I try my best to take care of myself and as a result, I only get sick about once every 5-6 years. As of this week, it looks like we are at the 5 year mark. First I felt fine, but I had lost my voice. Then my voice started to come back, but I started to feel really run down. Then BAM! I was hit with a reminder that I am not a superhero. In effort to mend, I pulled out all the stops: rest, essential oils, steam, tinctures, teas and Die Hard movies 1 + 2. While it was likely my bundled treatments that woke me from the dead, I attribute a lot of healing to a ginger lemon honey tonic that I make. I’d say it could solve the world’s problems, but 2016 has revealed more than even this tonic can take on. Still, I have faith it can tackle or prevent a common cold with ease.
Cold Curing Tonic
- Ginger root (you'll need a garlic press for this step)
- Local honey (raw if possible)
- 1/4-1/2 of a lemon
- Hot water (option: room temp coconut water)
- Begin by peeling ginger using a spoon, a helpful tip in and of itself. Use one piece that will fit your garlic press (usually around 3/4 inch). If you want to go the spicier route, use 2 pieces. Press the ginger into a mug.
- Using 1/4 lemon, add juice to mug. Fill with hot water, then add 1 tsp of honey. Note: The honey is added last and at a temperature it won't cook. Since we don't really what plants were used when the bees collected their nectar, we don't want to cook what might be an incompatible combination. After adding the honey, stir, drink and feel your lungs clear and worries melt away!
This can also be made as a “shot” instead of a drink. If you’re going the route of a shot, you’ll use room temp water or coconut water (about 1-2 ounces), the maximum amount of ginger and the minimum amount of lemon juice. I recommend still making this in a mug so that you can easily stir and change proportions if needed. Then you can add to a shot glass or consume one gulp at a time.
I hope I'm not jinxing myself by sharing that I haven't had a need to take a prescription medication in 23 years! When I was 15, I had mononucleosis and was wiped. I had a majorly enlarged spleen and my tonsils were so swollen that swallowing my own saliva was a task. I'd prefer to always use the herbal, non-pharmaceutical way out of illness, but sometimes there's a need—like when you can't swallow your own saliva!