Holy Basil
The holy basil is a well-known sacred plant of India. It is a much-branched, erect, stout and aromatic plant. Tradition speaks of this plant from as early as Vedic period. The leaves and seeds of the plant are medicinal.
The leaves of Holy Basil are specific for many viral fevers. The leaves of basil are specific for many viral fevers. During the rainy season, when common cold, influenza and dengue fever are widely prevalent, a decoction of the tender leaves act as a preventive against these diseases. In the case of acute viral fevers, the patients should be given a decoction of the leaves boiled with powdered cardamom in half a liter of water and mixed with honey or jaggery and milk. This brings down the temperature.
For treating influenza, about one gram of the leaves should be boiled along with some ginger in half a liter of water till about half the water is left. This decoction should be taken as tea. The leaves are also beneficial in the treatment of sore throat resulting from cold and influenza. Water boiled with basil leaves should be taken as a drink, and also used as a gargle to get relief from this condition.
Lemon
Lemon possesses antiviral activity. London’s first influenza epidemic in November 1931 was cured, not by doctors, but by lemon. Some one has appropriately/said, “A lemon a day keeps a cold away.” For a bad cold, the juice of two lemons in a half a liter of boiling water, sweetened with honey, taken at bedtime, is a very effective remedy.
Lemon juice is also an excellent remedy in jaundice caused by virus. The patient should be given 20 ml of lemon juice mixed with water, several times a day. This will protect the damaged liver cells.
The juice of lemon is also an effective remedy for measles. It makes an effective thirst-quenching drink in this disease. About 15 to 25 ml of lemon juice should be taken diluted with water for this purpose.
Liquid Foods
In case of cold or influenza, it is always advisable to drink lots of liquids. One good reason for this is that when a person is stuffed up, he breathes through his mouth. As a consequence, the mucous membranes lining the respiratory tract may get dehydrated. Viruses thrive better in these dried environments. Keeping the airway moist through drinking of liquids can discourage them. Hot fluids are better than cold ones as heat can weaken viruses. Dr. Sackner and others have discovered, the vapors from hot water fight congestion to some extent. One should drink at least six to eight glasses of clear liquids a day, including water but not milk, to prevent viruses from becoming active.
Long Pepper
Long pepper is good as an antiviral food. Its use has been found very effective in influenza. Half a teaspoon of the powder of long pepper with two teaspoons of honey and half a teaspoon of juice of ginger should be taken thrice a day. It is especially useful in avoiding complications, which follow the onset of the disease, namely, the involvement of the larynx and bronchial tube.
Onion
Onions are an antiviral food. The quercetin, concentrated in it, has antiviral and antibacterial property. This vegetable is thus beneficial in the treatment of several viral diseases, especially cold and influenza. The use of a hot roasted onion before retiring to bed at night is an effective remedy for common cold. For treating influenza, equal amounts of onion juice and honey should be mixed, and three or four teaspoons of this mixture should be taken daily. A French military physician, Dr. Melamet, during the World War II, treated the influenza patients at his hospital at St. Servan by giving them daily from the beginning of their illness the juice of pounded onions three times a day in a warm infusion. Under this treatment the temperature came down within two days and none of the 80 patients so treated died.
Onions are also valuable in warts caused by viral infection. They are irritating to the skin and they stimulate the circulation of the blood. Warts sometimes disappear when rubbed with cut onions.
Orange
This citrus fruit is an antiviral food. As a rich source of antioxidant vitamin C, it has been found beneficial in the treatment of viral diseases like common cold and influenza. Its regular use also helps prevent these diseases. It is most beneficial, when used in the form of juice. The juice is most suitable for all ages and can be taken with advantage in all kinds of viral and other infectious diseases.
The use of orange is also valuable in measles. When the digestive power of the body is seriously hampered, the patient suffers from intense toxaemia, and the lack of saliva coats his tongue and often destroys his thirst for water as well as his desire for food. The agreeable flavor of orange juice helps greatly in overcoming these drawbacks. Orange juice is the most ideal liquid food in this disease.
Turmeric
Turmeric is an antiviral food and helps fight certain viruses. It is especially valuable against influenza virus. A teaspoon of turmeric powder should be mixed in a cup of warm milk and taken three times a day. It prevents complications arising from influenza and also activate the liver, which becomes sluggish during the attack of influenza. Turmeric is also beneficial in the treatment of measles. Raw roots of turmeric should be dried in the sun and ground to a fine powder. This powder, mixed with a few drops of honey and the juice of few bitter gourd leaves, should be given to the patient suffering from this disease.