And most of all, I want to notget sick.
I'd like to think that my arsenal of cold prevention methods -- disturbingly often neti pot usage, attempts to binge sleep when I feel a tickle in my throat, and showers so hot that they make the energy company rub their greedy little hands together with glee -- work wonders. I'd like to think I am the master of health and wellness, germ dodging, and white cell rebounding. Alas, I am not.
Now, as I sit at my desk with a steady draft of that chilly outdoor air blowing across my legs, I can feel the stuffiness brewing. As I gear up for another few hours of work, I can feel my muscles tense and ache.
I'm not ready to resort to cold medicine just yet (and who even knows if researchers say they work today or not) and I'm nowhere near the place where I need to call in sick and sleep the workday away. I am at the place where I feel my body calling for my favorite tea.
It is a simple ginger tea that is soothing and feels like it is working magic on my weary body, no matter what scientific study does or doesn't say. When I am really sick, I make big pots of it and drink it all day. When I feel the tingle that alerts me a cold is coming, I have a cup or two to relax, convince myself to go to bed early, clear some congestion, and soothe any scratchiness. For me, it works.
I got this recipe from a kind cafe owner where I used to spend my days working and homemade pita and hummus. She was from Israel, a vegan who believed in the power of natural remedies. One morning as I sneezed my way through a deadline, she sat a big mug of it on my table without provocation. She told me what was in it, sternly said I should buy the ingredients and make it at home until I was well again. I listened and I am so glad I did.
The cafe has been closed for a long time and the owner has moved to another state. But the tea ingredients are always in my refrigerator and I am a believer that it helps ease the aches and pains.
You may have a similar recipe from a cookbook or your grandmother, and I imagine there are many wonderful variations. Here's the one I brew:
Ingredients
Fresh ginger
Fresh lemon
Honey
Easy peasy directions
Peel the skin from about 6 inches (or several "thumbs") of fresh ginger. Cut ginger into small chunks. Put into the bottom of a teapot of mug.
Squeeze the juice of one-half of a lemon over the ginger.
Add honey to taste.
Pour boiling water over the mixture. Let steep for 4 minutes before enjoying. (I refill the same pot or mug a few times, adding a bit more honey and lemon with each serving but preserving the ginger as long as I can.)
First sip, then share: Do you have a favorite kind of tea or recipe that helps cure what ails you?
Read more:
- 5 ways to prevent colds and flu
- 5 ways to protect your kids from getting sick
- Should you skip the flu shot?
[photo credit: Getty Images]
