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!
I want to add a plug to your post! I started making this tea when you suggested it several months ago, and I finally broke the cycle I’d been in of catching a cold at least every other month. I don’t understand completely why the tea works, but I know it does, because I’ve also felt a cold coming on and then had the symptoms go away without catching the cold. We’ve even hung out with people who are pretty sick and not caught their cold. This is an awesome preventive drink! And I’ve grown to love ginger too.
Thanks, Mom! I’m seriously so happy that this is helping you as much as it is helping me. Thanks for trusting me enough to try it. 🙂 Love you!