Palm Jaggery Coffee for Cold Season

Recently, the cold waves in India captures the headlines of most of the newspapers and television channels.  In many places the temperature goes into minus.  'The Hindu' titled the news as Capital's coldest Christmas in five years.  We feel the severe cold in southern parts of India also.  Many people are affected by cold, fall sick with terrific cough, fever, wheezing during this season.  Hospitals and clinics are flooded with sick people.  If anyone wants to get rid of cold and cough, prepare a coffee, a black coffee, with palm jaggery.  People may have questions while reading this, 'How coffee can be a remedy for cold?'  Before explaining making of this coffee, I would like to give the nutritive value of palm jaggery for you to have a glance.

Mahatma Gandhi said in praise of palm jaggery, "Neera can be converted as Jaggery, as sweet as honey itself.  This jaggery is superior to cane jaggery.  Cane jaggery is sweet, but palm jaggery is sweet and delicious.  Palm Gur gives mineral salts too.  Doctors have told me to eat jaggery and I always eat palm gur."


It is our traditional medicinal practice that for cold, people prepare 'Kashayam' made out of dried ginger, pepper, and thulasi leaves, but most people, particularly children, show the distaste on their face.  So, instead of this 'kashayam', we can make a black coffee with palm jaggery and dried ginger.


Now, let me give the recipe of Palm Jaggery Black Coffee


Ingredients:
1 liter water.
1 medium size palm jaggery (1/4 kg)
Dried ginger - small piece
Coffee powder - 2 tablespoons


Pour 1 liter water in a vessel and heat it up.  Break the palm jaggery into pieces and put it in the boiling water.  Add the dried ginger when the jaggery mix is still boiling.  When the jaggery and dried ginger is mixed very well in the hot water, put 2 tablespoons of coffee powder.  Put off the flame.  Hot palm jaggery black coffee is ready.  It can be served in 5 - 6 cups.


If somebody does not like black coffee, milk can be added.


Try this coffee daily morning and evening and see the result.  Cold or cough would not dare to touch you.


The neera season has just got over and we can get fresh palm jaggery from the palmyrah tree toddy tappers.  Why don't you try the black coffee.

heap of palm jaggery

Palm jaggery prevents cancer, cures asthma, and is good for strong teeth and bones.
Let me again quote Mahatma Gandhi:  "Nature has made this product in such a way that it cannot be manufactured in the mills; it is produced in the cottages, where there are palm trees.  There, this jaggery can be easily produced.  It can be produced worth crores of rupees.  This is the way to banish poverty from the land.  This also is an antidote to poverty."


Let us use our natural resource for a healthy life and contribute to the needy economy of India.