Fresh Ginger & Lemon Tea

I have been drinking fresh (organic Meyer) lemon juice in water, daily for many years, and more often when I feel a cold coming I treat myself to a homemade hot and healthy lemon and ginger tea. Here is my simple recipe for fresh homemade lemon and ginger tea. As I sit here taking in the fragrance and enjoying the tasty tea I hope this article encourages you to take an extra minute to make your own, as it is so easy.

Hot Ginger & Lemon Tea

Ingredients:

• One cup water (filtered)
• Fresh squeezed juice from half a lemon (add grated zest or slices of organic lemon as well if you wish)
• 1 (heaped) teaspoon grated fresh ginger (should be juicy and crunch when grated)
• 1 teaspoon unpasteurized honey or to taste (optional) or a small amount Stevia

Directions for Lemon Tea:

1. Grate ginger (about a square inch) and place in glass mug
2. Add fresh lemon juice
3. Then add boiling hot water or,
4. … add cold water, and microwave for one and a half minutes
5. For either 3 or 4 – let steep 3 minutes
6. Scoop out grated ginger, add a slice of lemon

There you have it – so satisfyingly simple.  Hot lemon and honey is also a good combination by itself but if you feel out of sorts or have an upset tummy adding the ginger will help. Lemon tea the way it should be – sweet and natural.

Notes

• Making your own lemon drink, without the chemicals, is really better for you than a store-bought packet
• If you prefer make a larger batch and let it cool in the refrigerator for a refreshing iced lemon/ginger drink
• An extremely simple and enjoyable beverage for company is a simple soda with the juice of half a lemon and a slice of lemon and mint for decoration – also a great thirst quencher on a hot summers day
• A healthy and refreshing start or finish to your day is a glass of warm water with fresh juice from half a lemon
• Before juicing or peeling your lemon, wash thoroughly as even organic lemons may be sprayed with bee’s wax, carnauba or coated with a resin or wax  – the rind can be kept to make refreshing, old-fashioned lemon rind tea
• Freeze your lemon juice in ice-cube trays, or even whole, for convenient use later
• Left over lemons have a use beside the compost – my mum rarely wasted any food and when her hands were rough from gardening she would save the left over lemon halves and rub her hands for a minute and this would soften and refresh her hands
• Benefits of a “lemon a day” include remedies for coughs, colds and sore throats;  relieving sunburn to being used as a hair rinse as well as relieving an upset stomach and dizziness.

“Find out what the facts are, and make your own decisions about how to live a happy life and how to work for a better world”

The last sentence in his book “How to Live Long and Feel Better” by Nobel winning scientist and author, Dr. Linus Pauling (1901 – 1994)

Links

• Health benefits of lemon which has 64% of your daily requirement of Vitamin C
• Absolutely nothing can compare with a freshly picked lemon from your own tree – try growing a lemon tree in a container
• Meyer lemons
• Ginger – the plant or root
• Good for what ails you –  ginger – Maryland Medical Center
• Just check out all the vitamins and minerals packed into this small fruit
• Lemons contain Vitamin C, an antioxidant which fights free radicals and boost your immune system
• High dose Vitamin C still a controversial topic for the treatment of cancer
• Lemons are a source of both antioxidants and flavonoids
• Studies on lemon oil extract and its use in cosmetic dermatology

Nutritional value of One Lemon (medium)

• Calories 15
• Carbs 5 grams
• Fiber 2 grams
• Potassium 75 mg
• Vitamin C 40% of US Daily value
• Calcium 3% of US Daily value
• No fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, protein, Vitamin A or Iron and definitely “gluten-free”!