I don’t think anyone likes being sick. I know I don’t. This time of year, it seems pretty much everyone is sick.
The whole name of the blog, Double Crunch, comes from us being a crunchy family and having twins. Being crunchy means that you tend to follow a less mainstream lifestyle. Some examples of “crunchy living” can include using breastmilk as medicine, breastfeeding, eating limited or no processed foods, eating organic, cloth diapering, using eco-friendly plant based or homemade cleaning products, and using home remedies instead of conventional medicine.
Now, don’t get me wrong. If anyone in my family is in NEED of western medical care, we absolutely get it for them. No amount of garlic in the world can heal a broken arm. But for cold and flu season, we just don’t see the necessity for it unless there’s a medical emergency. (Respiratory distress is a medical emergency and can have sneaky symptoms in children that can be overlooked like retracted breathing. Dehydration can also be lethal to littles. Do not underestimate the seriousness of either complication.)
Whenever we are feeling under the weather in our home, there’s a long list of go to’s including hot showers, supplements, garlic oil, essential oils, and more. But our secret weapon is tea. Not your typical tea by a long shot. In fact, it’s likely you won’t even remotely enjoy drinking it. It’s taste is pretty intense…so much so that it has been affectionately named “Nasty Tea” in our home. But it works.
It’s quite simple to make and has evolved somewhat over the years in our home.
I invented this tea myself in 2009 when I got super sick with strep throat. I had no health insurance, no car to get to the doctor even if I did, and very little money. It was a tough time in my life. So, I dove into the internet looking for what could help me. I had a fever of 105 and my throat was SO painful that I couldn’t even swallow my own saliva easily let alone eat or drink anything.
Within 24 hours of drinking a mug every few hours, my fever had broken. Within 48 hours, I was feeling 90% better! It was forever put into my arsenal for sickness and started me down the rabbit hole of home remedies and holistic medicine.
The main ingredient in this tea is garlic. Garlic is a powerhouse food when it comes to fighting infections of any kind. Not only does it have antibacterial properties but it also is an effective antiviral and antimicrobial.
Lemon is a powerful anti-inflammatory, source of vitamin c, and a powerhouse for gut health.
Honey coats the throat, makes the drink smoother and easier to drink, reduces inflammation, fights infection, and supports the body.
Echinacea is a wonderful herb that supports the immune system and adds a nice flavor to the tea.
So, here’s how to make a mug.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lemon
- 1tbs organic echinacea herb or one tea bag
- 1-2 cloves of garlic
- Unadulterated honey to taste
Instructions:
- Boil 8oz of filtered water and add your echinacea. Cover tightly and let steep for 12 minutes.
- Using a juicer, juice the peeled garlic cloves(s) followed by the lemon half with the rind ON.
- Strain tea, add juice from the juicer, add honey to taste. The hotter you drink it the easier it is to tolerate the taste.
That’s it! You can drink this as often as you like but we drink it at least a few times a day when sick.
You can also check out my blog post on my crunchy medicine cabinet for more get well tips.
Double Crunch 