Goin' Crunchy Cold Remedy Tea

As part of my journey to force us enter us into a more healthful and food conscious family I have begun snooping around the Crunchy Blogs. 

Slang Dictionary

crunchy definition mod. [of someone] loving nature, plants, and animals. (The type of person who lives on granola.) :  He's such a crunchy guy, always saving whales and trees.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

Now I have not ever been a save the whales! sorta gal. I preferred to think more on the lines of  save the children! and then not really do anything about either. Just keeping it all honest here. I didn't even recycle up until about three years ago! 

However, the LORD teaches us new everyday and I have had a whole year of eye opening lessons on being respectful to our earth, on eating more whole foods, on learning to make it or make do without it, and on healing using the plants and resources he gave us! Perhaps I'm goin' a little bit crunchy?

Christians, I think, as a whole were turned away from natural remedies many ( and I many) years ago and became scared to use them thinking them too closely related to things we avoid at all costs, like witchcraft. Home remedies became looked down upon because they were not what we thought was good enough or scientific enough. It could be perhaps we have accustomed our minds to thinking we needed a doctor's note and a box from the drugstore to make us feel better. Sometimes, yes, we absolutely need medical attention. Sometimes, we need that headache relief. But not always.

The LORD though has provided us all kinds of natural remedies to soothe sore throats and ease coughs. To shorten the lifespan of a cold. To help us heal. I do not claim to know a lot but I know what we've tried and my kids have never been healthier. We have had less colds, flu, and all around yuckies since we began to eat better. My son that has asthma has had much fewer attacks since I began making my own cleaning supplies.  Just seems to me we could benefit from trying some at home remedies before automatically reaching for that overpriced colorful box of.... whatever.

My Princess Petunia came down with a fairly bad cold while cutting her two year molars. She is 2 and a half and small so she can't take anything for a cold from one of those aforementioned colorful boxes so we tried a recipe my neighbor brought over. We have affectionately started calling it a terribly original name: Sick Tea. I know! Sometimes the creative muse is on a mini vacation without me. Probably someplace warm...

This is Ginger in its raw form. Just peel with a paring knife and slice into small matchsticks.

Slice up the lemon. (Please wash it first in the event there are chemicals on it.)

This is a Minnesota Honey not too far from us.

Layer in lemon, ginger, and honey until the jar is full. This is a 1/2 pint jelly jar.

Looks a bit like this when done.

Add a couple of spoonfuls to a cup of hot water or tea.

This is my green tea steeping with two scoops of honey base.

Sick Tea

1/2 fresh lemon

2 Tablespoons fresh ginger (has to fresh)

honey (local if possible, raw is the best)

Possible add ins:

Cayenne to clear sinuses, 

Garlic for it's antibacterial and anti-viral properties,  

or an Echinaea tincture or syrup.

It isn't a cure all but it sure helped my munchkin to feel better. I also benefited by shortening a cold I felt coming on by taking some extra rest and drinking our sick tea three times a day when I started to feel yucky.

Going to go make myself another cup of tea, I'm feeling a bit peaky... :)


Always Blessed, 
Gretchen :)


Although my neighbor gave me the original recipe I have been using I found similar versions here and here.


Linking up with:

Cornerstone Confessions

Raising Arrows 

Modest Mom Blog 

Deep Roots At Home

The Better Mom Monday Link Up

Frugally Sustainable 
Artful Homemaking 
Far Above Rubies