antiviral tea

I've been reading posts and finding a lot of sickpoo going around. I've recommended the following recipe individually, but thought I'd post it for others to benefit.

Ginger tea helps to relieve a variety of symptoms including: stuffy nose, sore throat, nausea (morning sickness too) and general yucky :)

My Favorite Recipe for viral infections

You'll need:

Water

Ginger Root (purchase whole in the produce dept at your local grocer)

Flavored Hot Tea (my favorite is Celestial Seasonings Orange Tangerine Zinger, because it includes orange peel and vitamin C which are also helpful in fighting cold and flu bugs)

Sweetener (optional; tea is fairly sweet without extra sugar or sweeteners added-I use stevia an all natural sweetener.)


Slice ginger root. You'll need 2-4 thin slices approximately the size of a quarter. Boil the ginger root slices for approximately 15 minutes. Use about 1/2 cup more water than you'll actually drink as you'll lose some water during the boiling. Drain the ginger tea into a cup and discard the ginger slices. Add the tea bag of your choice and steep for a few minutes. Sweeten if desired (I generally add a bit of milk for a creamier taste) and drink up. Drink this tea 2-3 times daily when you begin to show symptoms and continue the ritual until your symptoms begin to subside. Although, I drink this in the morning, it may make you drowsy-- just be careful.

If you decide to share this recipe with friends, be aware that pregnant women should not take large doses of ginger. It's been documented that large doses of ginger were used by the oriental cultures to induce labor and/or miscarriage. However strangely enough, in very small doses it can and does cure morning sickness in pregnant women. I used it myself .

My recipe was designed from the research from "The Green Pharmacy" and a recipe from my Korean mother-in-law who uses ginger root, orange peels and the roots from green onions in her tea. This is probably just as or even more effective--as onions and orange peels are documented as having anti-viral properties as well.

~Enjoy and feel better.