In the Arab world, herbal medicines are very common! When I was younger, we used to go to the dry grocer (العطار) whenever we suffer from minor aliments like stomach ache, constipation, cough, common cold, etc. He would give us herbs and tell us how to use them! By time, this practice became less and less common. However, recently herbal medicines started to gain more and more importance and now we can find some herbal medicines available at pharmacies, prescribed by doctors and advised by pharmacists.

Photo from flickr.com by nazeha faqeh

In this post, I mention some herbal medicines which we used traditionally in Egypt to treat the symptoms of common cold. We use them in the same way, and they have similar effects.

Tilia spp (التليو)

This herb is called (التليو), and we use it in Egypt to treat cough and common cold. It is available as dried leaves, like tea. We brew the leaves in boiling water, cover it and leave it for a couple of minutes. After that you can add sugar or honey before consumption. It has a soothing effect and is very good for the treatment of cough and chest pain.

Caraway (الكراوية)

We use caraway seeds in Egypt for the treatment of cough and common cold symptoms.  We brew the seeds in boiling water, cover it and leave it for a couple of minutes. After that you can add sugar or honey, or drink it without.

image from flickr.com by altabeeb alarabi

Anise (اليانسون)

We use Anise seeds in Egypt for the treatment of cough and common cold symptoms.   We brew the seeds in boiling water, cover it and leave it for a couple of minutes. After that you can add sugar or honey. Anise is known for its miraculous effect for regaining the voice if it is affected by cough or cold.

Photo from flickr.com by د.عبدالله نبيل سابق

These drinks are not used only as medicines. They are used as warm drinks instead of tea and coffee! I tend to drink caraway or anise first thing in the morning! It is a soothing and refreshing drink! I drink it without sugar or honey, but you can add if you like.