Feel Better Tea: a companion

Thanks to plenty of rest and this potent tea, I can say I am definitely much better than a week ago. This is the tea I usually make when I'm feeling under the weather, and can be the base for a much stronger tea when the "common cold" knocks you on your rear. It's basically a concoction of things my grandmother would suggest, and might have resembled something her grandmother used to brew.

My great-grandfather (my grandma's dad) was a pharmacist, but grandma used to say the only thing she ever saw him take was an aspirin. For a cough or sore throat, a hot tea was always the way to go. Lots of honey and lemon, mixed with chunks of ginger soothe your mouth and open up your lungs. I try to use local honey because I think it somehow tastes better, but it's hard to tell whether using it to treat allergies is an effective way to combat irritating pollen spores from the area.

Zingiber officianle, (ginger) however has been noted by many cultures to have medicinal properties, as this University of Maryland Medical Center article describes. (If you are taking medication, make sure to read to the bottom about medical interactions with ginger!) One good whiff of its spicy, earthy scent bubbling in a pot of hot water is enough to remind your senses you will feel better soon. Commonly (mistakenly) called "ginger root," the firm flesh you are about to eat/drink is actually the rhizome of the plant.

Another zinger I added to this tea was fennel seeds--if you add a lot, it will give it a sweet, licorice taste. A commercially packaged tea called Throat Coat uses fennel too, which is where I got the idea. (Straight fennel is too sweet for me, and probably for most people who don't love black licorice flavor). A well-stocked pantry usually has most of these items on-hand already. If you live in California, you can probably scavenge fresh fennel from a neighbor's unkempt side-lawn--it grows wild all over here.

Ingredients:

Fresh ginger (one or two thumb-sized pieces)

Local honey (several tablespoons, or to taste)

2-3 Ts Fennel seeds

or three chunks of fresh fennel stalk

juice of 1 small lemon or half a large lemon

Extras:

organic green tea bag

2-3 cloves (2-3 ts minced) garlic (don't freak out! I'll explain)

If you don't have a tea strainer, you can throw all of these things into your mug and sip around them or chew as you go. I measure a chunk about the size of one or two of my thumbs and break it off from the larger piece. Peel with a potato peeler and cut into pinky-nail-sized chunks. Add the honey, lemon and fennel seeds. If you are using fresh fennel, make sure to scrub it well before you chop into small pieces (abt. the size of the ginger chunks). I add a bag of my favorite green tea, but you don't need it.

Now I know it might sound wretched (to anyone who hasn't eaten my cooking), but putting several big chunks of garlic in your tea will make you feel better if you are wrapped in a blanket, engulfed with a growly, phlegmy cough and generally too miserable to leave your abode. According to the Herb Society of America, Allii sativi bulbus, garlic, has also been used for centuries for its anti-microbial purposes, one of which is the treatment of respiratory illness.

You must be thinking, 'gross, who wants to drink garlic tea?' But who actually enjoys the taste of cough syrup or Theraflu anyway? It might not taste wonderful, but it will make you feel better--even if its just enough to get yourself to an actual health care provider.

If you are still needing something strong for your tea, the ginger-garlic-fennel base is an excellent starter for a hot toddy. Just grab some whiskey (ahem, adults only, please) and slosh a glug or two in your mug. By this point, you won't care what it tastes like, and you'll probably be asleep before too long! Another great-grandfather (my grandfather's father) used to brew moonshine in Oklahoma before Prohibition was lifted in 1959, so the whiskey they put in their tea was definitely homemade!

Enjoy!

(note: these statements are not meant to give medical advice or treat or cure any disease. they have not been approved by the FDA.)