Nutritional cures from China,

Ukraine, Peru and Iran for cold

and flu symptoms.
By: Nataliya Korostensky

Introduction
Many things are common to all cultures in this

world.
Unfortunately, one of those things is illness

How do we treat common ailments?

What did we do before medications and
professional doctors?
How do these practices differ across the world?
Are there any universal practices?

Overview
Geographic Regions

Asia: China
Eastern Europe: Ukraine
Latin America: Peru
Middle East: Iran

Common symptoms:

Cough
Sore throat
Sinus (Runny nose & Congestion)
Fever (Aches & Chills)

Chinese Folk Remedies

Colds are perceived to be a Wind attack

Problem of the lungs

Must recognize disharmony pattern & treat it

accordingly
Must expel the Wind and other negative
pathogens by:

Causing sweating or reducing heat

Herbal medicine
Acupuncture
Qi Gong

Holistic system of coordinated body posture and movement,

breathing, and meditation used for health, spirituality, and
martial arts training

Chinese Remedies: Cough

Protective Qi (breath)

To eject out pathogens

Repair Lungs

To soothe Qi

Perilla leaf, ephedra, fresh ginger, peppermint, chrysanthemum and

mulberry leaf

Balloon flower root, ephedra, bitter apricot kernel, hogfennel root,

sessile stemona root and cynanchum rhizome

Three types of Cough

Wind-Cold
Wind-Heat
Dry-Heat

WIND-COLD

Wind- Cold Cough

Paired with clear or white mucus

Perilla leaf and fresh ginger

Eject the pathogens from the lungs
Creates heat in the lungs

Tangerine peel, bitter orange peel, pinellia tuber,

and poria
Regulate air flow
Dry up mucus

When mucus dries:

Get rid of ginger and switch to Wind-Heat powders

WIND-COLD

WIND-COLD

Dietary Recommendations
Consume
Warming foods

Ginger, onion, green

onion, coriander, radish
(cooked), pumpkin,
apricot, tangerine,
garlic, cinnamon,
vinegar brewed with
herbs, pig's lung.

Avoid
Frozen, raw, greasy or

difficult to digest
foods
Cold-property foods

Banana, plum, fresh

melons, peppermint,
calm and crab

WIND-HEAT

Wind- Heat Cough

Paired with yellow, thick mucus

Mulberry leaf, chrysanthemum, peppermint

Remove wind-heat
Dissolve mucus

Balloon flower root, licorice root

Soothe Qi flow
Promote expectoration

Reed rhizome, forsythia capsule

Clears internal heat
Promote body fluids to dissolve the mucus

WIND-HEAT

WIND-HEAT

Dietary Recommendations
Consume

Foods with a cooling

effect

Fresh radish, fresh lotus

root, bean curd, green bean,
wheat, pear, persimmon,
loquat fruit, fig, olive, water
chestnut, apple, strawberry,
pineapple, coconut, star
fruit, melons, bamboo
shoot, celery, bean sprouts,
chrysanthemum,
peppermint, kelp, seaweed
and duck meat.

Avoid
Hot and greasy foods

Ginseng, mutton,
pepper, ginger, fennel,
nutmeg, cinnamon,
longan fruit, litchi and
red dates.

DRY-HEAT

Dry-Heat Cough
Dry cough, hoarseness, dry nose/mouth

Mulberry leaf & fermented soybean

Remove dry-heat, bring it to the surface

Apricot kernel & fritillary bulb

Soothe Qi flow (stop cough)

Ladybell root, pear, & gardenia fruit

Clears internal heat

Provide lubrication

DRY-HEAT

DRY-HEAT

Dietary Recommendations
Consume

Food that nourish the

lungs or promote the
tissue repairing

Lily bulb, sugarcane,

soybean milk, honey,
maltose, white fungus,
pine nut, olive, sesame,
dried persimmon,
almond, pear, tomato,
mulberry, milk, loquat
fruit, fig, duck meat,
carp, pig's skin and lung.

Avoid
If irritated throat

Avoid eating hot and

spicy foods

If long-term persistent

cough

Avoid frozen or greasy

foods

Severe Cough Symptoms

Wind-Heat

Great burdock fruit & hog fennel root

Extra force to expel mucus

Winter gourd seed & snakegourd peel

Extra heat to dissolve mucus

Dry-Heat

Gypsum & anemarrhena rhizome

Chinese Remedies: Sore Throat

Normal flow in throat/airways

White mustard seed, snakegourd peel, fritillary

bulb, dried pear, pinellia tuber and tangerine peel

Clearing the heat that causes soreness

White mulberry root-bark

Great burdock fruit
Baical skullcap root
Puff-ball
Isatis Root

Chinese Remedies: Nasal Issues

Severe congestion and discharge

Siberian cocklebur fruit

Biondii magnolia flower

Chinese Remedies: Fever

Chills

Schizonepeta herb
Ledebouriella root

Soreness

Common coltsfoot flower

Tatarian aster root

Mud fruit cure (Lotus)

Shilianzi-in mud deposits

Dried and put in drinks

Ukrainian Folk Remedies

One can get sick simply from being cold
Drafts and moisture are healths enemy
Pharmaceuticals cure one thing while harming another
Must stay warm to help the body heal

