Treat Christmas headaches with ginger tea

Mrs. Claus serves a soothing cup of tea.

Santa felt poorly. He was dead tired after his epic night’s ride around the world. Too many chimneys to climb. Too many sherries to gulp down. He sneezed into his cottony white hanky and sighed.

Mrs. Claus settled him by the fire and helped him get his dusty leather boots off his aching feet. By and by, she brought him a steaming-hot pot of tea and a warm cup. “Something to bring you around,” she said with a smile and gave him a gentle hug.

But as you can imagine it wasn’t a pot of English breakfast tea. Oh no. It had honey and lemon and ginger, oh my!

Ginger is the root of a tropical plant.

 

Santa took a long drink and magically began to relax. It was the ginger, of course.

• Ginger reduces pain and inflammation – Many studies show that ginger keeps inflammatory compounds at bay. It eases muscle pain, as well as back pain, menstrual pain, and migraines.
• Ginger relieves nausea and indigestion – Ginger has been used for thousands of years for tummy upsets, with effectiveness rivaling that of antacids and antihistamines.
• Ginger relieves cold and flu symptoms – It acts as an antihistamine, as well as a decongestant. When treating a cough or cold with ginger, just combine  it with tamarind leaves and brew it in hot water, crush and mix it with honey.

Heart-warming pot of ginger tea*

Ginger tea for all that ails you

• 1 cup peeled, finely chopped ginger
• 2 cups purified water
• raw honey to taste
• hot water or sparkling water, depending on whether you want a hot or cold drink
• 1 lemon, juiced
• lemon wedges for garnish

1 Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add ginger. Reduce heat to medium low and let ginger sit in the simmering water for 5 minutes

2. Remove it from heat and strain it out through a kitchen strainer.

3. To serve, combine 1 part ginger syrup to 3 parts sparkling water and serve over ice. Or use 3 parts boiling water for a hot mug of reviving tea.

4. Sweeten to taste with raw honey (or raw stevia) and juice it up with a little lemon. Enjoy!

So good, it’s what I drink instead of a glass of red wine before dinner.

Ginger tea relaxes you to the core.*

*My photos, Gardiner Museum, Toronto