Ginger Tea, A Natural Cold Remedy

This week has brought on one of the worst colds I have had in a long time. It has involved a excruciating raw throat, coughing, congestion, and just starting today sneezing and an uncontrollable runny nose. Yuck. I have also began to lose my voice, although I think some people have been thankful for that...

As with most things, something good has come out of it. I have learned that ginger tea happens to be a great natural remedy for the icky-ness in my throat. DH brought home a few pounds of fresh ginger from the Asian food market near his work for a ginger ale recipe we are going to try.

(Note: At grocery stores around here, fresh ginger runs around $5lb, compared to about $1 at the Asian food store. Until now, I have never used fresh ginger because of the price. Check out stores around you and you may find a great deal!)

Well, when I ended up getting sick the next day, he said that a co-worker suggested ginger and honey tea. Not only does it help rid your throat of the mucus, it gives you ENERGY! Exactly what I have been lacking these last few days. Now, I'm not quite sure if it actually gave me energy, but I do know my throat felt a whole lot better afterwards.

Image: hinnamsaisuy / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Since I had so much ginger, I simply peeled it with a spoon (way less waste!), rinsed, and put it in the food processor. Everything I had read online said to grate it, but I don't have a grater. Even if I did, I don't really feel up to grating 3lbs of ginger. So, I tossed it in there and it seems to have worked just as well. After it was grated, I put it in a freezer baggie and spread it flat. It freezes fairly well this way. Other methods I have read about involve measuring it out into teaspoons or tablespoons, wrapping in plastic wrap and freezing for individual servings for use in cooking, etc. I think I will do this next time, but once again, I didn't do it this time because I simply don't have the energy.

You can also just put the ginger root in a bag and place it in the freezer. I prefer to have all the work done beforehand though.

When it is frozen in the bag, I took it out and broke it up as much as I could. This way leaves some chunks bigger than others, but I don't really mind. I will use those in cooking.

Okay, back to the tea. Here is a modified version of the ginger tea recipe. I omitted the lemon juice so it wouldn't irritate my throat, and I used grated ginger instead of slices. I believe the grated ginger makes the tea stronger, so you may want to use slices instead. Personally, I like the tea strong. You will have to experiment with the amount of water you use. The first cup I made was really strong and I had to dilute it with more water.

Ginger and Honey Tea
1 tsp grated ginger
2-3 Tbsp honey
8 oz hot water
tea infuser

Place the grated ginger inside of the tea infuser, and let steep in the hot water. Add honey to taste.


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