Home Remedy for Cough - Steamed Orange

We know that cough, as well as fever, is just a symptom of infection. Taking medication simply help to make someone feels better, but does nothing to cure the root of the infection. In fact, by taking medication we are interfering with our own immune system, because, while our body is trying to get rid of the culprits by coughing them out, we use medicine to control our cough. Then I remembered something that my mom made me last time - steamed orange.

I always thought it is just a myth, until I found some reassuring articles about the science behind it. 

First, let us take a look at the anatomy of orange:

Photo taken from https://www.flickr.com/photos/freshfruit/6957483017/in/photostream/

Flavedo is the outermost, colored part of the orange skin. It is also called 'zest' which sometimes grated and used for its tangy flavor in bakery or cooking.

Albedo, the white spongy thread-like vascular bundles which we always throw away, is packed with bioflavonoids, including hesperidin, rutin, quercetin, diosmetin, diosmin etc.. It is a good source of fiber and vitamin C, and also rich in pectin which has proven to help lower cholesterol. Albedo contains protective phenolic, a substance which contributed to its bitter taste.

Vesicles or pulp is the juicy part that we all love, it is an excellent source of vitamin C and flavonoids. Taking one orange nearly meet 100% of the recommended daily dietary intake of vitamin C.

Now we all know that Vitamin C can be destroyed by excessive heat, so why do we steam the orange then? Aha! It all boil down to albedo, the most forgotten part yet surprisingly nutritious. By steaming the orange together with salt, the bioflavonoids from albedo are extracted out into the pulp and juice, which now instead of being thrown away, we gulp them down readily. 

Step 1:

Clean the skin of orange thoroughly and soak the orange in salted water for 20 minutes.

Step 2: 

Cut off the top of orange, open up the top and use a knife to cut through the pulp as shown.

Step 3: 

Sprinkle a pinch of salt on top, use a chopstick to push the salt down into the orange.

Step 4: 

Cover the top of orange.

Step 5:

Steam orange with medium heat for 20 minutes. Drink the juice (including those in the bowl) and eat the pulp.

You know what, I think it works! The cough reduced tremendously after taking one per day for 3 days. Anyway, it is just orange, there is no harm trying right? Try it for yourselves and let me know how it goes!

Tips: To steam without a steamer, simply fill a big pot with around 1.5 inch height of water and bring it to boil, then use a steamer basket to for your food. Otherwise, you may look up a steamer here:  

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