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Immune Tea – a Simple Remedy to Prevent and Treat Colds and Flu

July 25, 2013 | Drinks & Smoothies

Immune supportive tea

There’s something soothing about a warm cup of tea when you’re feeling run down. But not any old tea will do. With people dropping left right and centre at the moment with colds, flu, and all manner of dreaded bugs, I thought I’d share this immune supportive tea recipe – a remedy I rely on to keep myself and my family well.

I also use this remedy to treat a respiratory infection. It really helps relieve symptoms and shorten the duration and severity of the infection. This immune tea is my take on the infamous hot lemon and honey drink my mum used to make me as a child, only packing much more of a medicinal punch.

Health benefits

  • The turmeric is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral. This, combined with the anti-inflammatory effects of ginger, means that both are wonderful for treating the congestion associated with respiratory infections.
  • Honey has been used for centuries to reduce inflammation, promote healing and reduce infection. But not all honey is created equal. Processed honey has no medicinal qualities. Real, raw honey possesses these properties, with some types of honey more potent than others. Manuka honey is a type of honey which is potently antibiotic and is receiving much attention in the medical community for its medicinal qualities. It or another raw medicinal honey would be your best choice here.
  • Lemon obviously donates a little hit of vitamin C. But it is the zest that impresses the most. Lemon zest is very nutrient dense, an amazing antioxidant and is very anti-bacterial too. It is also very good for stimulating digestion and breaking down mucous. Where ever a recipe calls for lemon juice, always incorporate the zest too.

So now for my immune tea…

Immune Tea

Prep 5 minutes
Total 5 minutes
Serves: 2
Immune supportive tea
ADD TO FAVORITESADDED TO FAVORITES
4.74 from 26 votes
My Immune Tea is a wonderful remedy for supporting the immune system when it is run down. Sip this tea to help you on the mend. 

Ingredients

  • 500 ml boiling hot water (2 cups)
  • 1 organic ginger tea bag (or a 1 cm slice of fresh ginger root, diced or grated)
  • ¼ tsp ground turmeric (or a 1 cm fresh piece of root, diced or grated)
  • 1 tbsp manuka or raw honey -more or less to taste
  • 1 lemon/s -juice and zest
Prevent your screen from going dark

Method

  • Pour the boiling water over the ginger, turmeric, and optional coconut oil.
  • Let it sit for a few minutes before adding the zest and juice.
  • Add the honey then simply sip yourself well.

Variations

Supercharge it

Simmering the ginger and turmeric root in the water for 5-10 minutes will make a more potent brew.

Boost it

Add a tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil to the tea.

Vegan

To make it vegan, replace the honey with maple syrup or rice malt syrup. 
 

Do you have any homemade remedies you swear by to prevent or treat colds and flu?  I'd love you to share by commenting below.

Course: Drinks

 

Share the goodness!

Category: Drinks & Smoothies Tags: coconutfree, cornfree, dairyfree, drink, eggfree, garlicfree, ginger, glutenfree, grainfree, immune, legumefree, lemon, lowfructose, lowsugar, nutfree, onionfree, seafoodfree, sesamefree, soyfree, tea, turmeric, vegan, vegetarian, wheatfree, yeastfree

Reader Interactions

40 Comments

Post a comment
  1. Libby says

    I often make this tea but have never added turmeric. Great idea! Does it taste better to steep the root instead of adding powder?

    June 9, 2014
    Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      Turmeric is quite a dry, bitter tasting herb. I grow and therefore use the fresh herb, but you wouldn’t add it for taste (only medicinal). x

      June 9, 2014
      Reply
  2. Katie says

    Georgia, do you ever use Bentonite Clay? I’ve been reading about it lately and how people take it internally to draw out toxins. Would it have the potential to get you over the flu quicker by any chance?

    July 15, 2015
    Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      Hi Katie, I’m very sorry, I have no experience with it. Sorry I cant help G x

      July 19, 2015
      Reply
  3. Gigi says

    Whenever we have cold or flu in our house, we have been drinking boiled ginger tea with milk and sugar. It soothes the throat and helps with the cough.

    April 14, 2016
    Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      Thanks Gigi – I also make a chai immune tea that is very soothing too G x

      April 14, 2016
      Reply
  4. Sharene says

    Honestly, make this everyone. I just did for myself and my adult daughter and we are so excited. It is just delicious.

    August 30, 2016
    Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      Thrilled you like it Sharene, thanks for your comment G x

      August 31, 2016
      Reply
  5. Steph Hawkins says

    4 stars
    Can you save it in the fridge?

    April 10, 2018
    Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      You certainly can but it is best made fresh in small batches (to preserve the vitamin C from the lemon juice). G x

      April 10, 2018
      Reply
  6. Carol says

    5 stars
    Hi Georgia, so happy I found your blog! Love this tea but I have a question about turmeric. I’ve read some cayenne pepper helps it to work more effectively but I tried putting in literally 2 minuscule granules and my daughter was onto it! So, with pepper, is it still effective? Thank you

    May 18, 2018
    Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      Hi Carol. Research suggests the active ingredient in Turmeric, Curcumin, is best absorbed with Black pepper and fat. So both a fat and/ or a grind of black pepper is recommended (my kids tolerate the taste of coconut oil best). Great question and thanks for the star rating too G x

      May 18, 2018
      Reply
  7. Penny says

    5 stars
    I make this whenever I feel a cold coming on. It’s such a yummy drink! I’ll be adding black pepper next time as per the above comment!!

