As a singer, you can’t allow common cold or cough make you miss a concert or

ministration. Imagine putting in time and energy rehearsing for a particular gig, and the
day before the show, you are stuck with a terrible cough such that you can’t open your
mouth to produce a note without bending down to cough. Sickening yeah? Let’s look at
how you can save your singing voice in seconds when you are stuck in such situation.

But there is a solution, a better solution even. Instead of swallowing tablets and
smoking syrups that will take days to be effective, this is a better, natural and faster
saver, one which can be a fast way to save your voice in seconds: Ginger, Lemon, and
Honey.

Before we analyze how these natural substances help us as singers, lets clear some
myths. Chewing okra, swallowing banana finger, drinking raw egg, etcetera, is a scam. A
musicologist/laryngologist will tell you this is wrong, because, eating and singing
(producing sound) are two different businesses, involving different pipes.

In the throat, we have two pipes: esophagus and trachea. The esophagus is where
every food substance we eat pass through. It has no business with speech and singing.
Our instrument as singers is the trachea, this is where air(oxygen) passes into and out
of the lungs. The larynx(voice box) leads to the trachea. In the larynx, we have the vocal
folds which vibrate when we systematically push air through it to produce sound.

Armed with this knowledge, you see why those myths are stupid? The banana and okra
you eat do not pass through the larynx that produces sound to make you voice
beautiful. The epiglottis (that thing you see dangling when you open your mouth wide,
below the soft palate) blocks the larynx when you eat so that food particles pass
straight to the esophagus. This is why we are warned not to eat and talk, for the
epiglottis then raises from the larynx and food particles enters it and we start
coughing.

In the next article, we’ll discuss how food can help the voice and the science behind it.

Now, how can ginger, lemon and honey help?

Ginger contains gingerol which is a great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory chemical. It

helps clear off the mucus around the pharynx and nasal cavity. Lemon promotes
hydration (which is extremely important for singers). Honey is notorious for its
antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, plus it heals wounds and soothes sore throat.

READ ALSO: How to Maintain Vocal Health & Hygiene

These three mighty natural goodness in hot water does wonders. The mixture clears
your cough in seconds (I kid you not!), treats sore throat, heals your flu (extensively),
and makes the note you produce clean and virgin – as there is no thin line of mucus
affecting the quality of tone.

Aside from it’s benefit to the voice and health, can we talk of the heavenly taste? My
god! It could replace soda and all those sugar we swallow daily. It tastes natural,
romances the tongue, and does something to the entire mouth only a new bride can
do to her husband.

Also, this mixture helps to: fight cancer, lower cholesterol level, reduce menstrual pain,
prevent kidney stone, freshen the breath, aid digestion, and improve your skin quality.

Do not add excess honey though, unless you want to make the toilet a second home.

Sadly, I don’t have proper measurements, I just go with my intuition.