Ginger Honey Lemon Turmeric Tea

Cough, Cough..
Sniffle, Sniffle...

It's cold season, people.

You know the feeling.  First, the scratchy throat, then the nagging dry cough, and finally the stuffy nose and sinus pressure.

Unfortunately, I'm all too familiar with it.

Despite the fact that I eat a healthy diet, take lots of vitamins, and get plenty of rest I usually get three colds a year. 

It just happens.

I take whatever I can to try to prevent a cold from coming on (echinacea, goldenseal, garlic, lots of water etc..) but sometimes my immune system decides that it's gonna hate on me.

So, I just roll with it, and give my body what it wants. Lots of rest, hot tea, greens and fresh juice.

I woke up this morning in phase three of the cold.. the stuffy nose/sinus pressure phase.

In other words, I can't freaking breathe.

Instead of making breakfast, I decided to make an immune boosting hot beverage that would clear my sinuses.

This is what I came up with:

Ginger tea with honey, lemon, cayenne, and tumeric.

Let's talk about why you should make this beverage, like, NOW.

Ginger is an anti-infamatory, which in turn will help the swelling in your nasal passages, reducing pain and pressure. It also is very warming and will make you perspire to sweat out the nasties.

Lemons. High in vitamin C, no brainer.  Lemons are very alkalizing to the system, help detoxify the liver and stimulate your digestive tract. They also have anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. Go, lemons!

Honey. Local, Raw honey is where it's at.  It's anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal and boosts immunity.  It works as a natural cough suppressant when mixed with a little apple cider vinegar (no joke, I tried this last night and it woked like a charm) Oh, and it's also dee-licious.

Turmeric.  Not just for making curries and staining everything yellow.  The active ingredient in tumeric is curcumin. It's a powerful anti-inflamatory, natural painkiller, detoxifies the liver, boosts metabolism, is a natural antiseptic and anti-bacterial agent, speeds up healing of wounds, and has been used as a treatment for depression. For reals....get on the turmeric train.

Finally, cayenne. Cayenne, like ginger is also very warming (you already knew that, I know), helping to increase circulation and increase persperation. It's a counter-irritant; it brings blood to the surface and helps flush away toxins. When gargled with honey and water it helps with sore throats and irritating coughs. 

Ginger Honey Lemon Tumeric Tea (makes 3 c.)

3 c. water
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled, sliced 1/4" thick
1 lemon, juiced
2 T. honey
1/4 t. tumeric
1/4 t. cayenne

Place ginger and water in a small saucepan with the lid on. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tumeric and continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for five minutes. Strain into a large jar. Add the honey, lemon and cayenne.  Take a sip and kick that cold to the curb!