Ice cream against flu

When Jeni Britton Bauer, owner of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus, Ohio, was young, getting a cold or the flu meant her mother and grandmother would mix up a cocktail of their own cure - a syrup of honey, lemon juice and whiskey. She'd get a spoonful, or get to drink it in a hot lemonade before bed.

So in 2004, as those around her sniffled and sneezed their way through a moderately severe flu season, Bauer thought she could help ease some of the suffering by adding her own twist to the family recipe, turning the syrup into a sorbet so the coldness would add a soothing touch as well.

The frozen treat contains orange and lemon juices, honey, "ginger, cayenne and liquid pectin - because it makes it into a cough drop that lubricates your throat," Bauer says.

But can a sorbet beat the common cold or the flu? Doctors tell TIME that the ingredients don't have any anti-viral properties, meaning they aren't proven to reverse the course of the illness, or prevent you from getting infected. But they may give you temporary relief of some symptoms.

Orange and lemon juices are high in vitamin C, but data does not confirm that consuming a lot of vitamin C will make a difference when you are actually sick. Cayenne and ginger have anti-inflammatory properties that may make you feel less feverish and reduce the joint pain, headache, and muscle aches that accompany the flu — especially the ingredient capsaicin in pepper. Honey and pectin both provide a coating over the mucous membrane of the throat to soothe any irritation and inflammation.

If you want to make this sorbet at home, you will need 2 cups of fresh orange juice (from 5 to 6 oranges), 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons), 2/3 cup of sugar, 1/3 cup of honey, 1/4 teaspoon of powdered ginger, one 3-ounce packet of liquid pectin, 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne, and 2 to 4 tablespoons of bourbon (optional).

Combine the orange and lemon juices, sugar, honey, and ginger in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat. Add the pectin, cayenne, and bourbon, if using. Pour into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until cold.