"Quaran-Tea" Healthy Ginger Tea Recipe: How to Make Lemon, Ginger & Mint Leaf Tea to Help Boost Your Immune System by Elisa Schmitz
Putting healthy, immune system-boosting ingredients into your body is important for your immune system every day. But now, during the coronavirus pandemic, we need our bodies to be healthier than ever before to prevent and fight off illness. My "Quaran-Tea," named after the COVID-19 quarantine, is a great way to do just that.
I started drinking a fresh cut lemon, ginger and mint leaf tea a few years ago. Prior to the pandemic, I was an avid world traveler who experienced frequent jet lag. According to the Mayo Clinic, jet lag disorder is a temporary sleep problem that can affect anyone who quickly travels across multiple time zones: "Jet lag occurs because your body's clock is still synced to your original time zone, instead of to the time zone where you've traveled. The more time zones crossed, the more likely you are to experience jet lag."
Jet lag can cause all kinds of unpleasant symptoms, including daytime fatigue, moodiness, difficulty staying alert, gastrointestinal problems, headaches and just a feeling of being unwell. The good news is that jet lag is temporary; it usually takes about a day to recover for each time zone crossed.
So what did I do to minimize jet lag and recover more quickly? After a flight to Germany, I discovered what I called the "German Jet Lag Cure" (though now it has become my pandemic "Quaran-Tea"). I shared how I was feeling with the wait staff at our hotel in Dusseldorf, and they brought me a steaming mug of fresh cut lemon, ginger and mint leaf tea with organic honey that they swear helps with jet lag (and a variety of other maladies). Here's why:
- Ginger is an anti-inflammatory that is known to help soothe nausea and boost the immune system.
- Mint may help with stomach issues and also may help reduce inflammation.
- Fresh lemon is an antioxidant that may help with energy levels, mood and metabolism.
- Honey has flavonoids (antioxidants) and has been known to soothe sickness and boost immunity.
After drinking this tea in Germany, I felt so much better! It became my go-to drink not only for jet lag, but for anytime I was feeling unwell. And now, during the coronavirus pandemic, I make a pot of it literally every day to help keep my immune system healthy.
Here's what you'll need:
- 1 fresh lemon
- 1 fresh ginger root
- fresh mint leaves
- organic honey (or whatever honey you prefer)
Here's how you make it:
- Fill a small cooking pot with water.
- Wash the lemon and slice two or three rounds, cutting them in half and removing any seeds. Put the lemon slices into the pot of water.
- Wash and peel a 2-inch section of fresh cut ginger root and slice it into small segments. Add the ginger slices to the pot of water.
- Wash 10-15 fresh mint leaves, depending on how big they are and how strong you want the mint flavor. Add the mint leaves to the pot of water.
- Bring the pot of water with the ingredients in it to a boil. Boil for about two minutes and then remove the pot from heat.
Let your tea steep about five minutes (the longer you steep it, the stronger it gets). Pour tea into a mug and add 1 teaspoon of honey (or to taste).
You can keep adding water to the pot and let it steep throughout the day. I generally make at least six cups of tea from my small pot before I toss the used ingredients each night. However, I gave a batch of this tea to my parents in a mason jar, and they kept the ingredients in the jar, refrigerated, and reused them for several days before they felt it was time to toss the ingredients and start a new batch. Experiment and see what works for you!
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