Cold Fighting Tonic Recipe

If you’re feeling sick, always consult with your doctor before trying anything new.
I am not a doctor nor pretend to be one and this post is not intended as medical advice.

This year the flu season seems to be hitting everyone hard. All of my friends have either been dealing with the flu or a cold. Thankfully we were away for a big chunk of winter and escaped the worst of it but we still caught a mild cold while we were away.

When I caught this last cold, I didn’t really feel sick but I completely lost my voice 5 days before I was supposed to go to a conference and speak in front of many people. To say I panicked is an understatement but thankfully my mother calmed me down and reminded me of this recipe.

My grandma’s original recipe uses ginger, honey and lime but I have tweaked this recipe to add a few more ingredients that help you kick that cold in the butt. I drank this tonic every 2-3 hours for the first 2-3 days and my voice came back! I can’t tell you how relieved I was!

Full disclosure, what I drank before the conference was just a mixture of ginger, honey and lime since I was aboard and didn’t have the rest of the ingredients with me. Those are the main three ingredients you will need for this to work, the other ingredients are also good to fight a cold but not as essential.

We have been drinking this tonic for as long as I can remember. As soon as anyone in my family would have the slightest symptom of a cold, off we went to buy fresh ginger. I feel that the times I have been too lazy to make this tonic, my cold stuck around for more days.

As with anything natural, you need to start drinking this as soon as you have the first symptoms. In my experience, when I’ve started drinking this right away, I never develop a full blown cold but just had mild symptoms for a few days.

I also have to add that for the last 4 years I’ve drank this tonic with a couple of supplements that I feel have made a big difference: Vitamin C Complex and black elderberry. Plus, I also carry this Immune Season spray in my diaper bag during flu season and use it quite frequently as a preventative measure.

At times when I’ve had a pretty bag cough, I’ve taken this tonic along with this homemade cough syrup.

While this may not work for everyone (although I have not met someone that hasn’t felt benefited by taking this), it is definitively worth a shot because it can’t harm you, it’s very affordable and easy to make!

About the ingredients:

These ingredients are great to soothe a sore throat and clear your sinuses. They also have antiseptic actions that actually help fight off the virus.

Both ginger and lemon have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties and ginger also acts as a cough suppressant. If you’re feeling digestive issues the ginger will also help you with soothe your nausea and get rid of your indigestion.

The cayenne pepper is good for thinning mucus and reducing congestion. While, the apple cider vinegar helps kill bacteria and virus.

Lastly, the honey is great for you throat and also acts as cough suppressant. So all these ingredients combined act together to help you fight off your cold!

See how simple is to make this cold tonic recipe:

Cold Fighting Tonic Recipe

Ingredients:

• ½ of large lemon or lime
• small knob of fresh ginger root (available in most grocery stores or through Amazon Fresh)
• 1-2 tbsp. organic raw honey or manuka honey
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• dash of Cayene pepper
• water

Instructions:

In a small pot, bring 2 cups of water to boil. While you’re waiting for the water to boil, cut the small knob of ginger into slices. Once the water is boiling, throw in the ginger pieces and cook in low-medium heat for about 10 minutes. You will know when it’s done because the water will have an amber color.

If you plan to drink this ginger tea for a few days, then cut up the entire ginger root and simmer it all at once, just make sure you add more water to your pot (around 6-10 cups if you’re doing the whole piece). You can save the remaining tea in your refrigerator for about a week and make this tonic as needed. You can also use this ginger tea for your morning smoothie.

While your ginger is simmering, wash the lemon or lime so the peel doesn’t have any dirt and then cut the lemon in half. Cut up half of this large lemon into small wedges.

Pour the honey into a small glass. Then add the apple cider vinegar, and stir the contents well. Finally, add the sliced lemon wedges inside the glass.

Once your ginger has done simmering and cooled down – (you want it to be warm, not hot or boiling) add it to the cup.  Top up your glass with the warm ginger tea and and sprinkle a dash of cayenne pepper.

Stir the cold fighting tonic well until the ingredients are combined and drink away!

Drink this tonic once or twice a day to ward of a cold or to help you recover faster.

Tip: if you plan to be out all day, you can just carry the tonic in a glass or stainless steel water bottle and drink it at room temperature.

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Cold Fighting Tonic Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

A tonic that has been used for generations with success. Kick your cold in the butt with my grandma's cold tonic recipe.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 Lemon or Lime
• small knob Fresh Ginger Root
• 1 - 2 tablespoons Raw or Manuka Honey
• 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• dash Cayenne Pepper
• Water

Instructions

1. In a small pot, bring 2 cups of water to boil. 
2. While you’re waiting for the water to boil, cut the small knob of ginger into slices.
3. Once the water is boiling, throw in the ginger pieces and cook in low-medium heat for about 10 minutes. You will know when it’s done because the water will have an amber color.
4. While your ginger is simmering, wash the lemon or lime so the peel doesn’t have any dirt and then cut the lemon in half. Cut up half of this large lemon into small wedges.
5. Pour the honey into a small glass.
6. Add the apple cider vinegar, and stir the contents well.
7. Add the sliced lemon wedges inside the glass.
8. Once your ginger has done simmering and cooled down – (you want it to be warm, not hot or boiling) add it to the cup.
9. Top up your glass with the warm ginger tea and and sprinkle a dash of cayenne pepper.
10. Stir the cold fighting tonic well until the ingredients are combined.

Notes

As with anything natural, you need to start drinking this as soon as you have the first symptoms. 

Drink this tonic 2-3 times per day but if you need to get well ASAP, drink every 2-3 hours.

Always check with your doctor before treating you or your children’s cold symptoms.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1 Servings
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 102Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 14mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 3gSugar: 20gProtein: 1g

Please keep in mind that these nutritional values are estimates, based on the ingredients, and it might not be accurate.