Immune Boosting DIY Tea Blend
BLECH!!!! That's how I feel about most immune boosting teas. :) Okay, I'm over-reacting a bit but you can't say the taste is super delicious. And while I am all for taking nasty things to kick a cold or flu, I would prefer it to be a little tasty! After many years of drinking plain echinacea tea, or whatever other herbal remedy I could get my hands on I have created a tea that is not only super duper healthy, but delicious as well. To tell you the truth, I find it so yummy that I drink it even when I'm not sick.
Immune Boost Tea
Ingredients
3 parts dried echinacea root
2 parts dried elderflowers
2 parts dried eleuthero root
1 part dried rose hips
2 parts dried orange peel
2 parts dried ginger root (not powdered)
1 part dried cloves (whole)
2 parts dried cinnamon sticks (crushed with a mortar and pestle)
1 part stevia leaf
Directions
Crush the cinnamon sticks with a mortar and pestle to make small "chips". Do the same with your ginger root, unless you bought it already cut. Mix all the herbs together. With your hands. Cuz it's fun. And it smells yummy. :) Store in a glass airtight container out of the sun.
For a small batch:
Your "part" could be one teaspoon. In that case you would use 3 teaspoons echinacea root, 2 teaspoons elderflowers and so on.
For a large batch:
Your "part" could be 1/2 cup. So you would use 1 1/2 cups of echinacea root, 1 cup of elderflowers and so on.
How to make a delicious cup of tea
For every 6-8 oz of water you will use 1 heaping teaspoon of tea mix. If you want it more potent you can use 1 tablespoon. (To really kick it!) Pour boiling water over your tea (or into a tea ball, tea strainer, etc.) and allow it to steep for 10 minutes. For optimal results cover your mug with a plate to keep the heat and nutrients from wafting away. Drink several times during the day to help heal your body before, during and after a cold or flu.
Additional Information
It has been a popular belief that taking echinacea for longer than 7-10 days results in an "immunity" to the herb. This was a misinterpreted piece of information from the Germans. Echinacea has been used successfully for up to 9 months. (That's just how long the test lasted, I believe!) I would suggest listening to your body and see how it responds to the echinacea.
Use caution when using echinacea if you have an auto-immune disease. Some people respond favorably to it, while others do not.
Echinacea angustifolia versus E. purpurea: Some people prefer one or the other. My personal opinion is that as long as you can feel that "tingly" sensation on your tongue after tasting the herb, than it is potent and the variety does not matter.
Because of the stevia in here the tea has a very subtle sweet taste which I find delicious. However, if you don't have stevia or would prefer, you can always use honey or drink it plain.
Enjoy and stay healthy this year!
Where to purchase the ingredients
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If you are unable to grow your own herbs, or find ingredients locally, then here are two of my favorite places to buy bulk ingredients:
