February is a short month, yet it felt long as I spent most of it nursing sick kiddos back to health. Despite my best efforts, the flu made its way in and two of my kiddos spent a few weeks fighting it.
Since I have been learning about herbs and how to use them for prevention and through illnesses, I have been impressed with their results. Many herbs have been clinically shown to reduce symptoms of illness and shorten its duration. The thing about over the counter medication is that it is chock full of ingredients that put our bodies on edge when it is already down, such as artificial colors, preservatives and synthetic ingredients that are hard to pronounce. Most medicines are only meant to treat symptoms, while herbs aid in healing the body and fight infection.
I know many people have been sick since the start of the year with respiratory issues that have lasted longer than a month, so I thought I would share this simple immune boosting tea that I started using last year.
It is strong and not all of my kiddos will drink it due to its potency but I like to drink a few cups a day when I am feeling under the weather or just to enjoy.
Adapted from Herbal Academy’s Botanical Teas Recipe Book, this is my go to sick tea lately.
Healing Ginger Tea
2 TBSP Organic Elder Flower
2 TBSP Organic Chamomile
Juice of 1 Organic Lemon (When lemons are in season and I have a bunch, I juice and freeze them to use for this tea)
2oz Juiced Organic Ginger Root (I juice a bunch of fresh ginger and freeze in 1oz cubes)
2 TBSP Raw Unfiltered Honey
24 oz Boiling Water
To Brew:
Pour boiling water over elder flower and chamomile. Brew covered for 10 minutes. Remove tea bag. Add lemon, ginger and honey. Stir and enjoy. If tea is too strong as is, add additional 6 to 8 oz of hot water to desired taste. Note, this will not be as potent in vitamins and nutrients as the full strength.
To receive the most medicinal benefits from the honey, let your tea cool to under 104 degrees before adding it.
In case you’d like to save this later or give to friend, here’s a simple recipe card print out.
Ginger Tea Video Tutorial
Create + LEARN
To integrate learning and creativity, I turned my ginger doodles into an herbal profile coloring page with lots of fun facts about the benefits of ginger. Did you know it is antiviral and antibacterial, which makes it perfect for fighting colds, flu and respiratory infections?
Print on plain paper, card stock or watercolor paper depending on what medium you would like to use. For personal use only.
Praying you stay well friends!