While we’re on the topic of cold and flu season beverages, I’d like to add one more to your medicine cabinet. Lemon Ginger Honey is as simple as the title. In a jar, place alternating layers of ginger and lemon slices, then pour honey into the jar. Let it “cure” in the fridge for a day, give it a shake or stir, and what you end up with is a lemon-ginger infused honey syrup.

As the mother of a second-year preschooler, I am no stranger to runny noses, sore throats, aches, chills, fevers and late-night coughing fits. Last year, we had seven different viruses cycle through our household between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s day alone, including a couple rounds of croup, a super-messy tummy bug, and an intense round of the flu. That was the winter I learned that popsicles are a medical necessity for James.  It was also the winter that I learned from my friend Emily, about this home remedy. It’s been a staple in our cold-season fridge ever since.

Honey is an age-old remedy for sore throats, which abound in the drier and germier months. It has both anti-bacterial and hypertonic osmotic properties, meaning it draws excess fluid (i.e. swelling) from inflamed tissue. I’ve given it to James by the teaspoonful on occasion, but personally, I prefer to add about a tablespoon of it to a cup of hot water or herbal tea.

Lemon is well known for it’s high vitamin C content, which boosts the immune system. The acids in lemon juice can also help break down mucous, reduce swelling in the throat, and stave off viruses and bacteria.

Ginger is another food well-known for it’s healing properties. It settles the stomach and relieves nausea, promotes sweating and warms the body from the inside. It also reduces pain and inflammation.

Once you’ve prepared a jar of lemon ginger honey, it can be added to herbal tea or hot water, used as a lightly-diluted throat gargle, or taken by the spoonful. Alcohol is not recommended for people with hypothyroidism, but when my husband is sick he sometimes adds a splash of bourbon and a shake of cayenne pepper to a hot cup of this before bed. In fact, if you can take the heat, cayenne or hot pepper sauce adds another level of inflammation and pain relief, while also helping to clear mucous and warm the body.

This is so easy to make. It tastes great and helps you feel better. I drink it often throughout the winter, sick or not. It’s barely a recipe, but I’ll include one for you anyway, right after I share the hypothyroid-specific health benefits in The Breakdown, below.

Wishing you the best of health,

 

 

 

The Breakdown

• The powerful anti-inflammatory properties of ginger can help relieve the inflammation often associated with hypothyroidism.
• Chinese medicine suggests warming foods like ginger and ginger tea for the treatment of hypothyroidism.
• Lemons are a very good source of vitamin C, with one ounce providing 36% DV. A study recently shared in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, stated that, “In patients with hypothyroidism and gastrointestinal pathology, vitamin C improves the abnormalities in serum free T4, T3, and TSH concentrations.” – See more at: http://press.endocrine.org/doi/abs/10.1210/jc.2013-4360#sthash.r0MIUkdt.dpuf