From the mild blahs to a full-on flu or worse, 'tis the season to get sick in Shanghai. Here's a list of home remedies in the forms of teas, soups, and broths that will help you out when you're feeling down. Handed down from the ayis of the ages, right to your computer screen...

1. Brown Sugar Ginger Tea (姜母茶)

Alleviates colds, indigestion, nausea, menstrual pain, and food poisoning; boosts metabolism. Possible risks: According to WebMD, high doses of ginger could increase the risk of a miscarriage in pregnant women, as well as cause an upset stomach in high doses. Excercize a little moderation. Ginger can also have harmful interactions with anticoagulants. * Ginger plays a huge role in Chinese home remedies, especially in winter and summer seasons. The University of Maryland Medical Center says that the root has been used in China for over 2000 years. (Like everything else, right?) Generally speaking, eating and drinking raises your body temperature because of the process of digestion, and warm drinks can do so even more because your body absorbs some of the heat. We can say from personal experience that drinking ginger during a bout of the flu or food poisoning definitely helps. We recommend using old/dried ginger for this recipe -- it's stronger. They're dirt cheap at your local wet market and supermarket. You can tell just by looking at the ginger that it's older; it will have more of an "old man" kind of look. As for brown sugar, it contains more minerals than normal white sugar; it also can be found easily at supermarkets (we recommend Hong Kong brand Taikoo 太古). Ingredients for Brown Sugar Ginger Tea: Old ginger, brown sugar, water, jujubes (optional, to taste). Recipe: 1. Brush the ginger until it's clean, rinse it, then cut it into small pieces (or crush it, like they do in this video). 2. Boil a pot of water, throw the ginger slices in, reduce the heat, and let it simmer for at least five minutes, or longer if you want it to be spicier. Add brown sugar to taste. 3. Filter out the ginger slices and enjoy while it's warm. Purchase it ready-made at: JenDow Vegetarian Western Cuisine. ***

2. Ginger Milk (姜撞奶)

Works as a sleeping aid and boosts immunity, in addition to the other health benefits associated with ginger. Possible risks: Not good for people who are lactose intolerant, obviously. See above for the risks associated with ginger. * A really nice literal translation of this drink comes from the Guangzhou's name -- "Ginger collides with milk." Very poetic. These two react together to form a soft, creamy yellow curd of a winter dessert. Nutrition-wise, it's not all that radical, but you've got the health benefits of ginger and milk, and a sweet taste that really agrees with some people. Ingredients: Milk, ginger, and sugar. (The ratio of milk and to ginger juice portion you're aiming for is 10:1.) Milk with higher fat content is preferred for this one -- don't use skim. Recipe: 1. This one takes a little practice with the portions to get perfect. First, peel and shred some old ginger then press it through a sieve to get the juice out. 2. Boil some milk in a pot and add some sugar until it dissolves. When small bubbles appear on the edges, turn of the heat and let it start cooling. 3. When the milk temperature drops to 70–75°C, pour it into the ginger juice. Then, cover the bowl with a lid, allow it to cool for 10mins. Note: This really might take a few times to get it right. If the milk doesn't curdle, add more ginger juice. Again, use old ginger and don't touch the bowl while the curd is forming. This video can help you. Purchase it ready-made at: Manji; Ayi Milktea; Cong Qian Man. ***

3.Jujube Longan Tea (红枣桂圆茶)

Alleviates anxiety, menstrual pain, seen as a general anti-aging remedy, and sleep aid. Jujubes and longans are also high in vitamin C. Dried longans also have a lot of iron, and have traditionally been used to aid digestion, reduce fever, and to kill parasites, according to Purdue University's horticulture department, though studies are limited. * Dried jujubes and longans are popular winter snacks in China, and they've long been used in TCM treatments. Just like Brown Sugar Ginger Tea, this recipe is also great for menstruation, due to the iron boost from the dried longans. You can find all this at your local wet market, but jujubes and longan come in several different price ranges. We recommend dried jujube from Xinjiang. These are called 和田枣, and should cost around 100rmb for 500g. Longan are usually around 50rmb for 500g, but those without shells might be more expensive. Ingredients: Dried jujubes, dried longan, sliced old ginger, and goji berries (optional). Recipe: 1. Rinse the dried jujubes and longans, but not for too long, otherwise they might lose flavor and nutrition. 2. Use a pair of scissors to make small cuts on the jujubes. 3. Boil a pot of water, reduce to medium heat, and put all the ingredients in at once. Boil for five minutes and serve while warm. Places you can purchase this ready-made: Ayi Milktea; Qianwei Niuza. ***

4. Stewed Snow Pear, White Fungus with Rock Sugar (银耳炖雪梨)

Alleviates dry skin, sore throat, and coughs. * Stewed Snow Pear, White Fungus with Rock Sugar -- that's a mouthful -- is a soup that's traditionally been used as a homemade remedy for helping with coughs and sore throats, as well as skin dryness when the weather cools down. Juicy Asian pears and jelly-like white fungus contains moisture, and help ease throat discomfort. White fungus is a high-collagen ingredient that can benefits the skin. Although it's called 'white' fungus, the natural color should be yellow, so keep in mind to stay away from the incredibly white ones at the market. Select a package that comes with a complete fungus instead of those that have already broken apart. The mild sweetness of rock sugar not only won't overwhelm the flavor of the soup, but also enhances the soothing benefitz of this home remedy. You can get all these ingredients fairly cheap (unless you get quality white fungus, which can be very expensive) at grocery store and supermarket. Ingredients: Asian pear white fungus and rock sugar, goji berries (optional). Recipe: 1. Soak the white fungus for about 2-3 hours in warm water, until they become soft and transparent. 2. Tear the white fungus into small pieces and remove the hard part at its bottom. 3. Peel the pear and dice it. 4. Put white fungus, pear slices, and rock sugar together in boiling water and simmer for about 15 minutes. Exactly like this. Places you can purchase this ready-made: City Super; Ayi Milktea; Cong Qian Man ***

