Sick? Drink this: The Immune System Super-Blaster

Have you heard about the latest Norovirus Superbug sweeping the nation?  I'm such an alarmist.  

Well, I'm hear for you.  

Drink this and never be sick again.  (Well, we can always hope, right?)

Adapted from Bon Appetit...Honey, Cayenne Pepper, Echinacea, Lemon, Fresh grated Ginger.  Oh yeah, you're excited aren't you?

Husband will now squeeze the lemon into the ginger.  Whoopee, this is fun!

Citrus goldmine.  Can't you just see the Vitamin C?

Squeeze two halves of the lemon right into the bowl

I was sick of hunting for liquid echinacea, so we have capsules which we dump into the bowl.

Now, for you pulp haters, you can blend the ginger with your blender or vitamix, or simply put your mixture into your cute mug. I quite liked the floating ginger.

A "pinch" of cayenne pepper, uh-huh.

A large dollop of honey, pooh-bear.

And a boiling 3/4 cup of water

Stir.  Drink.  Live.

Guess what else?  It actually tastes divine.  The ginger, citrus and cayenne come together for this tangy pazazz and the honey makes it sweet.  It clears the head and prepares the immune system's army for those nasty invaders.

Immune System Super Blast Drink:

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 lemon, squeezed

4 echinacea pills, emptied

1 pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon honey

1 1/2 cups boiling water

Makes 1 large mug or two small.

My kids keep getting colds, headaches, and have general malaise that miraculously goes away after the daddy school bus leaves the drive-way.  I, on the other hand, have not been sick once this winter.  I realize that by saying this I will get slammed very, very hard.  tomorrow.  However, I attribute this beautiful drink, running, and my sunny outlook on winter (that is a joke) to my good health.  Until tomorrow.  Then all bets are off.

Don't get sick.  Drink the drink.  

Interested in the immune system boosting properties?  Read on...and don't forget who loves you.  Me.

Echinacea is an herb. Several species of the echinacea plant are used to make medicine from its leaves, flower, and root.

Echinacea is widely used to fight infections, especially the common cold and other upper respiratory infections. Some people take echinacea at the first sign of a cold, hoping they will be able to keep the cold from developing. Other people take echinacea after cold symptoms have started, hoping they can make symptoms less severe. The people who use echinacea to treat symptoms have the right idea. Research to date shows that echinacea can help treat a cold, but it won’t prevent one.

Echinacea species are native to North America and were used as traditional herbal remedies by the Great Plains Indian tribes. -webmd

Cayenne pepper aids in breaking up and moving congested mucus. Once mucus begins to leave the body, generally relief from flu symptoms follows.

Lemon is a plant. The fruit, juice, and peel are used to make medicine.

Lemon is used to treat scurvy, a condition caused by not having enough vitamin C. Lemon is also used for the common cold and flu, H1N1 (swine) flu, ringing in the ears(tinnitus), Meniere's disease, and kidney stones.

Ginger tea may help shield you from a cold in the first place, so consider drinking it as a safeguard against sickness.

Honey In one study, children age 2 and older with upper respiratory tract infections were given up to 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) of honey at bedtime. The honey seemed to reduce nighttime coughing and improve sleep.

In fact, in the study, honey appeared to be as effective as a common cough suppressant ingredient, dextromethorphan, in typical over-the-counter doses. 

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