Cold and flu season is here again and it’s time to load up on spices and herbs.
The weather gets cooler and the sniffles begin. Ugh! Who has time for that? I quickly realized I needed to put together my own medicinal cabinet and concoctions.
When I think of the spices and herbs I keep in my home to build my immune system, stop the sniffles and soothe my throat, a few things always top my list.
Ginger (fresh) (zingiber officinale)
It is spicy and warming.
Ginger has a ton of benefits that you’ll love. It is anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and a great antioxidant. It is also used for nausea and indigestion.
For fresh ginger tea, cut 2-6 slices of the fresh ginger root and simmer in the pot. Try not to boil the ginger, just simmer to get it hot enough for tea. Sweeten with honey and add lemon. This is best used at the first sign of chills or sniffles.
Garlic (fresh) (alium sativum)
It is spicy and hot. Garlic is a great antibiotic for staph and strep bacteria. It is also anti-microbial, anti-fungal and anti-viral. You can rely on garlic when you need to kill many infections.