Alright, so I wanted to chat a bit about something I tried out not too long ago. It’s this thing folks call Hezi. You might have heard of it, maybe not. I stumbled upon it, well, more like I was pushed towards it out of sheer annoyance with a tickly throat and a cough that just wouldn’t quit. You know the type, just lingers and makes you want to clear your throat every five minutes. It was driving me nuts.
My Little Journey with Hezi
I’d been complaining about this cough to anyone who would listen, pretty much. Tried all the usual stuff – honey, lemon, those cough drops that taste like candy but do nothing. Then, one afternoon, I was having a cuppa with an old friend, and she pipes up, “Why don’t you try Hezi?” Said her grandmother swore by it for things like that. Honestly, my first thought was, “Here we go, another old wives’ tale.” But, you know, when you’re tired of coughing, you’re willing to try almost anything, within reason, of course.
So, I did a bit of casual asking around, not like deep research, just word-of-mouth stuff. People told me it’s supposed to be good for stopping persistent coughs, especially the dry, irritating kind. Some mentioned it helps if your voice is going hoarse, too. And apparently, it’s got this strong, like, drying quality. That’s the word they used. Good for “tightening things up,” they said.
Finding it was an adventure in itself. I ended up at one of those small shops that sell all sorts of dried herbs and traditional bits and bobs. The owner, a really helpful chap, pointed me to these small, wrinkly, dark brown dried fruits. Looked a bit like a date that had seen better days. He said I could boil a couple in water and drink the liquid, or just suck on a small piece. I figured, what have I got to lose? So, I bought a small packet.
When I got home, my first experiment was to make a “tea.” I put two of those little Hezi fruits in a mug and poured hot water over them. Let it sit for a bit. The water turned a sort of pale brownish-yellow. And the taste? Oh boy. It was intensely astringent. Like, super sour and bitter at the same time. My whole mouth puckered up! It wasn’t pleasant, not gonna lie. I also tried just taking a tiny piece and sucking on it. Even more potent that way. You definitely feel it.
- Day 1: Drank the Hezi water. Tasted weird. Throat still felt pretty much the same. Coughed a lot.
- Day 2-3: Kept at it, once in the morning, once in the evening. That astringent feeling was very noticeable. I think, maybe, the urge to cough was a tiny bit less? Or maybe I was just getting used to the taste.
- Day 4-5: Okay, I started to think there might be something to this. The cough wasn’t gone, but it felt less… aggressive. It wasn’t so much a deep hack anymore, more of a tickle. And my throat didn’t feel as raw.
I kept this up for about a week. The most significant thing was definitely that drying, tightening sensation it left in my mouth and throat. It wasn’t like modern medicine where you pop a pill and feel instant relief. This was more gradual. It felt like it was slowly calming down the irritation. My voice, which had been getting a bit croaky, also seemed a little clearer.
So, that’s my story with Hezi. I’m not saying it’s a miracle cure for everyone, and I’m certainly no expert. But for my particular annoying, lingering cough, it did seem to help take the edge off. It’s definitely an acquired taste, that’s for sure. But an interesting little journey into the world of old remedies. It made me think, sometimes these old ways have a bit of wisdom in them, you know?
