Tulasi kashayam

Weather is changing; with this my colds, sore throat and other weather related small issues cropped up. My mother in law told me a simple, yet, very effective tip to combat cold's and sore throat without taking pills. Here is the recipe....trust me, this works. Instead of having a cup of water, have a cup of this kashayam and you are good to go as you see the results almost in 5 minutes! You can have this up to thrice a day. Sorry, i dont know what to call kashayam in english or hindi.

Tulsi plant is said to have many healing properties. No wonder we all even pray to Tulsi plant for good health! 

Ingredients:
Tulsi leaves (Indian Basil): 5
Pepper corns: 4 or 5
Jaggery/sugar: 1 tsp

Method:

Boil 1 1/2 cups of water in a pot. To this boiling water, add Tulsi leaves and coarsely crushed pepper and  boil for another 5 minutes. Switch off the stove and add jaggery/sugar. Filter the water and have it hot.

Note: If you do not have a Tulsi plant at home, just buy the powder; you should be able to find this in any Indian grocery store.