5. Radish and Rib Stew (萝卜排骨汤)

Recovering from jet lag (seriously) and boosting your immune system. Speaking from experience, it's just something good to eat when your stomach is messed up. What's the medical term for that... "stomach un-messer up". We'll go with that. * Time for a traditional Chinese saying: "Eat radish in winter, ginger in summer". Guess it sounds better in the original Chinese (冬吃萝卜夏吃姜). At any rate, it's our method for "keeping the doctor away". This classic and hearty Chinese stew is good for immunity and digestion, and is also good for your heart muscle and circulation. Radish has many essential vitamins and lots of fiber, in addition to making ordinary rib stew taste much much better. Ingredients: radish, rib (hind leg), ginger, corn (optional). Recipe: 1. Chop the ribs and radish into chucks, and put them together in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Add in some ginger, a bit huangjiu or vinegar, until the water clears up. 2. Remove the ribs from the water. 3. Put the ribs into fresh water again, and add ginger. Turn on the heat till it boils, and let it cook for 2 more minutes. 3. Turn down the heat to low and simmer for at least 2 - 3 hours. 4. When the soup turns white, add radish, and cook till it's soft and transparent. Season it with a bit of salt. Note: Because you need to cook it for more than 2 hours in step 3, make sure to add enough water at the beginning, so you don't have to add more during the process thus lose its rich flavor. Here's a video of the process. Places you can purchase this ready-made: Jasse Restaurant; Shanjiantang; Xiaonanguo. ***

6. Mutton Soup (羊肉汤)

Staying warm in winter, sweatin' out toxins in summer. Both very good things. * Generally speaking, Chinese people love eating all kinds of mutton cuisines during winter. Whether it's mutton hotpot (shuan yangrou 涮羊肉), sliced boiled mutton (baiqie yangrou 白切羊肉), or braised mutton (hongshao yangrou 红烧羊肉), we have different ways to cook different parts, and a bunch of different recipes to dress it all up. Quality mutton doesn't require much skill to make delicious -- simply put the meat into clear water, season it with a bit salt and green onions, and you're good to go. The mutton we get these, however, could be of questionable slaughtering pedigree, so it takes a bit more effort to make yummy. Ingredients: mutton, cooking wine (liaojiu 料酒), Sichuan pepper (huajiao 花椒), ginger. Recipe: 1. To clean the mutton, put the meat to soak in water for two hours, changing the water once every hour. 2. Rinse and chop into chunks. 3. Put the meat into a big pot of water. 4. Turn to medium heat and when it boils, skim the foam with small spoon. 5. Add a bit of liaojiu, shallot, ginger, and sichuan pepper. 6. Cover the pot with a lid, and simmer everything for about 1 - 1.5 hour. 7. Season it with salt. 8. Turn to medium heat and simmer for 15 to 20 mins. Here's the YouTuber of this happening. Places you can purchase ready-made: Jiazai Tala; Heweiju (lamb-focused; exceptionally dope); Liu dao men. ***

7. Red Bean Soup (红豆汤)

Alleviates constipation, reducing edema, helps with the all-pervasive period issues. * Red bean is a high fiber food, and helps with keepin' things on the move. Chinese people boil it in water until the beans get all fluffy -- that's called "Red Bean Soup". It's used for reducing edema and enriching the blood, so its also often used as "skin food". Cooking red bean soup is not too complicated. All you need is water and beans. Red beans are hard to cook in a short period of time, however, so here's a few methods to help you cook through the beans easily. You go, fluffy red bean soup. Ingredients: sugar (ideally rock sugar), red beans, water. Recipe: 1. The water to bean ratio should be 1: 2. Soak the beans in the water over night or at least 3 hours to help with cooking them thoroughly. 2. Cook them until they've got a fluffy cosistency. "The Thermal Expansion" Cold: Freeze the beans in cold water or put in the freezer for 30 minutes, the longer the better, and then cook. Places you can just buy them ready-made: Manji; Ayi Milktea; Cong Qian Man; City Super. ***

8. Rice Congee (白粥)

Rice Congee is great for when you're just too damn sick and can't eat anything else -- especially food poisoning or any other kind of nausea-based illness. * Chinese porridge is more of a traditional food down south in Guangzhou. It's their traditional daily breakfast, and usually served with fried bread stick (油条) or other salted veg. Also, in cases of sickness, when the body gets weak, Chinese people often cook some baizhou (白粥) to conditioning the stomach. As for cooking porridge, there is no strict methodology and you can also add other ingredients to it to taste. Here's how to do the basic porridge, and you can add you own meat, veg, or grain, as you like. Ingredients: White rice, water. Recipe: 1. Cook some rice like you normally would. 2. Place cooked rice and water in a big pot. 3. Break up rice with a spoon. 4. Bring water and rice to a boil and lower heat to simmer. 5. cook until desired consistency is achieved. Places you can purchase this ready-made: Bi Feng Tang. ***