No cold drinks, foods

Limit physical activity/ work
Stay hydrated

Ukrainian Remedies: Cough

Dry Cough

Hot Wine
1 cup of red wine (dry)
Heated to almost boiling temp

Tsp. of honey before bed

Helps to calm a bronchial cough

Wet Cough

Gogul-Mogul
1 egg yolk with 2 tsp. sugar or honey
Mix until yolk is practically white
Can add a shot of hard liquor

Ukrainian Remedies: Sore Throat

Painful and scratchy

1 cup hot milk, 1 tsp butter, & 1tsp honey

Heated until butter is melted
Drink most of it, leave a little to wash down a tsp

baking soda at the end

Rinse with Diluted vinegar or salt water

Drink plenty of any tea
Reduces inflammation
Lemon and honey
Tilia leaf tea (aka linden

tree)

Ukrainian Remedies: Nasal Issues

Congested nose

Eating raw garlic

Inhaling smell of minced garlic
Rubbing garlic oil immersion in nostril

Runny nose

Eating slices of raw lemon

Shot of clear hard liquor before bed

Moonshine

Ukrainian Remedies: Fever

Raspberry tea reduces fever
Placing potato slices on the forehead
Vinegar and alcohol rubs
Remaining bundled up

Eating and drinking only hot dishes

Overall Dietary Recommendations

Consume
Oatmeal, yogurt
Plenty of liquids

Primarily tea

Stick to broth

Vegetable, chicken

Easily Digestible carbs

Crackers, toast, tea

biscuits, plain cookies

Avoid
Dense meals

Meats, tough vegetables

Hard to Digest foods

Mushrooms, nuts, fatty

dishes

Anything too spicy or

acidic

Hot peppers, vinegar

Anything cold/frozen

Peruvian Folk Remedies

Sickness usually beyond individual control
Health and illness: balance between hot and cold

Cold illness = hot treatment, vice versa

Assigning hot and cold can vary (family to family)
Family and relationships central to health

Spiritual component

May need to assess presence of evil

Peruvian Remedies: Cough

Jarabe de cebolla (Onion Syrup)

Decongestant
Coarsely chop onion, cover with cup sugar
Let it rest over night
Drain syrup and take a tbsp. every few hours

Asmachilca

Bronchial issues
Clears up mucus
1 cup of tea per day

Peruvian Remedies: Sore Throat

Painful and scratchy

Matico tea
Drink plenty of tea
Reduces inflammation
Lemon and honey

Sweet broom weed

Leaf infusion

Peruvian Remedies: Nasal Issues

Runny nose

Garlic recipe: blended

6/7 Cloves of garlic
1 red onion
2 teaspoons honey

Peruvian Remedies: Fever

Oregano tea

Cures pain (headache, muscle ache)

Mansoa alliacea

Leaves and stems as antipyretic baths, for body

aches

Algarrobo fruit

Energizing tonic

Clavo huasca

Resin for fever

Overall Dietary Recommendations

Consume
Plenty of liquids

Local anti-inflammatory
plants to make tea

Chicken soup with rice

Onions and spices
Chuo

Dried potato for

strength and immunity

Avoid
Feeling hungry
Toxins

Meat, uncleaned foods

Very salty foods

Solid, dense foods

Iranian Folk Remedies

Health a deeply rooted cultural concept (Shiite Muslims)
Body viewed in context of:

Environment, society, God, nutrition, family, etc.

Patient generally assumes passive role

Hot and cold balances emphasized

Inflammatory vs. Non Inflammatory

Iranian Remedies: Cough

Inhalation:

Eucalyptus
Oregano
Oils in steam from boiling
Can also add to tea

Ephedra

water

Iranian Remedies: Sore Throat

Tea with lemon and honey
Eat raw sweet lemon
Mashed turnips with honey
Avoid Inflammatory foods

Grapes and melons

Fried foods

Iranian Remedies: Nasal Issues

Nasal delivery of medicine common

Powders
Oils

Quince seed brew

Iranian Remedies: Fever

Boiled Turnip (soup)

Ash shalgham
Anti-inflammatory

Headaches (different types)

Most commonly cited plant families:

Asteraceae and Lamiaceae (of 77)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC37318

75/table/T2/

Overall Dietary Recommendations

Consume
Chicken soup

Chicken chunks, carrots,

millet, lemon juice, and
chicken broth

Boiled Turnip
Quince seed tonic
Onion Milk

1 Onion, grated
3 cups goats milk
Uncovered, low heat
simmer 15-20min

Avoid
Fried foods

Inflammatory
asthmatic effect
bad for coughs

Grapes and Melons

Also inflammatory
Worsens cough

Common Threads

Local plants used for tonics and teas

Anti-inflammatory
Caffeinated for stimulation

Balance of hot and cold

Assigning foods to a category

Maintaining an appropriate physical temperature

Fluids

Whether literally hot or cold, or has characteristic of

hot or cold

Staying hydrated by consuming teas and soups

Chicken- the protein that soothes and heals

Garlic, lemon, honey, onion- Cure ALL