It seems I get more scratchy throats in fall than any other time of year. Maybe it’s the seasonal weather changes, but it is no fun when it hurts to swallow. I think I’ve tried just about every natural remedy (okay, maybe not munching raw garlic), and honey tops my list of natural soothers.
A Honey Spice Tea for Sore Throats
Seriously, what isn’t tea good for? In addition to making your throat feel instantly better, tea can speed up your recovery and tame that annoying cough. You can customize your own throat tea with all kinds of feel-better ingredients, like ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon. Let’s take a look at each of the healing components of this yummy tea.
Sore Throat Tea Ingredients
Sore Throat Tea IngredientsGinger is anti-inflammatory and contains natural antihistamines.
Chinese medicine has long used cinnamon as a natural remedy for coughs. One of the properties of this natural remedy is to dilate the blood vessels. That helps to bring the body’s natural killer cells in to fight infection. It is also known to have potent anti-inflammatory effects, which can ease throat pain.
Turmeric is a powerful antioxidant spice that helps reduce inflammation and fight infection.
Salt works by drawing excess fluid from the tissues, and that shrinks some of the swelling that comes from inflammation. That’s why a plain old saltwater gargle can sometimes alleviate some of the discomfort from irritated throats. Just make sure the water you use is warm to get the strongest action from this remedy.
Lemon is a natural astringent that also helps reduce swelling, and it provides a natural dose of vitamin C.
Honey is a classic cough and sore throat remedy. This tasty tea addition reduces pain and promotes the healing of those tender, irritated mucous membranes.
Soothing Honey Spice Throat Tea
Ingredients
- 1 cup hot water
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1-2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except honey to your favorite comforting mug.
- Pour water that's just short of boiling over ingredients. You can also use warmed non-dairy milk if you prefer.
- Stir thoroughly to dissolve ingredients.
- Add in honey to taste and stir again. Keep stirring as you drink because the cinnamon and ginger tend to settle at the bottom.
Photos by Susan Hudson
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I loved it. Made it right now as my husband had sore throat and thiught of trying. It is not just calming for the throat but the mind. Thank you for this.