Coronavirus: Boosting Your Immune System with Natural Remedies?
Photo by Marion Botella on Unsplash
Kinda Maarouf grew up in Syria, where she believes that olive oil and all kinds of tea and herbs, were, and still are the solution for most illnesses. She is now a 42-year-old mother of three living in the UAE, but she still holds onto the natural remedies that her parents gave her as a child. Ever since the coronavirus outbreak, Mrs. Maarouf now wakes up every day and ensures that her children drink these natural remedies to boost their immune system.
“I definitely believe in what my mother had taught me, and ever since the coronavirus has spread, I make my kids drink a cup of boiled anise along with a spoon of olive oil on an empty stomach every morning,” stated Mrs. Maarouf via text on WhatsApp.
The novel coronavirus is a respiratory illness, with flu-like symptoms. It has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, which has increased the worry among many towards the virus, especially among those who long to protect the vulnerable children and elderly in their families against the virus. Many are resorting to solutions to boost their immune systems, whether in the form of medications, supplements, and even natural remedies.
Natural remedies date back to the Paleolithic Age, around 60,000 years ago. It has been used throughout countless time periods as a way to fight off illnesses and treat their symptoms.
Nowadays, most people look to a combination of modern medicine, and may also incorporate some natural remedies passed down from parents, as a way to boost one’s immune system and treat illnesses.
However, one may forget that modern medicine is often inspired and derived from herbs and plants, and then mixed with chemicals, to make pharmaceutical drugs, so nature is generally used within medicines as well, but are not 100 percent as natural as natural remedies.
Eman Khalaf, a 49-year-old mother of three, was born and raised in Egypt. She also uses natural remedies to protect and strengthen her family’s immune system.
“Boiled water with lemon and a spoon of honey should be drunk on an empty stomach,” said Mrs. Khalaf via text on WhatsApp when asked about the natural remedies that were passed to her by her mother and ancestors.
Mrs. Khalaf says that she also advocates for eating anything that is rich in Vitamin C, such as fruits and vegetables.
Her daughter, Salma Hassan, 20, is a skeptic in the idea of natural remedies and added via text on WhatsApp that her mother also mixes anise and thyme, boils it, and makes her and her siblings drink it twice or three times a day.
Natural remedies using foods and drinks are reliable and safe and might work for simple, temporary health issues, such as headaches, according to a book from the National Library of Medicine.
However, for the novel coronavirus that is still being studied, there is still no scientific evidence by doctors or scientists that prove that any natural remedies can cure or protect from the virus. In fact, there are currently no treatments or vaccines that are proven to work, but only medicines and devices to treat the virus’s symptoms, according to a report by the National Library of Medicine.
What is recommended to decrease the risk of getting infected with the novel coronavirus, is to avoid social gatherings, crowded places, and touching one’s face and washing hands frequently, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Edited by: Mais Othman
