Spiced Herbal Tea(Kashaya)-for common cold/cough

Cold,cough,sneeze are all common during seasonal changes.We try to rely on home remedies .This is a good old remedy which works mostly during common cold/cough.The ingredients used are mostly available in the kitchen pantry.Consuming this will have no side effects at all but definitely help in relieving the uneasiness.This is a recipe of 'herbal tea','kashaya' or 'folk cure'.It is a concoction of pepper, coriander, licorice, lemon grass, turmeric, ginger ,sugar candy etc.,
  

Ingredients:

black peppercorns  1tsp

coriander seeds  1/2 tsp

dry ginger powder 1/2 tsp

cinnamon powder  a pinch

cumin seeds   a pinch

sugar candy  1tbsp

jaggery(brown sugar) 1tbsp

lemon grass stalks 8-10(1" pieces)

turmeric powder  1/4tsp

licorice  1"piece

Method:

• In a mortar or a blender crush peppercorns,cumin,coriander,licorice to form a coarse powder
• In a pot add 1 1/4 cups of water,the crushed spices and the remaining spices
• bring to boil,once starts to rolling boil,simmer the flame and boil for further 5-8 minutes
• strain the mixture

Dosage:

Take 1 tbsp. of the prepared tea 2-3 times a day or along with warm milk or dilute with warm water.Additional honey may be added to enhance the taste who feel it is on the spicier side.

Ingredients and their names in different languages:

Black Pepper:kaali mirch(Hindi)kari menasu (Kannada)meere( Konkani)

Licorice:Mulethi( Hindi)Jeshta madhu (Kannada)Ghod khost (Konkani)

Lemon Grass:Majjige hullu (Kannada)Takka Tana (Konkani).

Sugar Candy:Kallu sakkare(Kannada)Kade Sakkar(Konkani)

Tips for storing lemon grass:

wash lemon grass in couple of changes of water rinsing it thoroughly,towel dry and chop to 1 inch pieces with the help of a scissor and place it on a paper towel on a plate and let it completely dry under sun.It should be ready in 2-3 days.Store this in a clean jar.