5 Herbal Tea Infusions to Keep Winter Sickness at Bay
A warm bed and a cup of hot coffee are what makes winters a favorite season for many of us. Sadly, this season also brings along nasal congestion, cold, flu, headaches, and constant lethargy.
However, if you were to go according to the famous saying, ‘Prevention is better than cure,’ you can actually enjoy your favorite season without gulping downloads of pills and syrups. Taking precautions and extra care of yourself will help you stay healthy throughout the season, and the best way to go about it is by consuming herbal tea infusions.
Herbal tea infusions are a natural way of strengthening the immune system. Making tea infusions is simple and uses the delicate parts of the plants like the flowers, leaves and other aromatic parts. (Gladstar, 2012)
We can also use fruits and herbs to make tea infusions. However, it’s important that you steep them in boiling water instead of cooking them because they lose their medicinal properties if cooked.
Sipping a hot cup of herbal fruit tea (Five Reasons You Should Have Herbal Fruit Tea in Breakfast, 2017) is soothing and provides you with the additional benefit of aromatic therapy. The sweet fragrances of herbs and fruit infusions make the healing process more relaxing and enjoyable. Moreover, hot beverages like coffee, soup, and herbal tea infusions provide you with the much-needed warmth in the winter.
Herbal tea infusions can relieve and prevent the symptoms of common winter ailments; however, they cannot cure them completely. Consult with your doctor for full diagnosis and treatment. The effect of these tea infusions varies from person to person and depend on the severity of your condition. Here is a list of five tea infusions to keep sickness at bay this winter:
1 Basic cold and flu tea
This tea infusion relieves the symptoms of common cold and flu during the winter season. Regular consumption of this tea may irritate your stomach; therefore, adjust the quantity of garlic accordingly.
Ingredients
- 3-4 slices of fresh ginger with skin
- One clove chopped garlic
- Cayenne powder
- Black/ green/ oolong/ herbal tea
- Honey to taste
- Milk/milk alternative (optional)
Directions
- Boil ginger and garlic in water for 20 minutes
- Use this ginger and garlic concoction to steep your tea
- Add cayenne powder and honey to taste (add maximum amount of cayenne powder to induce sweating)
- Add milk or dairy alternative(optional)
Drink three to four cups of this infusion daily until the symptoms disappear. Especially, consume it before going to bed.
2 Flu-fighting tea
Flu Fighting Tea is ideal for fever, aches, cough, or a sore throat. It is a natural alternative for all the strong pharmaceutical chemicals available in the market (Hale)
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 slices of fresh ginger roots (use thin slices)
- 3 tablespoons fresh organic lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons raw organic honey
- ½ teaspoon organic ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon organic ground clove
- Cayenne pepper to taste
Directions
- Steep the sliced ginger in a boiling cup of water
- Add lemon juice, honey, and spices and stir well. (The tea will be cloudy)
- You may strain the tea through cheesecloth to remove the ground spices and ginger
3 Berry and flower spice tea
This herbal fruit infusion is an immune boosting tea that makes your body less prone to falling sick and getting under the weather. This tea is a combination of different herbs, fruits, and spices. (Justis, 2017)
Ingredients
- 1tsp elderberry berries(dried)
- 1tsp holy basil leaves (dried)
- 1tsp calendula flowers (dried)
- 1tsp rose petals (dried)
- 1tsp cinnamon chips or 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ tsp dried ginger root or half an inch chopped fresh ginger root
- 12 ounces boiling water
Directions
- Put all ingredients in a vessel, pour boiling water and cover it
- Steep for 15 to 30 minutes
- Strain and add honey if desired
The herbs and fruits used in this infusion help the natural defense mechanism of the body to fight against viral infections and diseases. These herbs have immune strengthening properties and hence, keep you healthy and your body strong throughout the winter season.
4 Minty ginger tea
This spicy tea blend (Justis, 2017) keeps your digestive system in proper order and keeps you healthy. A good digestive circulation maintains general wellness and ensures transfer of nutrients throughout the body. Our gut and immunity are inter-connected. A healthy digestive system prevents many diseases.
This recipe makes approximately 4 cups of tea that you can sip throughout the day:
Ingredients
- 2 to 3-inch fresh ginger root (chopped roughly)
- 1 tbsp. peppermint or spearmint leaves
- 1 tbsp. chamomile flowers petals
- 1 quart along with ¼ cup water
Directions
- Add water and ginger root in a pot and simmer it over medium-high heat
- Reduce the heat, cover and let it simmer for 20 to 30 minutes
- Remove from heat and add the mint
- Steep for 10 to 15 minutes
- Now add chamomile and let it sit for 4 – 8 minutes(The chamomile will become bitter with longer steeping times, hence, steep till the desired taste)
- Strain the tea and add honey
5 Sore throat tea
Blocked sinuses and a sore throat are the most common winter sickness. This tea is beneficial for soothing a sore throat and helps in opening up sinuses.
Ingredients
- 1 part sage leaf
- ½ part licorice root or slippery elm
- ¼ part cinnamon chips
- ¼ part ginger root
- Lemon (optional)
- Honey (optional)
Directions
- Add all the ingredients in a cup and steep it in hot boiling water for 10-15 minutes
- Add lemon and honey to taste
An addition of a warm cup of herbal tea infusion in your daily diet can drastically decrease the frequency and duration of you falling sick during the winter season. All these infusions are not only healthy and medicinally effective, but they are a treat for your taste buds too!
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ABOUT Alycia Gordan
Frequency and duration of you falling sick during the winter season. All these infusions are not only healthy and medicinally effective, but they are a treat for your taste buds too!
