Camy here, and yes, you read that blog post title right.
Why homemade cough syrups? Why not blog about the spiritual state of the nation or a mother’s love or something serious?
Because I don’t want to.
Plus I’m sick.
I have found as I get older that certain drugs/medicines impact me more than they used to. Over the counter cough syrup is one of them. Where before I would down Robitussin like bad-tasting juice, now, one dose makes me feel WEIRD. And I don’t like feeling WEIRD.
(Okay, well, I already AM weird, but that’s beside the point. You don’t want me high on something that makes me WEIRDER.)
So a friend on an online writer’s loop gave me a recipe from her grandmother for homemade cough syrup: 2 parts whiskey, 1 part lemon juice, 1 part honey. Take a tablespoon every hour or as needed.
WHOA MOMMA THAT STUFF IS POTENT!
But it WORKS.
It doesn’t last for hours at a time. I usually need a dose every 2-3 hours, so sleeping is not so good—I end up coughing myself awake after 3 hours, and I’ll get up, dose myself, and go back to sleep.
But 3 uninterrupted sleep hours is better than 8-10 hours of coughing, coughing, coughing.
Oh, and did I mention I smell like a distillery?
My mom also suggested Vick’s Vapor Rub on the soles of your feet, then putting on socks, and going to bed to prevent coughing at night. I tried it last night, but I still woke up coughing. So I’m not totally convinced about that. But Mom swears it works for her. Anybody else try that? Did it work for you?
In mentioning my homemade cough syrup on Twitter, a couple people gave their own recipes. Most are incredibly nasty looking. I’m not sure if I have the courage to try them, especially since the whiskey one is good for 2-3 hours at a stretch.
Any favorite homemade cough syrup recipes you want to share? And you also have to tell us if they worked or not!
Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her latest Asian chick lit novel, Single Sashimi, is out now. Join her newsletter YahooGroup for monthly Christian fiction giveaways!
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