My Germ-Away Tea

Because it's the season for upper respiratory infections, at least in the northern hemisphere, I thought you might want my recipe for Germ-Away Tea:

Steep 2 teaspoons of dried, crumbled spearmint leaves and a dash each of ground turmeric, fennel seed, ground sage, and ground ginger in 12 ounces of steaming-hot water for 2 minutes. (You can substitute a small bit of grated fresh ginger for the ground ginger.) Fills two 6-ounce teacups.

Here are the health benefits commonly ascribed to the spices in the tea:

• Spearmint: digestive aid, nausea fighter, indigestion fighter


• Turmeric: antioxidant, antibacterial, digestive aid.


• Fennel: digestive aid, diuretic, expectorant, sore-throat soother


• Sage: antibiotic, cold fighter, anticongestive, digestive aid, disinfectant, flu fighter, immune-system booster, sore-throat soother


• Ginger: anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, bronchitis fighter, circulation booster, cold fighter, anticongestive, flu fighter

It's a little spicy and tastes best hot.

Feel better.

upper respiratory infections colds flu germs green tea spearmint leaves turmeric fennel seeds sage ginger EditorMom