The Drink That Has Kept Me Free From Colds For Over a Year

I drink a “Honey Lemon Ginger Tea” every morning and it has kept me healthy for over a year. Thanks to my anxiety and chronically low white blood cell count, I used to get sick all the time. I caught every cold, even in the summer! I would be sick for weeks after each one. Finally, last summer, I had had enough and I found a fabulous solution!

I had started drinking hot water with lemon in January of last year because I kept reading all the health benefits it’s supposed to provide. I added local raw honey for its health benefits, and also just for taste. But after being sick for several weeks last summer, I found the missing ingredient—ginger! I added this to my drink, got well again, and haven’t been sick since. To be fair, I was also taking antibiotics by that time and I know they played a huge role in getting me over that.

But, the fact that I haven’t been sick since can only be attributed to my morning drink. Fresh lemon juice has a lengthy list of health benefits, but on that list is its antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Honey does all that, too. In fact, here is a really cool article about some of the amazing medicinal properties of honey, including its ability to help heal wounds faster!

Can you guess what three qualities ginger possesses? That’s right: antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory!

In the past year, I have had a handful of times when I have felt a cold “coming on”. My throat gets a little scratchy and my nose gets a little runny or stuffy. I keep drinking my drink (occasionally, twice a day) and the symptoms resolve within a few days. I haven’t had any stomach bugs either! Are you convinced yet? If so, here are the simple steps:

1. Boil Water

 2. Grate Ginger

I keep fresh ginger in my freezer. While the water is coming to a boil, I pull out my ginger and grate it into a mug. I use a microplane zester, but any fine grater should work. I love ginger, so I grate a decent-sized mound into the bottom of my mug. However, I’ve yet to make this drink for anyone who loves ginger like I do, so I recommend starting small and seeing how much you can tolerate.

3. Pour Boiling Water Over Ginger, Let Seep for 10-15 min.

 4. (Optional Step) Strain Out Ginger

As I said, I love ginger, so I leave mine in there. If you are not a huge ginger fan, strain it out. You will still have the ginger-infused water, minus the little bits of ginger floating around.

5. Add Freshly-Squeezed Juice from ½ Lemon

I highly recommend purchasing a juicer. I have a $5 one from Amazon and I love it. It gets out all the juice, but strains out the seeds. Then I save the other half of the lemon for the next day, unless I’m making a double batch for my husband, kids, or house guests.

6. Add Honey

I’ve used local raw honey all year. Regular honey from the store has been through a heating process, so it doesn’t have all the same healing properties. In fact, this is why I add the honey last. If you add your honey while the water is still boiling, it gets cooked and loses many of its benefits. I just add this to my taste. Sometimes it’s up to about a tablespoon. I tell myself it’s a health food and I don’t feel bad about it.

Enjoy!