Chest congestion and chronic coughs are treated with food in China. A mixture of steamed, peeled grapefruit, half a cup of rice wine and 1 cup of honey is kept on hand to drink throughout the day to relieve coughs. Rock sugar, steamed with 5 fresh pitted olives for a half an hour, is also eaten to control coughing. Steaming 5 to 10 fresh kumquats with 30 grams of rock sugar for half an hour, or eating a few sugared kumquats twice a day, relieves chest congestion. Or, steam a fresh lemon, peach, or tangerine with rock sugar, and eat it in the morning and evening. Fresh papayas and mangos, including the peel (good sources of vitamins C and A), also help ease chronic cough.
A Chinese remedy for coughs and chest congestion that won’t stimulate your sweet tooth is a tea made by boiling 5 grams of fried leaf mustard seeds with 10 grams of fried radish seeds, 5 grams dried orange peels, and 5 grams licorice. Drink as needed.
The Chinese believe that leaf mustard has a warm energy, and that the pungent taste will promote energy circulation in the lung area, relieving mucous discharge. Mustard powder is also made into a thick paste. Heated, spread on a cloth, and applied to the chest, mustard “plaster” draws the blood to the surface, decreasing congestion in the chest area.
Warning: This remedy can be irritating to the skin of sensitive people. Irritation is reduced if the mustard powder is mixed with rye flour.
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