Warm water and warm drinks

“Ginger (Zingiber officinale). A kitchen root, popular in Portland and Kingston, standardised by the SRC. Grated or sliced into hot water when a cold is coming on, the way any Jamaican kitchen does it.”

“Myal is a slave-era Afro-Jamaican tradition of healing, ecstatic worship and spirit possession, framed as the opposite of obeah. Its main African root is contested: Akan or Kongo. Myal healers used bush baths of mixed herbs in hot water for fevers. Myal later merged with Christian practice into Revivalism, and the Myal priest's main social role was often that of herbalist.”

“Warm or cold. Warm water on waking and warm food are the old way: Ekiken wrote that food should be warm in every season, even summer, and to avoid much cold water (Yojokun vol 3). Kampo and Chinese medicine hold that cold food and drink chill the belly. Warm water also invites slow sips. Cold mugicha in summer is fine too. Miyagi's day: warm water on waking, green tea in the morning, barley tea later, miso soup at one meal, water when thirsty. Alcohol is not water.”

“Cold, first chills. Shoga-yu (grated ginger in hot water): the warming drink, its gingerol and shogaol shared with Kampo formulas. Negi (green onion) roasted and wrapped round the neck, or negi soup: the old way. Tamago-zake (egg in hot sake): warming but alcohol, never for children, not in pregnancy, not with medicines. Kuzu-yu (kuzu starch stirred into hot water until thick): starch, not the Kampo root kakkon, comfort through warmth and easy digestion. The Kampo formula Kakkonto is the household name for a cold in Japan, but its ephedra is banned in EU foods: a Kampo skill set topic.”

“Stomen. A bowl of hot water, a towel over the head, for a grown-up with a blocked head. Never for a child with a bowl: the Dutch burn centres admitted 31 people in 1998 to 2007 with steam-inhalation burns, 29 of 31 from the knocked-over water. A steamy bathroom gives the same comfort with no bowl to tip.”

“The steam rule: no bowl of hot water for a child, ever. No eucalyptus oil near a face under 4, no camphor or menthol rubs under 2, nothing in or under the nose at any age.”

“Warm drinks, sipped slowly: warm water, a mild tea, the steamed pear and its juice, a ginger and spring onion drink when a cold is starting. Honey stirred into warm water for anyone over one year.”

“Warm water. Warm water first thing in the morning and warm drinks at the table, rather than iced. The old kitchen counts iced drinks as cold and damp. The one rule: warm, not scalding.”

“Hot drinks: warm, not scalding. Drinks hotter than about 65 degrees are a probable cause of throat cancer.”

“Small task. "Tomorrow, the same rising time as today. Warm water first. Tell me how the morning felt."”

“Herbal teas and distillates for milk (fennel, anise and others): the midwife or pharmacist first, as for every breastfeeding mother.”

“Warm drinks sipped slowly, warm soups. Nabat in tea is the household's comfort, though research has never backed it for sore throats. Honey for anyone over one year.”

“The round. Warm water on waking, regular meals, cooked vegetables, a little oil or ghee in the food, a walk. The toilet at the same time each morning.”

“The house. Warm drinks, ginger in the tea, chukku kaapi, warm water. For adults some houses add honey to a drink once it has cooled, never cooked, never for a baby under one.”

“Epilepsy. Not alone, and the GP first. Hot water is a known seizure trigger, and the bath is the commonest place people with epilepsy drown.”

“The fourth steam. After three groups have steamed, the fourth steam belongs to the bannik. Warm water and a venik are left for him. Nobody steams in the fourth turn. Nicolai keeps it: "The bannik gets the fourth steam every Saturday. In thirty years he has not once said thank you. I still leave him the hot water."”

“Her line. Very hot drinks: let the cup cool a little before you drink. A lot of sugar is still sugar, which matters with diabetes. Strong coffee late in the evening steals sleep (the signal skill set).”

“The household. Warm drinks, coffee with ginger, a warm stew, rest, early to bed. For a grown-up with a scratchy throat, honey in a warm drink.”

“Don't warm up with hot water after - let your body rewarm naturally (this maximizes brown fat activation and metabolic benefit).”