Not only scarves, neck warmers and drafts are banned, the voice is also protected at the table with soups, herbal teas and gargles of very special infusions. The ingredients are most often simple: mallow, sage, rosemary, seasonal vegetables and above all the ‘singers’ herb’, erisimo, which is not drunk but is the basis of mouth-saving rinses “already known by the ancients Greeks, widely used by Caruso”, Ciro Vestita, former professor of human nutrition and phytotherapy at the University of Pisa, explains to Adnkronos Salute, who gives some advice on prevention and natural cure to the artists who will perform in Sanremo next week.
“The first remedy – reports Vestita, author of the book ‘Little Botanical Pharmacy’, a handbook of phytotherapy that has just been published – is the so-called ‘singers’ herb’, the official name is erisimo, used since ancient times by those who work with the voice. This is because it has an anti-inflammatory and emollient power on the vocal cords. It should be used for ‘collution’, to gargle, it should not be drunk. A decoction is prepared and, once cold, rinsed. It has a strong anti-inflammatory power, it is useful also as a prevention and can also be safely used by those who, in this period, have problems with lowering their voice due to the winter viruses in circulation”.
The queen herb, however, “always remains mallow. It has an added advantage, because in addition to having anti-inflammatory power it can also be drunk. An infusion of mallow hydrates the vocal cords and reduces inflammation, because this herb is very rich of mucilages which are protective for the vocal cords,” advises Vestita. As far as soups are concerned, “a recent study has identified a molecule in sage and rosemary, carnosol, which has a strong anti-inflammatory capacity. Sage and rosemary herbal teas, however, are not pleasant and could raise blood pressure a lot arterial. Better then to prepare soups with seasonal vegetables such as carrots, beans, pumpkin, to which to add some sage and rosemary leaves. They are pleasant dishes, even for young people who may not particularly like herbal teas”. This ‘culinary’ trick, Vestita concludes, “can work small miracles. Even small amounts of carnosol, in the long run, make the voice clearer and more powerful”, she concludes.
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