Sore Throat
For a sore or inflamed throat, mix a little powdered turmeric and uncooked honey together in a paste and take one-half teaspoon of this preparation three times a day. This should reduce the inflammation.
Throat Congestion
If you experience uncomfortable amounts of mucus in your throat and larynx in the early mornings, prepare a warm saline solution with a pinch of turmeric, and gargle.
Early Morning Nausea
When you wake up in the morning, if you have sweet, sticky, watery secretions in your mouth, or experience nausea and the urge to throw up, you have accumulated excess kapha, as well as mucus in the stomach and kapha zone. To counteract this condition, first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, drink one liter (approximately one quart) of fresh warm licorice root tea. This may make you feel a little warm and nauseous. Now induce vomiting by tickling the inside of your throat with your finger. By patiently expelling all of the licorice tea, you will also bring up the accumulated mucus and cleanse your esophagus and stomach. Afterwards you can drink a little warm water. After about two hours, you can eat a meal of light, easily digestible soup.
This technique should not be confused with vamana, Panchakarma’s major eliminative procedure to purify the kapha zone. It does, however, quickly cleanse excess kapha and toxins from the stomach and alleviate the symptoms. This should only be used in the case of acute symptoms and should never be attempted if you have esophageal disorders, diverticulitis, gastric ulcers or hiatal hernia.
Colds and Congestion
To reduce abundant kapha, you can drink kapha tea and follow a kapha-less diet and lifestyle. If you have symptoms of cold, cough, congestion or flu, you can drink ginger and turmeric tea every four hours. You can also take one-quarter teaspoon of pippali powder with honey three times a day until your symptoms disappear. For nasal congestion, inhale the steam from eucalyptus oil, which dissolves blocks in the sinuses.