It's that dreaded cold and flu season and many of us are down for the count. Over the counter medications can certainly help us feel better, but a good old cup of tea can help us get back on our feet fast! Beyond adding necessary fluids to your body, here are some of the benefits of this soothing ginger, lime and honey tea (recipe below).
Ginger
Ginger has long been used to effectively alleviate gastrointestinal distress, so if you have a belly ache load up on ginger! It's also an antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory effects.
Citrus
Lemon, limes and other citrus fruits are full of vitamin C but limes, specifically, contain unique flavonoid compounds that have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties as well as antibiotic effects. While antibiotics won't help with a virus, the benefits of vitamin C will help get your immune system back on track.
Honey
Honey is a wonderful natural soother. It helps with sore throats but is also a terrific antibacterial. It also helps with upper respiratory infections, so if your child is too young to take over the counter medications like dextromethorphan (DM) for their cough giving them a spoonful of honey will help ease their coughing.
Ginger, Lime and Honey Tea
Submitted to Foodista by Fuss Free Cooking
6 pieces pieces uncrystallized ginger (3 per cup)
2 slices lime (alternatively juice from ⅓ of a lime)
2 teaspoons honey (1 tsp per cup)
2 cups boiling water
Fill cups with boiling water and steep uncrystallized ginger in the water for 2 minutes. Depending how strong you’d like the gingery after taste, the longer ginger is steeped in water, the stronger the gingery taste.
Remove the ginger pieces from the cup and then stir in honey until dissolves.
Place a slice of lime in each cup. Alternatively, you can squeeze the lime juice into the honey gingery tea.
