{"id":1425,"date":"2026-02-13T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/?p=1425"},"modified":"2026-02-06T00:23:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T00:23:31","slug":"russian-cold-flu-remedies-what-traditional-cures-reveal-about-russian-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/language\/russian-cold-flu-remedies-what-traditional-cures-reveal-about-russian-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian Cold &amp; Flu Remedies: What Traditional Cures Reveal About Russian Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n  <p>Winter in Russia is long and brutally cold. Catching a cold or the flu is almost inevitable. Many people get sick at least once a year\u2014sometimes even twice. Instead of immediately reaching for medicine, many Russians turn to traditional remedies that have been passed down for generations.<\/p>\n\n      <p>These remedies may seem a bit extreme, but they offer a fascinating glimpse into Russian culture, values, and everyday language.<\/p>\n\n      <section aria-labelledby=\"garlic-onions\">\n        <h2 id=\"garlic-onions\">Garlic and Onions: Strong Smell, Strong Faith<\/h2>\n\n        <p>Garlic is probably the most popular cold remedy in Russia. It\u2019s eaten raw\u2014chopped up or swallowed in large chunks and washed down with a glass of water. Onions are used in much the same way.<\/p>\n\n        <p>There\u2019s a phrase you\u2019ll often hear in Russia:<\/p>\n\n        <figure>\n          <blockquote lang=\"ru\">\n            <p>\u0427\u0435\u0441\u043d\u043e\u043a \u2013 \u043b\u0443\u0447\u0448\u0435\u0435 \u043b\u0435\u043a\u0430\u0440\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e.<\/p>\n          <\/blockquote>\n          <figcaption>Garlic is the best medicine.<\/figcaption>\n        <\/figure>\n\n        <p>No one pretends garlic tastes good. The idea is simple: if it burns, it must be working. Endurance matters more than comfort. What you need is toughness, not something pleasant.<\/p>\n      <\/section>\n\n      <section aria-labelledby=\"hot-tea\">\n        <h2 id=\"hot-tea\">Hot Tea Is a Must<\/h2>\n\n        <p>If you have a cold or the flu, someone will make you tea. It\u2019s not a request\u2014it\u2019s a requirement.<\/p>\n\n        <p>The tea is black and hot, and it\u2019s often served with lemon, honey, or <span lang=\"ru\">\u0432\u0430\u0440\u0435\u043d\u044c\u0435<\/span> (jam).<\/p>\n\n        <h3>Vocabulary to know<\/h3>\n        <dl>\n          <div>\n            <dt lang=\"ru\">\u0413\u043e\u0440\u044f\u0447\u0438\u0439 \u0447\u0430\u0439<\/dt>\n            <dd>hot tea<\/dd>\n          <\/div>\n          <div>\n            <dt lang=\"ru\">\u0421 \u043c\u0451\u0434\u043e\u043c<\/dt>\n            <dd>with honey<\/dd>\n          <\/div>\n          <div>\n            <dt lang=\"ru\">\u0421 \u043b\u0438\u043c\u043e\u043d\u043e\u043c<\/dt>\n            <dd>with lemon<\/dd>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/dl>\n\n        <p>Tea isn\u2019t just a drink; it\u2019s a necessity. Staying warm is essential, and warmth equals safety in Russian culture.<\/p>\n      <\/section>\n\n      <section aria-labelledby=\"steam-inhalation\">\n        <h2 id=\"steam-inhalation\">Steam Inhalation at Home<\/h2>\n\n        <p>One of the more traditional remedies involves sitting over a pot of boiling potatoes with a towel over your head.<\/p>\n\n        <p>It\u2019s uncomfortable and sweaty\u2014but that\u2019s the whole point.<\/p>\n\n        <p>People may say to you:<\/p>\n\n        <figure>\n          <blockquote lang=\"ru\">\n            <p>\u041d\u0430\u0434\u043e \u043f\u0440\u043e\u043f\u0430\u0440\u0438\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f.<\/p>\n          <\/blockquote>\n          <figcaption>You need to steam yourself.<\/figcaption>\n        <\/figure>\n\n        <p>The goal is to \u201csweat out\u201d the illness, which is a very common belief behind many traditional remedies.<\/p>\n      <\/section>\n\n      <section aria-labelledby=\"vodka\">\n        <h2 id=\"vodka\">Vodka: Mostly Not for Drinking<\/h2>\n\n        <p>Contrary to what movies suggest, vodka is usually used on the body\u2014not drunk\u2014when you\u2019re sick.<\/p>\n\n        <p>Some common remedies include:<\/p>\n        <ul>\n          <li>Rubbing the body to reduce fever<\/li>\n          <li>Using vodka as a compress on the chest or throat<\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n\n        <p>The idea is to <span lang=\"ru\">\u0440\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0442\u044c \u0432\u043e\u0434\u043a\u043e\u0439<\/span>, meaning \u201cto rub with vodka.\u201d Drinking it, however, is more of a joke than a real treatment.<\/p>\n      <\/section>\n\n      <section aria-labelledby=\"drafts\">\n        <h2 id=\"drafts\">Stay Inside and Avoid Drafts<\/h2>\n\n        <p>One important rule is to stay inside and avoid cold air when you\u2019re sick.<\/p>\n\n        <p>You may be told:<\/p>\n\n        <figure>\n          <blockquote lang=\"ru\">\n            <p>\u0422\u0435\u0431\u0435 \u043d\u0435\u043b\u044c\u0437\u044f \u043d\u0430 \u0443\u043b\u0438\u0446\u0443.<\/p>\n          <\/blockquote>\n          <figcaption>You shouldn\u2019t go outside.<\/figcaption>\n        <\/figure>\n\n        <figure>\n          <blockquote lang=\"ru\">\n            <p>\u0421\u043a\u0432\u043e\u0437\u043d\u044f\u043a \u043e\u043f\u0430\u0441\u0435\u043d.<\/p>\n          <\/blockquote>\n          <figcaption>Drafts are dangerous.<\/figcaption>\n        <\/figure>\n      <\/section>\n\n      <section aria-labelledby=\"what-it-reveals\">\n        <h2 id=\"what-it-reveals\">What These Remedies Reveal About Russian Culture<\/h2>\n\n        <p>These traditions reflect several deeply rooted values:<\/p>\n        <ul>\n          <li>Endurance matters more than comfort<\/li>\n          <li>Warmth means safety<\/li>\n          <li>Actions matter more than words<\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n\n        <p>If someone tells you to drink tea, stay in bed, or eat garlic, it\u2019s their way of taking care of you.<\/p>\n\n        <p>And if you\u2019re offered a cup of hot tea with jam, accept it. That\u2019s the Russian way of showing they care.<\/p>\n      <\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Winter in Russia is long and brutally cold. Catching a cold or the flu is almost inevitable. Many people get sick at least once a year\u2014sometimes even twice. Instead of immediately reaching for medicine, many Russians turn to traditional remedies that have been passed down for generations. These remedies may seem a bit extreme, but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1426,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1425"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1427,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1425\/revisions\/1427"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}