Beyond chicken soup: what chefs and doctors eat when they're sick (or just hungover)

"Hydrate with teas For Dr Ricardo Jose, consultant in respiratory medicine, hydration is key: It's about taking frequent sips throughout the day to keep the mucous membranes moist. Immunologist Dr Jenna Macciochi agrees, saying: I often stir a spoonful of raw honey nature's soothing antimicrobial into a cup of thyme tea (thyme steeped in water), which helps ease irritation and supports respiratory health. I also love marshmallow root tea, which is great for the mucous membranes."

"For a dry, tickly cough, honey in warm tea lemon or peppermint is very soothing, says Jose. Another remedy I've always liked is shredding carrots, covering them with sugar and leaving them overnight in the fridge. By morning they release a sweet syrup; a spoonful coats the throat and helps calm down an irritating cough. For a chesty cough, warm liquorice root tea and foods with bromelain such as fresh pineapple may help reduce mucus thickness."

"Get the juices flowing Emeritus prof Ron Eccles, former director of the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University, goes for warm foods. Anything tasty such as tomato soup, chicken soup or a curry I like chicken tikka bhuna promotes salivation and mucus secretions in the airway and helps to soothe a cough. You could also suck a lozenge as this has a similar demulcent [irritation-relieving] effect and makes you swallow, which inhibits the cough reflex."

Frequent sipping of fluids and herbal teas keeps mucous membranes moist and supports respiratory health. Raw honey stirred into thyme tea eases irritation and provides antimicrobial soothing. Marshmallow root tea soothes mucous membranes. Shredded carrots left with sugar overnight produce a syrup that coats the throat and calms dry, tickly coughs. Warm liquorice root tea and bromelain-rich foods such as fresh pineapple can thin mucus in chesty coughs. Warm soups, broths and spicy dishes promote salivation and mucus secretion, soothing the airway. Lozenges act as demulcents and reduce the cough reflex by promoting swallowing. Turmeric combined with milk fats increases curcumin bioavailability and provides anti-inflammatory effects.

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