ginger turmeric immuni-tea
With winter right around the corner, it’s time to introduce a tasty new beverage to help keep you strong through the cooler months. I have been making this for friends and family for years now and even people who claim to not like turmeric have enjoyed it and noticed improvements in joint stiffness and inflammation! I figured with the weather getting colder and people more prone to colds, stiff and achy joints, and general inflammation it would be a good time to give it an official place on the blog. Side note - if you are reading this in a warmer month, it does taste great iced as well!
It contains a few key ingredients: cayenne, ginger, and turmeric/black pepper. Yes, yes, there are many pre-made beverages like this on the market these days BUT many contain added gums/fillers/sugars, don’t include black pepper (which is necessary for turmeric to be properly absorbed), and honestly just don’t taste great! This, in my opinion, is a very pleasant “sippable” turmeric ginger tea that you can enjoy at home for a fraction of the cost.
Why is this tea beneficial?
Cayenne
Cayenne is known for having anti-cold and digestive boosting properties. It can stimulate the digestive tract and helps the body metabolize foods faster. Cayenne also stimulates circulation, which helps us with the detox process. By keeping our bodies detox pathways open, we are able to flush out any unwanted bugs that can increase our toxic load and make us more susceptible to illness.
Turmeric
Turmeric contains the compound curcumin, which is nature’s gift to us when it comes to inflammation. An often unknown fact is that turmeric is derived from a plant related to ginger! In addition to curcumin, it also contains 30+ anti-inflammatory compounds, making it highly effective. In addition to promoting a healthy immune system + inflammatory response, turmeric helps maintain cardiovascular, heart, and liver health along with supporting the lymph! As you can see, this tea is big on helping keep all your systems open and moving.
Black pepper
Black pepper is a crucial addition to the tea and it’s important to look for in any turmeric supplement/food/drink you purchase. It help boost the bio-availability and absorption of the turmeric by raising the curcumin levels by over 1000 times (!!). In supplements you can sometimes find it listed under other names like “bio-perine” — Speaking of, this is one of my favorite supplement lines and if I’m out of spices, I will open up their turmeric + cinnamon capsules and use those instead!
Ginger
Just like turmeric, ginger contains sesquiterpenes, which specifically target upper respiratory viruses. It helps with detoxification and digestion along with having amazing antibiotic properties. Along with turmeric, it is also an anti-inflammatory and immune booster. Ginger is also helpful when dealing with histamine responses so it’s a great addition to help fight allergies/ sinus issues.
GInger turmeric immuni-tea recipe
Time: 15 minutes
Serving: 1
Ingredients
8 ounces hot water
Juice of ½ lemon
1 ½ inch piece of peeled fresh ginger, cut into smaller chunks
1 tablespoon of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon organic turmeric powder or 1 inch of fresh turmeric root
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Pinch of organic ground cayenne pepper
Honey (to taste)
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a pot on the stove and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Top with a drizzle of honey, stir, and enjoy! You can easily keep adding water, lemon, ACV and spices to the mixture as well until the flavors begin the dull. If you want to make a whole pot, simply adjust the ingredients for how many cups of tea your pot yields - although I would not double the ACV or cayenne as it could become too intense after steeping.
Holiday (or not!) tip
Throw in a pinch or a stick of cinnamon while simmering for a festive addition that will pack in even more inflammation reduction!