Home Made Flavorsome Giloy Syrup for Immunity

Today, we are living in the terror of Corona Virus. We are scared and panicked. Social Distancing is the only way to prevent getting this virus; and Strong Immunity is the only way of fighting this virus.

Today, we all are looking for and taking all the possible measures to boost our immunity. We hope this Corona virus goes away soon. But summers are approaching. Along with summers, come mosquitoes, and along with mosquitoes, come diseases like dengue, chikungunya and malaria. In addition to all other measures, Strong Immunity is one of most important tools against these diseases.

When Dengue came into existence, along with it came kiwi fruit, papaya leaves and Giloy, the three remedies which were found to be very effective against dengue. Later, there were many reports about Giloy which claimed that it boosts immunity and prevents/cures any type of fever. While I did not believe them earlier, I had to later when I noticed its immunity boosting properties when people around me used it. Owing to its success, different formulations of Giloy came into market such as tablets, capsules, and juice. But as we know that good things don’t come easy, so is the case with Giloy. No doubt it has amazing health benefits, but it is not easy to take it because of its bitter taste. Thankfully, there are tablets which we adults can take easily, but our little kids who need immunity the most cannot swallow the tablets. Bitter juices are not even an option for kids. Does that mean that we cannot give something as amazing as Giloy to our kids? I wanted to give Giloy to my daughter anyhow, so I tried making Giloy Syrup at home. Mercifully, my daughter liked it. She in fact asks for more every time.

This is a very simple recipe and anyone can think of it. But in case one could not think of it, I am sharing it here, because I want to see the all the kids healthy and disease free.

I am discussing three variants here.

1. Honey variant: The way I make it

Things you need

Giloy

These are the giloy stems taken from a giloy plant. I am taking two pieces, each of around a palm length.

Tulsi (Holy Basil)

15-20 leaves of tulsi

Fennel (Saunf)

1 spoon fennel

Cardamom (Elaichi)

2-3 Green Cardamom

Clove

3-4 Cloves

Ginger

A small piece of ginger. Don’t overdo the ginger because we don’t want to make it pungent.

Honey

To taste

All the ingredients other than Giloy are added for the taste, but luckily, they all too help in boosting the immunity. So it will be the synergistic effect.

How to prepare

Chop the Giloy sticks into small pieces.

Take 2 glasses of water in a pan. Add all the ingredients except Honey in the pan and put on flame. Let the water simmer till the quantity is reduced to half.

Strain it.

Now this is our Syrup. I store it in a steel bottle/vessel in the Fridge for 3-4 days. Whenever I have to give it to my daughter, I warm it up and then add half spoon of honey for taste and give it to my daughter. You can also add few drops of lemon, for taste, and for more immunity (Vitamin C).

Note: Do not add honey beforehand. Always add it at the time of drinking. Honey should not be given to babies less than 1 year of age.

How much to give

This is no documented recipe, so I cannot define the dose. There are doses given on the internet for giloy tablets, juice etc, I just try to not to give more than that. My daughter is 3 years old and I give her half a cup once a day.

2. Sugar Variant

For this variant, replace the Honey with Sugar. Add sugar along with other ingredients while boiling, and that’s it. No need to add anything at the time of drinking. Sugar also acts as preservative and increases the shelf life of any formulation.

I always give Honey variant to my daughter, because honey is definitely healthier than sugar. Honey or sugar, it is totally your choice.

Note: As a pharmacist, I cannot refrain myself from mentioning that ‘Syrup’ by definition always means something that has sugar. So by definition, this variant is syrup, honey variant is not syrup.

3. Marketed Giloy Juice Variant

This is for those who do not have access to Giloy plant.

Honestly, I have never made this variant. This is just an idea.

As described earlier, boil everything in water, except Giloy (obviously, because you don’t have it). Buy Giloy juice from the market. Now at the time of drinking, mix the two and honey to nullify the bitter taste of Giloy juice.

Ratio? Enough to counter balance the bitter taste. Take 2 spoons (or the recommended quantity) in a cup, and keep adding your prepared decoction till the mixture become palatable, and add honey.

I am again mentioning that I haven’t tried this version. This is just an idea. If you don’t have giloy plant, give this one a try and also let all of us know if it worked or not.

For immunity, also read other useful tips on how to improve immunity.

In today’s times, I recommend, rather request all of you to please give Giloy anyhow to your children, your family, and to yourself too.

If you are making it for adults, please increase the quantity of Giloy. Experiment and finalize the quantities according to the taste and age of your family members.

Note: Before giving anything to very young children, please consult your paediatrician. Be cautious with the doses.

Stay Safe. Stay Healthy.

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