Respiratory Immunity Tea
A great tea for a stubborn sore throat, or when you want to power up your respiratory system.
This post comes from our friend Abbye Churchill — artist, herbalist and co-author of A Wilder Life.
By this time in winter, continuing to be stuck indoors can seem like a cruel joke. The dry air circulating makes throats sore and any lingering germs all the more likely to get the upper hand. This tea is great to use when a sore throat starts to kick in, or when you want to power up your respiratory system.
The potent herbs in this tea are packed with lung and throat-supporting goodness. Peppermint contains menthol –– a super-charged decongestant and antihistamine –– to calm the respiratory track. Slippery elm root has been used as an herbal remedy for sore throats and coughs for centuries while licorice root is a known expectorant and soothing agent. Lemon Myrtle is a go-to herbalist remedy for reducing headaches, colds and sore throats –– as well as adding the bright and sweet lemon-lime flavor.
This recipe adds fresh ginger, lemon and miraculous manuka honey into the brew to super-charge the healing properties of the tea. Manuka honey is made from blooms of the manuka flower in New Zealand –– which only bloom for around six-weeks in January. This prized honey (Wedderspoon Raw Manuka KFactor 16 is a favorite) has over four times the nutritional value of regular honey and is packed with enzymes and nutrients to help boost the immune system and ward off illness. Drink to your health!
To make one teapot of tea or two cups:
1 tsp peppermint leaves
1 tsp lemon myrtle leaves
1 tsp slippery elm root
1 tsp licorice root
3 slices of fresh ginger
1 slice of lemon
Manuka honey to taste
Combine herbs and cut ginger into your teapot. Slice your lemon and place it in your mug. Pour boiling water over your herbs and let them steep for 5-7 minutes. Pour the tea into your mug and add more honey to taste. Sip slowly and enjoy!
Photography by Erika Dufour.