The Cold and Flu Soup recipe evolved with input from friends and family. My Asian brother-in-law recommended adding fresh ginger root to help reduce fever and respiratory inflammation.  When my father was coming down with a cold, he would line up several lemons on the kitchen counter with a salt shaker, slice them in half and eat all of them for vitamin C.  My grandmother believed in eating a whole raw onion as a remedy — onions are really great for the immune system, and have a lot of potassium in them, which is great for dehydration.  Over the years, I learned of the benefits of various herbs; sage to soothe a sore throat, lemon balm for its antiseptic and toxin-removing properties, garlic and echinecea for immunity, so I added these herbs to my recipe.  As a vegetarian myself, I added a vegan chicken flavored broth powder and a little rice.