NOTE: If you have any concerns about your health, or you struggle with your breathing, please seek medical help immediately. This article is not medical advice, nor is it a replacement for medical advice. This article is directed at those with minor covid symptoms which do not require medical or hospital treatment. None of the following alternative medicine remedies have been tested in clinical trials. Always consult with your doctor or a medical professional before embarking on any course of alternative medicine.
There is no specific food or medicine which cures coronavirus. Doctors help to stabilise the body with medication while its natural defences fight and expel the virus.
A vaccine does not prevent you from catching or transmitting coronavirus. It only prevents you from developing serious symptoms if you catch coronavirus. It prevents the virus from taking control over your body.
If you have caught coronavirus but your symptoms are not severe enough to warrant hospital admission then you have no choice but to rest while your immune system fights and expels the virus from your body.
However, there are a number of things which you can do to help your body fight the virus if you have minor symptoms. We have listed nine things here that you can do:
1) Drink at least two litres of water every day
The body is 70% water. The body can survive days without food, but it cannot survive for too long without water.
Most people do not drink enough water. Many health problems people have from skin problems to digestion problems are partly a result of a severely dehydrated body.
Drink at least two litres of water every day, this means fresh water, excluding juices, tea, coffee or milk. Water will give your body, your blood and all your organs the strength to function at optimum capacity while it fights the virus.
Drinking more water is the single biggest improvement you can make to your health, energy and concentration overnight. You will notice the results within 24 hours.
2) Sleep at least 8 hours every day
The body repairs and heals during sleep. Lots of rest is vital when fighting an infection. "Sweating out" an infection like vigorous exercise is not recommended because it uses up energy the body could use in fighting the virus.
Going outside for even 10 minutes in the morning, before midday, helps your body sleep better at night because it balances your circadian rhythm, your body's natural internal "clock."
If you do not have a private outdoor space where you can get fresh air without infecting anyone else, then even sitting at a window for 10 minutes in the morning is better than nothing.
3) Drink a glass of raw organic active honey water three times a day, 30 minutes before meal times
Medical grade active honey is honey that has been certified by a laboratory to have at least 10+ (or MGO 263) antibiotic "activity." Anything below 10+ or MGO 263 is too weak to benefit the body.
Take a teaspoon of raw organic active honey, mix it into a glass of warm water (max 37C) and drink it 30 minutes before breakfast, lunch and dinner. Water releases the nutrients of raw organic honey and the 30 minutes allows the body to fully absorb it.
Taking honey by the spoon does not have the same benefits as taking it mixed in water.
Raw organic honey contains living nutrients, enzymes, bacteria, prebiotics, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants... a total of over 200 medically active compounds which supercharge your body and give it a boost while it fights to expel the virus from your body.
From our range, the best honey we recommend for fighting coronavirus symptoms is the 20+ Active Raw Organic Coffee Bean Honey From Mexico. With equal antibiotic strength to MGO 829 manuka honey, it has been certified by a laboratory to be equal to a 20.5% natural antibiotic solution.
Coronavirus is a viral infection, not a bacterial infection, so antibiotics are of no use against coronavirus. However, taking this honey in water regularly while you fight coronavirus helps your body maintain a strong immune system overall.
If the 20+ Active Coffee Bean Honey is outside of your budget then the next best honey from our range to use for this purpose is the 15+ Active Raw Organic Amazon Jungle Honey.
4) Take a teaspoon of raw organic black seed once a day
The black Nigella sativa seed has been extensively researched over several centuries by scientists all over the world.
Traditional herbalists Avicenna and Ibn Al-Qayyim made extensive use of black seeds in their remedies to heal a range of ailments from fevers and common colds to high blood pressure, asthma and respiratory illnesses.
The principal bioactive compound in the black seed is thymoquinone. Since 1960 at least 406 research papers on thymoquinone have been published in the PubMed database.
A 2014 study led by the University of Salzburg, Austria, documented extensively the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of thymoquinone and the black seed.
Many of the traditional remedies involving black seed involve taking it with honey in some form or another. The best way to take black seed with honey is to crush a teaspoon of raw organic black seed and mix into a glass of warm water along with a teaspoon of raw organic honey.
You can buy Limited Edition Raw Organic Black Seed from the Latin Honey Shop here.
For more details, read our blog post: The Best Way To Take Black Seed With Honey.
5) Drink ginger tea three times a day
Ginger is one of the most powerful antiviral foods known to man. Adding raw organic honey to ginger tea can help your body while it fights the virus from your body.
Grate an inch of fresh ginger and boil it for 20 minutes. Allow it to cool until warm, then add a teaspoon of raw organic active honey then drink while still warm.
For more information on ginger tea, read our blog post: How Ginger With Active Honey Fights Viruses In Your Body.
6) Drink golden honey milk once a day an hour before bedtime
A 2019 multinational study published in the Frontiers of Microbiology journal reported positive effects of curcumin on viral pneumonia. Viral pneumonia is currently widespread as a complication of coronavirus.
Golden honey milk is an old Ayurvedic recipe to relieve dry cough. Curcumin is found in turmeric. For more information on how to make and take golden honey milk, read our blog post: How Golden Honey Milk Can Help Relieve Dry Cough.
7) Breathing exercises
In April 2020, a doctor from Queen's Hospital in London demonstrated a breathing technique to help coronavirus patients with respiratory symptoms.
Dr Sarfaraz Munshi initially recorded the video for his friends and family, but it went viral after being posted on YouTube, reaching more than 3 million views.
The technique involves taking five deep breaths in, holding your breath each time for five seconds. On the sixth deep breath, he instructs you to cough. He then asks you to repeat that cycle once. Then, lay flat on your front and breathe slightly deeper for 10 minutes.
There is no scientific evidence to suggest this technique helps coronavirus patients, but it is recommended by the director of nursing at the hospital.
Author JK Rowling tweeted in 2020 that the video helped her recover after she displayed symptoms of covid. A number of other covid patients have also benefitted from this technique.
The video can be found here.
8) Drink a glass of liquorice tea once a day
Scientific studies have shown that glycyrrhizin, a substance which occurs naturally in liquorice root, has been effective in fighting covid-related pneumonia. Although there is no clinical evidence to back this up, it is an alternative herbal remedy to try.
Mix a teaspoon of organic liquorice root powder (available on Amazon) into a cup of boiling water, allow to fuse for five minutes, and drink once a day, taking sips. Do not drink the powder at the bottom. Do not drink liquorice tea if you suffer from heart arrhythmia and irregular heart beats.
9) Fresh fruit and vegetables, cut out sugar
Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and avoid sugar until you recover. Generally, the darker or deeper the colour of the fruit or vegetable, the more nutritious it is.
White sugar puts a load on your body's immune system which takes it hours to recover from. Give your body a break from added sugar and sugary products while you recover. If you must have something sweet, have honey of course! It has natural sugars that do not affect your body in the same way as processed white sugar.
Shop our range of honey at the Latin Honey Shop here.