Immune Boosting Turmeric-Ginger Tonic 

With colds and flus rampant right now I thought I’d make a big batch of these immune boosting drinks. You can have them as shots or dilute in warm water for a delicious tea. 

The benefits of ginger and turmeric are vast (read below)! This tonic consists of ginger, turmeric, honey, lemon, orange, pepper and olive oil. Pepper and olive oil improve the bioavailability and absorption of the beneficial properties. 

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Ginger: High in antioxidants, anticancer, neuroprotective, cardiovascular protective and has anti-inflammatory properties. It is also used as an anti-fungal agent, helps with nausea and motion sickness, protects against stomach ulcers, eases menstrual pain, and can even regulate blood sugar and fight obesity. 

Turmeric: There are many active compounds/polyphenols with beneficial compounds in turmeric. One of these compounds is Curcumin, which is known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anticancer properties. Turmeric may also slow or prevent blood clots, lessen depression symptoms, boost skin health, lessen the pain associated with arthritis and prevent certain cancers. 

Lemon: Lemons are high in Vitamin C, boosts digestion, can help with weight loss and help to keep your skin glowing with its high free radical scavenging abilities. Lemons can also boost collagen production, improve mood and energy, enhance immunity and prevent kidney stones. 

Orange: Like lemons, oranges are high in Vitamin C and can help with boosting immunity. Oranges are high in antioxidants, have been found to boost brain health, keeps skin healthy and have anti-cancer properties. 

Honey: Honey has many benefits when it is raw and unpasteurized. If it is heated then the beneficial enzymes are destroyed. It’s anti-inflammatory, antioxidant rich and is antibacterial.  Honey can be used orally to treat coughs and used topically to treat burns and promote wound healing. Tip: when scooping honey do not use a metal spoon as it can deactivate the enzymes - use a wooden honey comb, reusable plastic or silicone spoon. 

Recipe: 

2-3 oranges

5 lemons

1 cup chopped organic turmeric 

1 cup chopped organic ginger

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil (optional)

1 tbsp raw, pasteurized honey (optional, but recommended)

Instructions: 

Add the oranges, lemons, turmeric and ginger to a juicer or high speed blender. If using a blender you may have to add a little water or orange juice to get it blending. Also, with the blender you will need to use a fine mesh strainer such as a nut milk bag to strain out the pulp. A juicer does all of this for you. This is the juicer we have. We love our juicer because it works great and I don't find it difficult or overwhelming to clean. I use the brush from our solid dish soap to clean the sieve part and it works great. And this is the best high speed blender (we’ve had ours for over 8 years and it’s still going strong). Either way you will have left over pulp, which you can keep and freeze to add to smoothies in the future - a great way to avoid waste and get more healthy ingredients into your diet! 

Once you have a juice like consistency, you can add in the honey, pepper and olive oil. Mix well with a whisk and then pour into individual glass shot bottles or into silicone ice cube trays to freeze. These ones are nice because they come with a lid. Store the shot glasses in your fridge for up to a week and the frozen ice cubes for up to 3 months. If freezing in the ice cubes, pop one into a mug and add hot water, stir and enjoy as a tea! 

This recipe will make 12-16 ice cubes based on a generic ice cube tray. The number of shots will vary based on the size of your glass bottles. You can take a shot or tea per day as prevention or take as soon as you feel a cold coming on. If you suffer from inflammation, it’s great to take ginger daily and this tonic would be considered a great one to relieve inflammation when taken daily, but as always consult your doctor or health care physician regarding your personal health. Everybody is different and your doctor is able to provide you with recommendations for your individual and specific health concerns. Always do your own research and consult your Doctor before starting a new health regime or changing up what you already do! 

Enjoy and stay healthy this season :)