Foods to Alleviate Fever and Cough: Traditional Remedies for Common Cold Symptoms

Fever and cough are common symptoms of a cold. Some people say that only a cold with wind-heat can cause a fever, but that is not entirely true. Wind-cold colds can also cause these symptoms, although they tend to be less severe. So, what are some foods that can help alleviate fever and cough?

Stewed Snow Pear with Fritillaria

Ingredients: 5g Fritillaria, 1 snow pear, 15g rock sugar. Instructions: 1. Grind the Fritillaria into fine powder. Peel the snow pear and remove the core from one side. Fill the cavity with the Fritillaria powder and rock sugar. 2. Place the removed slice back to cover the cavity, and use 2-3 small bamboo skewers to seal it. 3. Place the pear in a bowl, with the cut side facing up. Steam it over boiling water until cooked. Effects: Fritillaria clears heat and stops coughing, while snow pear clears heat, resolves phlegm, and stops coughing. This dietary therapy is suitable for patients with fever and cough.

Sticky Rice Porridge with Ophiopogon

Ingredients: 20g Ophiopogon, 60g glutinous rice, a little rock sugar. Instructions: 1. Put the Ophiopogon in a clay pot and add an appropriate amount of water. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then simmer on low heat to extract a concentrated solution. 2. Remove the residue from the concentrated solution and cook it with the glutinous rice to make porridge. Add some rock sugar for taste. Effects: Ophiopogon nourishes the kidney Yin and clears the lungs, making it effective for treating Yin deficiency caused by fever and cough, especially in the elderly. It is not suitable for patients with wind-cold.

Mulberry Leaf and Chrysanthemum Tea

Ingredients: 10g mulberry leaves, 10g chrysanthemum flowers, some white sugar. Instructions: Place mulberry leaves and chrysanthemum flowers in a thermos, pour boiling water over them, cover and let it steep for 15 minutes. Add some white sugar to taste. Drink it as a substitute for tea, multiple times a day. Effects: Mulberry leaves help dispel wind and heat, while chrysanthemum flowers clear the lungs and stop coughing. This tea is suitable for fever and cough caused by wind-heat colds.

Green Onion, Ginger, and Brown Sugar Soup

Ingredients: 15g green onion, 15g ginger, 20g brown sugar. Instructions: 1. Wash and chop the green onion and ginger. Boil them together in hot water until the aroma of the onion and ginger is strong. 2. Add brown sugar and simmer on low heat until the soup becomes thick. Effects: Both green onion and ginger are warm in nature and can dispel cold, warm the body, stop coughing, and dissolve phlegm. They are helpful for the low fever and cough symptoms of wind-cold colds.

White Radish and Green Onion Soup

Ingredients: 1 white radish, 15g ginger, 6 green onions. Instructions: Wash the white radish and slice it. Boil three cups of water in a pot, then add the green onions and chopped ginger. Simmer on low heat until it becomes a bowl of soup. Drink the soup together with the radish slices. Effects: This soup can help dispel wind, relieve surface symptoms, stop coughing, and dissolve phlegm. It is suitable for wind-cold cough with excessive phlegm (foamy), accompanied by chills, fatigue, and body aches.

Tips

It is rare for wind-cold colds to cause high fever, but low-grade fever is common. Wind-heat colds can cause both high and low-grade fever. Before using the dietary therapies mentioned above for fever and cough, it is important to understand your own condition. Colds have complex and varied symptoms, and there may be complications. Seek medical treatment when the condition changes.