Natural Way to Cure a Cold or Flu: Jalapenos

Cure your cold with jalapenos
Photo credit: cjmartin

I will take no responsibility for those who are not accustomed to eating spicy food and attempt this on their own with the result of a very unpleasant bathroom experience the following day. You may want to slowly build up your tolerance to hot peppers prior to trying this cold cure.

For those of you who enjoy spicy food on a regular basis like me, you will find this process not only tasty, but a damn miracle.

I have tried this jalapeno cure on four different occasions now. I am of the solid opinion that it is not coincidence, but a scientific fact that taking in a large amount of hot peppers right as a cold or sore throat is coming upon you, will in fact kill any virus even attempting to hinder your general positive disposition about life.

The most recent case of this cure working was this past weekend. My husband and both kids have had a pretty strong cold for about a week and a half. My husband even had a low fever for half of a day, with sore throat, major congestion in his sinuses and chest, with a deep uncomfortable hacking cough. I knew it would creep up on me at some point. Part of "the cure" (not to be confused with the iconic rock band) is being totally honest with yourself and really understanding when your health is being compromised. I take note of these things by feeling the lymph nodes in my neck, just under my jaw bone, and noting any pain or swelling. Also that familiar tickle in your nose or throat is a good indicator that hell is settling upon you. This is the moment you need to take action.

As soon as I felt the sickness coming on I upped my fluid intake. Iced green tea and water all day long. At least 60 ounces of fluid.  I am also a fan of zicam. Zicam works when taken every 3 hours for at least 2 days. But those two things were not enough. This sickness was created by the devil himself and he was not going away without some sort of fiddle showdown. This was a job for jalapenos.

I bought a jar of the plain pickled jalapeno slices. I placed two flour tortillas in a cast iron on the stove with a thick slice of cheddar on each. Once the cheese was melted and the tortilla toasted I placed them on a plate and spread out approximately 10 slices of jalapeno on each tortilla. I knew it was gonna be flamin' hot, so I put a dollop of sour cream on each one to kill the heat a little.

A box of tissues to my right, and I dove in. I like to eat these as fast as I can so I can get them down before the major heat sets in and I become a crying baby.

I needed a cold glass of almond milk after to cool things off, but I felt amazing "oooohhh it burns so good." The snot was draining out like a faucet and I could feel my throat clear immediately.  It's not necessarily the heat that cures you, because after about an hour your nose and throat will have mucus in it again, but it's the capsaicin in the peppers that has a powerful antimicrobial property that boosts your immunity to fight off the infection. So eating one or two peppers will not give you the long term immunity boost, it will just temporarily clear your sinuses.

I still felt sick that evening, but when I woke up the next day I could tell the cold was almost gone. My nose was clear and my lymph nodes did not hurt anymore. It's been 4 days since I ate the jalapenos, I feel tired this week like my body is working overtime to keep me healthy, but I have had no congestion, sore throat, sinus problems, or fever like my husband and kids have had.

Like I said, this same story has happened about 4 different times now. I feel a major cold coming on while everyone else is sick around me and I hit it as hard as I can. And every time it disappears with little to no symptoms at all.

If nothing else, it's a good excuse to make a pile of nachos for dinner.