Freshly Squeezed Ginger Juice Tea
I stumbled across this great, quick and easy Recipe from the Herbal Academy that I thought would be great to share.
Fresh ginger juice is a potent antiviral and is often one of the first herbs we turn to when a viral infection seems imminent.
Ginger is a key player for fall and winter wellness! Widely used for taming nausea and morning sickness, ginger also provides a range of applications for digestion, circulation, the reproductive system, and as a general anti-inflammatory.
Herbalists use ginger's antimicrobial activity, its ability to thin mucus, and its diaphoretic action to help the body progress through a cold or the flu.
In fact, ginger is often one of the first herbs we turn to when a viral infection seems imminent!
Benefits of Ginger
The fresh root contains protein-digesting enzymes. Its spicy nature warms up a sluggish digestive system
Promotes beneficial bacteria
Kills gut pathogens
Relieves gas, pain, bloating
Ginger also decreases inflammation, Boosts detoxification
Reduces blood sugar
Improves insulin sensitivity
Increases circulation
Breaks down fibrin and makes blood less sticky
Fights respiratory infections
Eases the painful symptoms of a range of ailments, from a sore throat to rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
Fresh-pressed ginger juice diluted in water or a tea made with fresh ginger is the ideal way to use this botanical for a cold or the flu.
The chopped or grated rhizome can also be used if juicing isn’t possible.
Try out this simple Ginger Juice Tea Adapted from Stephen Buhner’s Herbal Antivirals (2013).
Ingredients
1 large ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome
1½ cups water
1-3 tsp raw honey
⅛ tsp cayenne (Capsicum annuum) pepper
Squeeze of lime (optional)
Directions
• Select four thumb-sized pieces of ginger rhizome.
• Using a juicer, process the ginger and capture the juice — the goal is to get ¼ cup of juice.
• Save the fibrous ginger material.
• Bring water to a boil.
• To make the ginger tea, combine ¼ ginger juice with just-off-the boil water, then add the honey, lime, and cayenne. Stir thoroughly.
• Drink 4-6 cups per day during acute infection. Store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before making a fresh batch.
• If you don’t have a juicer, you can chop or grate the ginger finely and infuse in just-off-the-boil water for 2-4 hours, covered, and then proceed to add the rest of the ingredients. You can also use this method to prepare the fibrous ginger material left over from juicing.
How to drink:
For example, you might take echinacea tincture, elderberry syrup, or fresh ginger tea every hour at the onset of a cold or flu.
Enjoy!
Resources:
1. Herbal Academy
2. Body into Bakance
Comments