When I got sick last month, other than the prescribed medication, my mom told me to make some herbal concoction. It is part of the culture that is passed down from hundreds of years. The way it reaches my ears today is because my mom told me about it. And in the past, my mom was told by her mom or her maids about this concoction . So, this is how that part of culture is transferred over time even in 2021. During the pandemic, herbal concoction is making a comeback. It is very popular again due to the claims that it could help prevent or even cure covid-19 symptoms. And like other moms, my mom also told me to make some mixture from the 10 important kitchen spices whenever I got sick even during the pandemic. In this post, I will tell you a bit of herbal concoction I’ve tried and a modern herbal concoction example.
There are many things that I deem ridiculous due to the lack of scientific evidence but I still do it, because I love and respect her. Sometimes, in order to make sense of her advice, I tried to gather some evidence through journals. I don’t always find the evidence but when I do, I try to explain why things work that way to my mom. I also tell her that even a high consumption and prolonged exposure to certain spices can have dangerous effects on our body. But to this day, I still can’t find the evidence or the science behind the strangest piece of advice from my mom, which is to put a few slices of shallots on a plate inside the room whenever I get influenza. It is believed that the shallot will absorb the virus and the bacteria in the room. When I did that, the effect was my room smelled like shallot and I was still sneezing. So, I don’t know, that doesn’t seem to work for me.
It has been about three years since I took up interest in herbal medication. I was mainly interested in Gotu kola, penny worth, and anything related to natural nootropics. But overtime, I also take interest in psychoactive drugs too. Now, with some basic knowledge on spices properties, I can understand a little bit more about it. Given its popularity in Indonesia, herbal concoction is also mass manufactured. There are some big names behind herbal concoction and they produce different types of syrup with different uses. For instance, there’s Flu syrup which consists of more than 5 roots and other spices. The ingredients are written in its scientific name. So unless you’ve done some research on scientific names of every plant that exists, then you are probably wondering what is even parkia roxburghii semen. But most people don’t care about it, they care more about the benefits and its uses. Since I am curious about it, I normally write the ingredients and buy them one by one.
My mom can confirm that the kitchen pantry in our house is filled with spices she can’t name. That’s because when I am at home, I have more time and more space to do some experiments with the spices and herbs. But now, I just buy simple spices at my apartment just in case I need it.
As for the herbal concoction, I like to make a mixture of lemon grass, turmeric, ginger, with honey. I like to make that concoction because it’s warm and a great replacement whenever I need to stop drinking caffeine. There are different types of herbal concoction but I love to stick with the simpler ones such as the turmeric and ginger.
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| Mac is a content creator that covers literature, books, technology, philosophy, nootropics, productivity, minimalist lifestyle, cybersecurity, and languages. Other than those, she is passionate about cooking and travel. In her free time, she enjoys learning various things. |