There are many superfood elixirs & herbal remedies out there like Sambucol and echinacea -- and they are great! But I love the idea that powerful remedies can also be made from the ingredients in our pantry - at no extra cost. And guess what? We all have one of the most powerful herbal remedies against the common cold sitting right in our spice cupboard:
OREGANO
Did you know that oregano:
- attacks harmful organisms that lead to infection;
- is rich in magnesium, zinc and vitamins C and E -- all awesome cold-fighting nutrients!
- helps digestion by stimulating the flow of bile from your liver (which is great for detoxing!)
So when your friends, family and co-workers are falling like flies all around you, bulletproof yourself with this immune-boosting tea:
- juice of 2 lemons
- 2-3 fresh oregano leaves
- a 3 cm knob of fresh ginger (peeled & sliced)
- 2 tbspn raw honey
Fresh ginger root is always used in traditional Chinese medicine to fight colds for its warming properties. And lemon is full of vitamin C and acts as a tonic for our liver.
Stick all the ingredients in a blender and whiz. Now you have 2 choices:
- Use it a cough syrup for you and your children.
- Use it as a base for your bulletproof tea and add hot water.
To use as a base for tea, just pour in a teapot or thermos and fill it with freshly boiled water.
Don't have fresh oregano leaves? No worries! Put 2 tspns of dried oregano into a pot, together with the sliced ginger and add about 850ml water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Then strain and add the lemon juice and honey and mix.
Affordable & virus-fighting oregano cough syrup & tea!
Next on Thrive: We're going to tackle the horrible Hong Kong cough -- and I'm going to be saying the F-word a lot...
Thrive Nutrition Practice launches in Spring 2016.