Fight Respiratory Disease with Food

Certain foods can be used to fight respiratory diseases and can have "mucokinetic" (mucus-moving) effect, similar to the commonly used decongestants and expectorants. 

Like it Hot!
The best mucokinetic foods are hot and spicy.  The effectiveness of these ancient remedies have been confirmed by research.

• Mustard, horseradish
• Garlic
• Hot chili peppers

The hot stuff in these foods stimulates nerve receptors in in the mouth, throat and stomach, which in turn activates the vagus nerve controlling secretion-producing glands. These glands release waves of  fluids that make the eyes water and the nose run, but they also release watery fluids inside the bronchial passages of the lungs, thus breaking up congestion and flushing away irritants.

If you can tolerate it and if  you do not have a health condition for which eating hot spicy food is contraindicated, here are few tips to clear up stuffy nose and lung congestion from Dr. Irwin Ziment, lung specialist from UCLA:

• Sprinkle ten to twenty drops of Tabasco sauce in a glass of water and drink it or gargle with it
• Chew on a chili pepper
  
• Add a whole peeled garlic cloves to your soup; zap garlic in a microwave first to preserve alliin, the primary therapeutic substance
  

Antiviral Effect
Some foods have proven antiviral effect.

• Ginger 

            - Destroys influenza virus

• Shiitake mushrooms

             - Substance called lentinan in shiitake mushrooms fights influenza viruses

• Onions

            - Substance quercetin, concentrated in onions, has antiviral and antibacterial activity.

• Yogurt

            - Has antiviral and antibacterial properties
            - Enhances immune system

• Garlic

           - Garlic extract is found to kill nearly 100 percent of both a human rhinovirus that causes colds  parainfluenza 3, a flu      
             respiratory virus
          - Commonly called "Russian penicillin" for its widespread use in Russia and throughout  Eastern Europe
          - Add whole peeled garlic cloves to soup. 


See also: Keeping Your Immune System Strong - What to Eat


Source:  Food Your Miracle Medicine by Jean Carper
​

            -