It’s that time of year again when coughs and colds flourish. The days are still warm and balmy, but the night time temperatures are starting to drop. I haven’t seen any leaves start to change colour yet, but this morning, I did notice a bit of fluff on the donkey, which is the first small sign of her winter coat.
The sniffles have already found their way into our home. Having two children with an autoimmune disease means that they are much more susceptible to picking up every little cough and cold that goes around, so it’s essential to have a good home remedy to dose them up on at the first sign of a runny nose.
This quick and easy tea would hands down have to be my family’s favourite home remedy. My kids even make it when they’re not sick because they like it so much! Full of warming spices to chase a cold away, and beautiful honey to soothe a raspy cough, it’s made from simple ingredients that you can usually find in your fridge and pantry and don’t need to do a special trip to the shops for.
I make up a pot of this in the morning and then top it up with fresh boiling water a couple of times as the level in the pot drops. My kids love it and often ask for it at the first sign of a sniffle as it does a wonderful job of fighting off the early signs of a cold. Not to mention how delicious it is!
In winter, when the fire is going, I sit the teapot on top of the fireplace which keeps it lovely and warm, and fills the house with the beautiful aroma of citrus and spices.
So here’s to a lovely cup of tea…
Tea for Coughs & Colds
Ingredients
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 1 Star anise
- 2 Cloves
- 3 slices ginger, fresh
- 3 slices turmeric, fresh
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 lemon cut into quarters
Instructions
- Squeeze the lemon into a 1 litre tea pot and add the lemon pieces after you have juiced them.
- Add the remaining ingredients and top up with 1 litre of boiling water.
- Allow to steep for 4-5 minutes.
- Strain into a cup and enjoy.
