There’s nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night, only to discover your throat is itchy and sore. Every time you swallow, it’s as if a piece of sandpaper is lodged in your esophagus — ugh, no thanks. Although you may be tempted to reach for some throat lozenges, give this health-boosting tea a go instead.
Don’t mask your symptoms, treat them
Have you ever looked on the back of a throat lozenges package — what the heck are they made of anyway? Although there are some natural options available that focus on herbal ingredients, the majority of throat lozenges you purchase over-the-counter contain medication.
Related: 10 Natural Remedies To Soothe A Sore Throat
Most commonly, individuals experience numbness in their mouth and throat, however, in other cases, severe allergic reactions occur. Depending on the ingredients, throat/cough drops can actually influence your heart rate. If you pop these drops like they’re candy, they may actually do more harm than good.
More importantly, since these little medicine drops only mask the pain and irritation, it’s best to go to the source — the cause of your sore throat. You want to treat your throat and health, not numb the pain. More often than not, a sore throat is brought on by a virus and is generally accompanied by other cold or flu-related symptoms.
When you’re ill, your body is craving nutrients and water in order to boost overall immunity. The human body can only do so much on its own, so you need to work as a team — providing your body with what it needs. Herbal teas help stave off all kinds of illnesses, allowing you to heal more rapidly.
Within this recipe, raw honey soothes the throat, while ginger, lemon and water help maximize your body’s natural defense system. You’ll also notice a small afterthought — lemon peel zest and salt. It’s been found that the peel of lemons are highly potent in terms of nutritional benefits and optimal health.
In fact, the peel contains up to 10 more vitamins than the lemon’s juice. From vitamin C and A to beta-carotene and folate, the regular consumption of lemon zest will also reduce your risk of cancer. Natural sea salt can actually “suck” moisture out of swollen tissue, reducing inflammation. It also reduces bacteria growth and offers the body essential minerals.
So skip questionable throat lozenges and head directly to your kettle — time to get boiling, chopping and zesting.
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Soothing Tea
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| Prep Time: |
| 5minutes |
| Cook Time: |
| nocooking |
| Total time: |
- 1cup boiling water
- 1 thumb-size piece of ginger, sliced
- 1/2 lemon (zest the peel before slicing into small pieces)
- 1.5tsp raw organic honey
- Pinch of sea salt
- This recipe could not be simpler. Add lemon and ginger pieces to a mug before filling with boiling water.
- Cover with a small saucer and allow to steep for 10 minutes.
- Add honey and salt, then stir.
- Sprinkle with lemon peel zest — enjoy!
— Krista Hillis