Peel the bananas and puree them with a wooden fork or spoon.
Place the mashed bananas in a pot and add boiled water. Let the mixture steep for 30 minutes.
When the remedy is cool, add the honey. It is important to add the honey when the mixture is cool so the honey does not lose any of its heat-sensitive antioxidants.
Place the mixture in a sealed container and use 100ml 4 times a day.
Use the remedy for 5 days in a row, making a new batch every morning.
Bananas
Bananas are an amazing food. They are full of vitamins, phytonutrients, protein, carbohydrates, fiber and even antioxidants. Specifically, bananas contain two powerful antioxidants, dopamine and catechins (3,4).
While dopamine is usually associated with improving your mood, research shows that in bananas, dopamine does not cross the blood-brain barrier, but simply acts as a strong antioxidant, which is exactly what you need when you are sick (5, 6).
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According to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, bananas are one of the best sources of manganese (7). This essential nutrient promotes wound healing, which is essential for compromised lung tissue during bouts of bronchitis.
What is more exciting, however, is that research shows an enzyme called manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is the principal antioxidant enzyme in mitochondria, which are responsible for the biochemical processes of respiration and energy production in all of your cells. According to researchers, because “mitochondria consume over 90 percent of the oxygen used by your cells, they are especially vulnerable to oxidative stress.” Plus, studies show this enzyme has significant potential as an anti-inflammatory agent, including in the lungs (8).
Bananas also contain a protein called banana lectin, or BanLec. New studies from the University of Michigan Medical School show this protein provides a biological barrier to essentially “mop up” stray viruses so they are rendered harmless. Research shows BanLec sticks to chains of sugar molecules, which is exciting because some of the world’s deadliest viruses are covered in exactly the same kind of sugar molecules banana lectin is attracted to (9).
According to researchers, this makes it a possible miracle antiviral agent. According to Jonathan Ball, Professor of Molecular Virology at the University of Nottingham, “Lectins have that potential as they are able to bind to the sugars present on the surface of a range of viruses including HIV, influenza, and Ebola, many of which have caused or have the potential to cause severe epidemics or even pandemics.” (10)
Honey
Honey successfully treats a variety of ailments, but it is especially well known for its ability to treat stubborn coughs such as bronchitis.
According to one study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, researchers showed just one nighttime dose of buckwheat honey is more effective than dextromethorphan, a common cough suppressant (11).
The World Health Organization (WHO) even lists honey as a safe, effective, natural demulcent, a sugary liquid that coats the throat and soothes irritation (12).
Honey is also a wonderful source of vitamins including, B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and certain amino acids, all of which are beneficial for healing. It further contains various minerals such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc, again, all of which help you to heal (13). Manuka honey has an even higher than normal amounts of these minerals, which makes them even more powerful for treating illnesses.
Water
This one is quite obvious: when you are sick, water is especially important because it not only keeps you hydrated when you have a fever or you simply don’t feel like eating, but it helps to regulate your body temperature. It also helps to flush away any toxins, bacteria or viruses (14)
