It’s winter in England, and cold and flu season is well and truly upon us! The cold, the lack of sunlight and the increase in stress and seasonal depression are all factors that contribute to us getting ill more frequently during this time.

We can prevent getting sick by increasing our general levels of self care.

Making sure we are eating a healthy, varied diet¹, managing seasonal stress², and getting enough sleep will all vastly improve our ability to fight off illness³.

However, in this modern society where we are expected to work equally as much in the hibernation season as we are during the summer, it’s very difficult to maintain all aspects of our well-being, and so inevitably we do get sick sometimes!

Luckily, mother nature has provided us with a plethora of wonderful herbs to keep us healthy and soothe us during the season of the sneezes.

I am eternally grateful for these incredible plants for their healing potential, and for how they allow me to put aside modern pharmaceuticals and use a more natural approach. Learning about the plants that can heal us has empowered me to take my health into my own hands, and has deepened my connection to nature.

So, here is the recipe for a delicious, warming, spicy and intensely medicinal hot drink for colds and flus. This drink tastes divine and you won't need to go searching for some obscure ingredients to make this. Everything in this recipe is cheap and readily available, one of the reasons this is my absolute go-to when I'm sick.

Ingredients:

• About half of a large head of organic Ginger

• The juice of half an organic, unwaxed lemon

• The skin of the lemon half, grated

• A dollop of organic, raw local honey

• A heaped teaspoon of organic turmeric powder

• A pinch of cracked black pepper

Method:

• Peel the ginger using the blunt edge of a knife, scraping over the surface to remove the peel.

• Chop the ginger into thin strips.

• Put the ginger into a small saucepan and cover with about an inch of water (enough to fill the mug you will eventually be drinking your decoction from.

• Place the pan on the hob on a high heat, bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes.

• When 10 minutes has passed, turn down the heat and simmer the ginger for a further 30-40 minutes! This is how you make a true ginger decoction, really drawing out the medicinal properties. You will be amazed at how intense and spicy the ginger decoction is compared to ginger teas which simply steep the ginger in boiling water!

• While the ginger is simmering, squeeze the lemon juice into your chosen mug.

• Grate the lemon peel in too (this is where it’s important you bought unwaxed lemons).

• Add the turmeric and the cracked black pepper

• Add a big dollop of honey.

• After 30-40 minutes your ginger decoction will be done, and you can sieve the chunks of ginger from the liquid, stirring the liquid into the mug with all the other ingredients.

• Drink up and enjoy!

The key to this recipe is making sure you boil the ginger for a sufficient amount of time to make a true ginger decoction, unlocking the potent medicine that this plant has.

The best time to make this drink is when you first begin to feel the signs you are getting sick. And from then onwards, throughout your cold, as many times a day as you like!

I hope you enjoy this remedy as much as I do. I’m sure once you’ve made it once it will become a go-to for you as well.

I am creating a series of blog posts, all with recipes for natural medicines that are perfect for the winter season. So go check out my blog for more!

Love,

Harriet

References:

1. https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/foods-that-boost-the-immune-system

2. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-happens-when-your-immune-system-gets-stressed-out/

3. https://www.boostthyroid.com/blog/2018/8/8/how-sleep-affects-the-immune-system

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