When the cold or flu has you down, whip up a large batch of this medicinal tea to help boost your immune system into action.
1. Warm 8 ounces of water
option: add ginger slices while heating water and let water simmer for 10 minutes
Then add:
2. 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3. 1 tbsp manuka honey
4. juice from a slice of lemon
5. shake of cinnamon
Ginger helps stimulate a therapeutic sweat. Studies also show that it helps fight against bacterial infections that may develop as a result of the viral infection. Ginger is also known to be mucolytic, breaking up mucus and phlegm that result from colds and coughs.
Lemon juice is full of cold fighting Vitamin C. While it seems acidic, it actually lowers the pH of the body once it is digested. This is beneficial because viruses and bacteria can only live in an acidic environment. This tea will help to raise the pH of the body, making it not a very hospitable place.
Apple cider vinegar (be sure to get the dark brown, murky kind!), is extremely rich in minerals, helps balance the ecosystems in the gut (70% of the immune system lies within the GI tract), and also works like lemon juice to raise the pH of the body.
Manuka honey. While expensive, a little goes a long way. Invest in a bottle of this honey (a UMF Factor of 15 or above is ideal, which is displayed on the bottles and indicates its medicinal value) and use it just for sickness. Unlike commercial honey, manuka honey is 4 times as high in amino acids, B-vitamins, and minerals which give your body the nutrients it needs while sick. There is 2011 research showing how Manuka stops the growth of sore throat-causing Strep bacteria.
Cinnamon is a powerful anti-microbial and packs a nice flavor punch to round out your tea!
Make a big batch and sip on it throughout the day.