I have a man cold and taking my usual bowl of chicken soup washed down with a Lemsip Max but now I’m thinking… if the main ingrediant of a Lemsip is paracetamol, why don’t I just have a paracetamol? It’d cost alot less.
Whats the point of a Lemsip other than the paracetamol?
Thank you.
Now that you’ve read this, you now have a cold sorry thats just how this one works.
How exactly does the hot lemon help you?
It’s the hot water that helps, mostly. The lemon makes it taste better.
Personally, I do a ginger infusion with lemon and honey in it. The lemon moderates some of the bite from ginger, and the stuff in ginger eases the symptoms.
(Note- slice or grate fresh ginger and boil or steep that in hot water. “ginger tea” bags that have been sitting on a shelf for who knows how long…. Not helpful.)
The honey also helps with coughs and sore throats, but mostly just by coating the throat. (Same, for example, as cough syrup.)
Vitamin C is good for you. It’s been found to reduce the time you’re sick by 10%. It’s better to consume it regularly before getting sick though, as it significantly reduces the risk of developing a cold.
Clears your congestion which is what’s causing the headache and stuffiness.
What about the fever?
I’m no doctor but it just sounds pretty unlikely that congestion is what is causing the headache. Sounds more likely that a virus is causing both.
The virus is causing both in a roundabout way, but congestion does cause the headache in most colds and flu (and also covid, which is where I learnt this, working with covid patients). It’s because your sinuses are blocked, and they cause pain behind the eyes, across the forehead, and more generally the front of your brain as it spreads.
Most people will take a painkiller for the headache, but usually a decongestant is actually more effective and longer lasting.