    May 28, 2018
    Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      Perfect – it’s a great home made medicinal drink. Glad you enjoy it G x

      May 29, 2018
      Reply
  8. Janet says

    5 stars
    Being in the middle stages of a cough and cold I was very interested to read your article re. immune boosting recipes and immediately went off to make your immune boosting tea. I usually just seep some ginger and lemon in a cup with a spoonful of honey – but your recipe is so much tastier (and more nourishing). I would never have thought of putting coconut oil into tea, but it works beautifully! I am going to make the lemon jellies next, as they sound delicious and easy to make. Thank you Georgia for all your great articles and recipes.

    June 2, 2018
    Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      You’re welcome Janet – so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your feedback and for rating the recipe too G x

      June 7, 2018
      Reply
  9. Taratara says

    5 stars
    So good ! Like a natural lemsip:)

    June 8, 2018
    Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      Love it ‘natural lemsip’ – glad you enjoyed it Tara and thanks for rating the recipe G x

      June 8, 2018
      Reply
  10. diana mcginn says

    I’ve added apple cider vinegar( must have the ‘mother’) to ginger, lemon & honey. I’d go for gold & put in 2 tablespoons in the initial stages it really zaps it! on another note…….if you can tolerate eating raw garlic? just smash up a whole clove onto bread & butter or toast. excellent for sore throats!

    June 20, 2018
    Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      Great tips, thanks Diana G x

      June 25, 2018
      Reply
  11. Sarah says

    5 stars
    We normally make warm lemon and honey plus or minus ginger. I was surprised at how nice it tasted with the tumeric-quite yummy! My 20month old twins have coughs and runny noses and I’ve been at a loss of what I can feed them (that they’ll actually eat) to support their recovery. Nourishing liquids seem to be the key! I made this tea full strength but diluted it by half with water for them. They also enjoyed drinking diluted miso.

    March 20, 2019
    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Also, The turmeric when diluted becomes almost fluorescent yellow which is fun for kids!

      March 20, 2019
      Reply
      • sarah says

        And I almost forgot. My dad used to make us grated apple, cinnamon, crushed garlic and honey (if we were lucky) all mixed up together as a potent remedy.

        March 20, 2019
        Reply
        • Georgia Harding says

          Oh yum, a fabulous combo, thanks for sharing it. Nourishing traditions are the best G x

          March 20, 2019
          Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      Hi Sarah, this is a good post with ideas for feeding sick kids. Glad they enjoyed the tea and thanks for rating the recipe too, Georgia x https://wellnourished.com.au/feeding-sick-kids/

      March 20, 2019
      Reply
  12. Conrad Howard says

    Great stuff, Georgia. For proper flu, I always add a finely chopped clove of garlic per cup. The garlic helps to bring on the sweats, to get rid of the fever. It actually tastes pretty good – a bit like hot and sour soup and is extremely effective.

    May 29, 2019
    Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      Yes, perfect Conrad, brilliant suggestion ?

      June 3, 2019
      Reply
  13. Ania says

    5 stars
    When I was little and had a sore throat my mum would give me a cup of milk with honey and butter and a hot tea with lots of lemon and honey to sip through the day. Not sure if it worked because of the ingredients helping the immune system or was it jus a placebo effect but it was delicious.

    June 6, 2019
    Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      I love it, traditional recipes are the best! In Ayurvedic medicine, a good quality milk is really healing remedy. Thanks for sharing Ania, Georgia x

      June 12, 2019
      Reply
  14. Hollee says

    5 stars
    This tea is amazing Georgia, really picks you up when you are feeling run down.

    June 12, 2019
    Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      So glad you love it too Hollee, cheers for the 5 ?s! G x

      June 17, 2019
      Reply
  15. Samantha says

    5 stars
    I love that this is a little science experiment and that when you add the lemon the turmeric becomes fluorescent yellow!!

    April 17, 2021
    Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      I love that too Samantha, thanks for highlighting that (excuse the pun ?) G x

      April 19, 2021
      Reply
  16. Kylie Blascetta says

    5 stars
    I love this simple tea for sipping on when the weather starts to cool down and the family all gets a little run down! I have another recipe that I’ve used for years, which has a lot more ingredients but also works a treat. It has the same base ingredients – honey, lemon, ginger, turmeric; but also grated apple, cinnamon, cloves, fenugreek seeds, vanilla extract and a pinch of cayenne powder. The spices really warm up the body as you drink it, and I believe they have some medicinal value? I love the addition of the coconut oil in your recipe too. Thank you!

    June 2, 2021
    Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      Fabulous share, thanks Kylie. All of these herbs and spices are very medicinal, so good for us G x

      June 4, 2021
      Reply
  17. Ches Villanueva says

    5 stars
    Loved this tea. I could taste the goodness!

    July 19, 2021
    Reply
    • Georgia Harding says

      So pleased it helps G x

      July 23, 2021
      Reply
  18. Elyse Richards says

    5 stars
    Bigelow’s makes a great Lemon Ginger tea, so I make it with the 1/4ish teaspoon of turmeric, add honey to taste, and YUM!! Almost like a good cup of apple cider 🙂 BTW: Cayenne pepper works great with turmeric, also adds to the immune-boosting qualities. Will definitely sweat out a cold FAST!

    October 28, 2021
    Reply
    • Well Nourished Team says

      Sounds delish! 🙂

      October 29, 2021
      Reply
  19. Chandel says

    I boil chopped ginger, lemon juice with pulp and tumeric for 10 minutes. Then keep this concentrate in the fridge ready to make a nice soothing hot drink anytime.
    You can add honey to your hot drink 🙂

    June 6, 2022
    Reply

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