Gosh-darn it! I woke up this morning with a wee bit of a cold coming on. It’s rare that I get under the weather, but when I do, it’s usually because I’m burning the candle at both ends. An expression my dad loved to use when I was a youngster. Ironically, this seems to happen leading up to holidays. Between the excitement and cramming too many things in my schedule, my poor immune system has trouble keeping up.
When I’m feeling sickness coming on, I run to (nope, not the medicine cabinet) the fridge and my supplement cupboard! Foods have wonderful healing properties that help boost the immune system so that it can go to war with the unwelcome pathogenic trespassers that have invaded your body.
I thought I would share with you one of the potions I have in my remedy repertoire that I make when I’m feeling blue (or is it green?). I call it my Immune Boosting Super Powered Potion! Now you might be thinking that this sounds like some crazy witches brew that contains a whole bunch of ingredients that you have never heard of before. The exciting news is that this amazing potion is easy to make, contains common household ingredients, and it doesn’t taste awful. Furthermore, the best part is that it really works!
Let’s undress this fabulous bevie to see what the ingredients are and the benefits they provide.
1. GARLIC: I consider garlic to be my bug-fighting hero. Not only does it help to protect against and fight bacteria and viruses, but it also helps to fight yeasts and fungus!
2. GINGER: Ginger helps to show bugs the exit through its effects on helping to warm the body so the bugs can’t survive, and by promoting healthy sweating. You may have heard someone say to you when you were sick, that it is a good idea to “sweat it out”. This in fact is great advice, as sweating can help to detoxify. Additionally, some studies have shown that sweating can help create a germ-fighting agent called Dermicidin that helps to protect the skin from invading microorganisms.
3. HONEY: Not only does honey provide a delicious flavour to this powerful drink, but it also helps boost our immune system. Honey has an anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-microbial effect on the body. Additionally, it can help to sooth a cough and it helps to raise blood levels of anti-oxidant compounds. Tip: Make sure you buy raw unpasteurized honey. Honey doesn’t go bad and pasteurization kills off the helpful nutrients that give honey it’s good name.
4. CAYENNE: This red-tastic food helps to protect our epithelial tissues (this includes our lungs, urinary tract, intestinal tract, and nasal passage). When these parts of the body are protected, it is much harder for unwanted guests to invade. Additionally, cayenne helps to clear congestion from the lungs and nose. Say goodbye to being stuffed up and say hello to easy breathing.
5. LEMON: These little lemon superstars are great at balancing pH in the body. This is beneficial for our immunity because when our body is in balance, it is much more difficult for the unwanted critters to survive. They are also a great source of vitamin C, which is a powerful protector and warrior for our immune system.
Directions for Making the Immune Boosting Super Powered Potion:
Place the following ingredients into a small teakettle. Add 2 cups of boiling water. Stir and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain and drink.
2 small cloves or 1 large clove crushed garlic
4-5 slices fresh ginger root
1 tbsp raw honey
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
Note: It is recommended to buy high quality organic ingredients as this will help to reduce toxin exposure and increase the potency of the healthful constituents.
At this rate, those pesky little cold and flu bugs don’t stand a chance! This great drink can be taken regularly to prevent these pathogens from coming on board, and for those that snuck in unnoticed, this potion will help to deliver them their eviction notice. Three cheers for a healthy immune system and to kicking this cold in the derriere!
