Doctor says adding £1 ingredient to water can relieve coughs, colds and Asthma symptoms

Thirsty young woman drinking fresh water from glass
-Credit: (Image: Getty)


A doctor has said drinking more of a certain drink could boost your health. Dr Eric Berg DC said having the drink 30 minutes before you go to bed could work really well.

This is because it could help you relax and drift off to sleep. The medic said having a glass of water with cloves can offer other advantages for your body.

These can include detoxing your liver, aiding in digestion and reducing bloating. You could also get relief from bronchitis, mucus in the lungs, a cold, a cough and even Asthma.

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The drink has also been praised for its antiviral and antibacterial properties, Mirror reports. You can usually find whole cloves at any supermarket.

Tesco currently has a 30g pack of whole cloves for £1 and Asda's 34g pack is also £1. Dr Berg, author of the bestselling book The Healthy Keto Plan, specialises in healthy ketosis and intermittent fasting.

He detailed the benefits of having clove water daily on his YouTube channel, which has a following of 12.7m subscribers. Dr Berg said that clove water is 'pretty delicious'.

Cloves were once used during the Black Plague to relieve pain, as well as during the early days of dentistry. He added: "The cool thing about this is there's virtually no side effects, it has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-candida antiviral properties in addition to numbing the tooth or numbing pain it can also go after the microbes that are growing there whether it's a fungal candida bacteria or even a virus."

The expert said that daily consumption of clove water could:

  • Detoxify your liver

  • Relieve bloating

  • Encourage digestion

  • Relieve respiratory problems like bronchitis, mucus in the lungs, a cold, a cough, and Asthma

  • Improve memory, focus and concentration

  • Helps blood circulation

Dr Berg said: "The first thing it does is it helps to detoxify the liver, so it's going to stimulate some of the enzymes to help break things down in the liver, it's going to help you with digestion so if you have bloating, indigestion, gas consume some of this clove water - maybe you do this after a meal when you're bloating and it can help reduce the bloating. Another very potent effect of this clove water is to use it for respiratory problems like bronchitis, mucus in the lungs, a cold, a cough, Asthma.

"You can consider it as like a natural antibiotic but without the side effects. Some people also use it for cognitive improvements improve the memory, concentration, the focus but this clove water also works with heart stuff so it can actually support a healthy heart as well, especially when you get into blood circulation, anything related to circulation clove water is awesome.

"It also has immune properties so it can help support a healthy immune system because it's antimicrobial; some people even use it as a mouthwash to help freshen their breath." Dr Berg said the water could be used as a sleep aid 'because it's a natural sedative without the negative effects, it does not have side effects like sleeping medication does and there's also some tryptophan in there that will actually increase serotonin and help you increase melatonin'.

Dr Berg recommends drinking the clove water 30 minutes before you go to bed. He added: "I would drink this before bed, it seems to work really good because they help relax you and they can help you drift off into wonderful sleep as well so might as well take it before you go to bed. It's not a necessity but it can definitely help."

How to make clove water

  • Take four or five cloves

  • Put them in a cup of water bring to a boil

  • Take it off boiling and leave to simmer for five minutes (cover it to contain vapours)

  • Leave to cool for one hour - this can be in the fridge but it up to personal preference

  • Optional extra: add half a teaspoon of honey to sweeten it up