Mother Ng’s Sore Throat Remedy
May 7, 2008 by Deborah Ng
Filed under Uncategorized
So my husband and I are suffering from a variety of ailments this week, probably the flu. Yesterday we were totally wiped out, today we’re functioning. My Chinese mother in law always has home remedies for what ails us. Some, like this tea that’s made up of some sort of bark, are just so nasty I can’t drink them. Others, like her sore throat remedy, work wonders.
I’d like to tell you about my mother in law’s kumquat tea remedy for sore throats.
Here’s how it works:
Place several kumquats and some honey in a mug and fill with hot water. Let steep but drink while still very warm. I can’t tell you how soothing the kumquat tea is on my raw throat. When my dad was undergoing chemo several years ago, he always had a raw throat. My husband suggested the kumquat tea and Dad found it so soothing he had it every morning in place of his coffee.
The only problem is kumquats aren’t always easy to find. In Queens, where my mother in law lives, there are so many Chinese supermarkets. Each has plenty of kumquats. It’s not something you can pick up at the local Stop ‘N Shop though. A fruit and vegetable market might have them or stores that specialize in health foods or specialty fruits.
Trust me on this, once you start using kumquat tea to soothe your throat, you’ll never go back to lozenges again.
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LRN
I have used this when I was bartending. I customer took pity on me when I was sick with a cold and brought me in the concoction and I was so surprised. It worked wonders. The only problem I had was it made me gag, but was well worth it in the end.
I don’t think I have ever seen a kumquat. It sounds like a naughty piece of anatomy. I will have to look for one. Hope you’re feeling better! And stay that way. My husband will get sick, feel a little better, go back to work, and then get sick all over again.
Just so happens I have a sore throat, but no kumquats.
Deb, Do you cut the kumquats or just put them in whole?