Use Ginger to Fight Colds in Children
Learn about the antimicrobial properties of ginger, an excellent home remedy to help prevent and fight colds in children. This root, common in Asian cuisine, has an increasing presence in the Western world, thanks to its nutrient content.
Taking care of the health of our babies is essential to ensure that they grow up healthy and strong. With the arrival of cold seasons, the chances of children getting sick with colds and coughs are greater; However, nature offers us one of the best home remedies for these cases: Ginger.
This plant has been used for many years as one of the main cough suppressants for both adults and little ones . Of course, in the case of children, it never hurts to take them to the pediatrician for an examination and ask if they recommend taking ginger to alleviate discomfort.
If your baby has a cold, don’t waste time and consult your trusted pediatrician
Doctors often prescribe over-the-counter medications to ease symptoms of the common cold and cough at times , but not everyone will react in the same way.
Therefore, mom and dad can prepare a delicious tea with natural ingredients that can help mitigate the symptoms. This way, you can use ginger accompanied by lemon, honey, orange, and khella seeds to help your baby feel better.
Please keep in mind that you should never give honey to babies under the age of 12 months. Wait for your pediatrician’s approval before giving honey to your baby.
Ginger based recipes to fight colds in children
Ginger is a root of oriental origin that’s been used by traditional medicine for approximately 2,000 years. During this long period, hundreds of recipes have been developed to treat cold ailments in children , thanks to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitussive, and antiviral properties. Several current studies demonstrate the properties of ginger when it comes to acting positively on these viral processes.
If you want to see an improvement in the little one in your home, be sure to prepare any of these recipes that we have for you:
Ginger tea:
Ingredients:
- 10 grams of the root of this plant
- 1/2 cup of water
- 2 tablespoons of honey
Preparation:
Heat the water and add the grated ginger. Then, you have to add the honey and stir until everything’s well diluted. Strain the mixture to remove the sediments and that’s it! Try to give your child this drink before bed so that they’ll stay comfortable throughout the night.
Home remedy:
Ingredients:
- 6 cups of water
- ½ cup thinly sliced ginger
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Preparation:
Place the water in a small saucepan, add the root slices and cinnamon and heat over low heat; then, you’ll have to filter it to remove the solid parts. Add honey or a little sugar (depending on the age of your baby) and feed them several teaspoons throughout the day.
Natural drink:
Ingredients:
- 1 lemon
- 1 glass of water
- ½ cup of grated ginger
- Honey
Preparation:
Squeeze the lemon into the glass of water, add the root, and place it over low heat. When it boils, you should filter the liquid and let it sit until it¡s lukewarm. Add the honey and serve it a little before going to sleep.
Vaporizations
If the child with a cold is over four years old, ginger root will also help them breathe better if used as a vapor. The procedure is as follows: Put a root in a pot with water and let it boil for 20 minutes. Then, remove the pot and very carefully cover the child’s head and your own with a towel (that way, you can make sure the steam isn’t too hot). And remaining by their side, bring them closer to the saucepan so that they inhale the steam.
This therapy can last from 5 to 10 minutes, or in any case, as long as necessary to decongest the airways. Once finished, the patient should be kept warm, away from cold drafts.
Contraindications
It‘s important not to exceed the indicated dose in order to avoid stomach pain or gastrointestinal complications. At the same time, children under two years of age may not react well to the intake of this spice because the digestive system isn’t yet mature and could cause vomiting, according to an article published in the journal “Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.”
Ginger, an increasingly popular spice
In addition to its properties when it comes to helping to fight colds in children, ginger has important nutrients when it comes to preventing other types of diseases. For example, its regular consumption could alleviate the symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases. It’s even effective in the treatment of certain neurodegenerative diseases, as a complement to pharmacological treatment.
For these reasons, it’s a good idea to regularly include ginger in your diet. To do this, you can try to make the recommended recipes or use it in root or powder form to improve the flavor of your culinary preparations. Just the same, remember that it doesn’t have any magical powers and that you need to follow a balanced and varied diet to benefit from its effects.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Marx W., Ried K., McCarthy AL., Vitetta L., et al., Ginger mechanism of action in chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting: a review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2017. 57 (1): 141-146.
- Nocerino R, Cecere G, Micillo M, De Marco G, Ferri P, Russo M, Bedogni G, Berni Canani R. Efficacy of ginger as antiemetic in children with acute gastroenteritis: a randomised controlled trial. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2021 Jul;54(1):24-31.
- Sahoo M., Jena L., Narayan Rath S., Kumar S., Identification of suitable natural inhibitor against influenza A (H1N1) neuraminidase protein by molecular docking. Genomics Inform, 2016. 14 (3): 96-103.
- Susilowati, E., Yuliana, F., & Hakim, A. R. Herbal Extract Of Ginger And Honey To Acute Respiratory Infection In Toddler; Literature Review. Jurnal Kebidanan Malahayati. 2022; 8(4): 796-801.
- Townsend EA, Siviski ME, Zhang Y, Xu C, Hoonjan B, Emala CW. Effects of ginger and its constituents on airway smooth muscle relaxation and calcium regulation. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2013 Feb;48(2):157-63.
- Yamprasert R, Chanvimalueng W, Mukkasombut N, Itharat A. Ginger extract versus Loratadine in the treatment of allergic rhinitis: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020 Apr 20;20(1):119.