Drink Your Cough Away

Another cough... well here is a simple tea to help you sip it away.

It's basically a warm, spicy lemonade...

This tea is high in Vitamin C (lemon), as well as anti-inflammatory (ginger); making it a perfect combo for cold season!

In TCM, pears are said to nourish and moisten the Lungs - ideal for those pesky dry coughs and sore throats (asian pears are best if you can find them). The honey balances the ginger's spiciness, and if it is local, it will have bonus immune-supporting properties. This is a tea you can make in large batches and sip as a background drink during the day.

Here is a quick and easy recipe:

What You'll Need: 1 Pear, 1 Lemon, 3-4 pieces of Ginger Root (sliced into 1" pieces), Honey to taste, (the more local, the better)

What You'll Do: Combine the sliced lemon, ginger root, and pear into a small pot. Add 4 cups of water (6 cups for a more diluted flavour). Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Serve and add honey to taste! Allow it to cool as needed & enjoy!

Note: This tea is meant to have a strong flavour, but if you want something more mild, reduce the ginger. If you have signs of internal "heat" aka prone to anger/irritability, yellow phlegm, fever, excess sweating, or hot flashes - ditch the ginger.

Note 2: You can also consume the pears after steeping with added honey. If this case, be sure to peel and slice pears before cooking. I tend to let it simmer longer until pears are softened. Remove pears from tea, dice, drizzle with some honey and enjoy!