bite and makes it easier on the stomach.
Ingredients
- 2–3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 teaspoon ghee
- A small piece of jaggery (optional)
How to prepare
- Heat the ghee in a small pan and roast the garlic cloves on low heat for 3–4 minutes, turning, until golden and soft. Don't let them burn.
How to use
- Eat the warm cloves with a bit of jaggery once a day, preferably after a meal, for 3–5 days.
- Add extra garlic, ginger and black pepper to soups and dal while the cough lasts.
Helpful habits
- Steam inhalation and warm fluids help loosen mucus.
- Avoid curd, cold drinks, ice cream, bananas at night and heavy sweets while congested.
- Sleep with the head slightly raised.
Precautions
- Garlic may increase bleeding risk — people on blood thinners or scheduled for surgery should check with their doctor.
- It can cause heartburn in people with acidity or ulcers.
- People with diabetes should skip the jaggery.
- See a doctor for fever, breathlessness, chest pain, wheezing, green or bloody phlegm, cough lasting more than 2–3 weeks, or any chest cold in infants, the elderly or people with lung or heart disease.
