At the very first sign of a flu or cold here’s a recipe for beating it. Note it’s important to drink this tea within the first 24 hours of onset, for, as my acupuncturist Leslie Shanai, Lic.Ac. writes, “Once the disease has gotten a good foothold ginger tea will no longer be effective. It may even have a detrimental effect of adding unnecessary heat…”

Leslie recently promised me that this remedy would stop my flu in its tracks….and it did! She has some other common sense flu quelling guidelines in her blog. Plus this description of why fresh ginger works: It “assist(s) the body in flushing out pathogens that have entered the body from an external source. Dried ginger has a different property than fresh and is more useful in aiding weak digestion.”

Therefore do not substitute powdered or dried  ginger or ginger tea bags in this recipe. Only fresh ginger effectively dispels pathogens.

Ginger Tea
2 inches ginger root, thinly sliced (no need to peel the skin)
4 cups boiling water
honey to taste (optional)

Place ginger in boiling water, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain into a cup and (optional) sweeten to taste with honey. Drink all the tea in one sitting, one cup after the other, until it is all consumed.