Tea Tonics for Cold Season

Stuffy noses and scratchy throats call for a nurturing tea tonic to soothe the symptoms.

My stuffy nose and scratchy throat is telling me it’s cold season, which means putting into action a series of healing habits passed down to me by my mother.

I’ve never used pharmaceutical cold medication, instead I’ve opted for natural or eco-friendly remedies for my reparation. If I catch the cold early enough an old trick called the ‘cold sock treatment’ usually nips it, where you soak 100% organic cotton socks with cold water, put them on, and cover them up with dry 100% wool socks then spend the night asleep in them. The process speeds up your circulation, hyper-activating your immune system—and if you’re lucky—enables you to skip the cold all together.

If it’s developed enough to try to knock me down, I opt for Tiger Balm instead of Vicks VapoRub and a (zero waste) vintage handkerchief instead of Kleenex to keep my cold’s environmental impact leveled out. Then, of course, I fill up on liquids, and plenty of them, relying for me on two tea-based cold remedies, one which righteously replaces cough syrup, and another which delightfully decongests.

If you have a favorite tea tonic for cold season, please share your recipe in the comments!

TEA TONIC DECONGESTANT

Photos by Shane Woodward.

INGREDIENTS

1 serving of Numi’s Ginger Pu-erh Tea
1 tbsp fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed or finely chopped
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of black pepper
1 wedge of lemon (juice)
1 tsp of pure honey (or agave syrup if you’re vegan, but doesn’t quite work the same)

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil some water
2. Place the Numi’s Ginger Pu-erh Tea, chopped ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, black pepper, lemon juice and honey in your mug
3. Pour the boiling water over the mixture, let it steep and enjoy!

TEA TONIC COUGH SYRUP

INGREDIENTS

1 Numi’s Breakfast Blend
1 Teaspoon of Honey or Agave Syrup
1 Shot of Whiskey, Rum, Scotch, or Brandy
1 Wedge of Lemon (juice)
Cinnamon, Nutmeg and cloves to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil some water
2. Place your Numi’s Breakfast Blend Tea, honey, whiskey, lemon in a mug or heat proof glass.
3. Pour the hot water in and stir until the honey melts

Tea Tonics for Cold Season

 

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Author: Holly Rose

Recipe type: Beverage

Ingredients

• TEA TONIC DECONGESTANT:
• 1 serving of Numi’s Ginger Pu-erh Tea
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1 wedge of lemon (juice)
• 1 tsp of pure honey (or agave syrup if you’re vegan, but doesn’t quite work the same)
• --------------------------------
• TEA TONIC COUGH SYRUP:
• 1 Numi’s Breakfast Blend
• 1 Teaspoon of Honey or Agave Syrup
• 1 Shot of Whiskey, Rum, Scotch, or Brandy
• 1 Wedge of Lemon (juice)
• Cinnamon, Nutmeg and cloves to taste

Instructions

1. TEA TONIC DECONGESTANT: Boil some water. Place the Numi’s Ginger Pu-erh Tea, chopped ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, black pepper, lemon juice and honey in your mug. Pour the boiling water over the mixture, let it steep and enjoy!
2. TEA TONIC COUGH SYRUP: Boil some water. Place your Numi’s Breakfast Blend Tea, honey, whiskey, lemon in a mug or heat proof glass. Pour the hot water in and stir until the honey melts.

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