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When flu and cold season kicks into gear, I start wiping down the shopping carts, blending elderberry smoothies, and making this homemade ginger lemon honey tea. It’s the best way I’ve found to treat a cold, cough, or flu naturally.
Ginger Lemon Honey Tea is a natural cold remedy drink that combines ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties, lemon’s vitamin C boost, and honey’s soothing qualities. This homemade tea for congestion helps relieve symptoms and supports the immune system, providing comfort during cold and flu season.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You only need three ingredients to make this Ginger Lemon Honey Tea. I like to batch it out into a large mason jar and store in the fridge until needed.
- Fresh lemons: use organic lemons or really scrub the peel to remove any pesticide or wax residue.
- Fresh ginger root: Found in the produce section.
- Raw honey: The natural sweetness of honey balances the tartness of the lemon + ginger. Use raw or manuka honey for the best results.
How to Make Ginger Lemon Honey Tea
This ginger honey tea is perfect for soothing a sore throat and providing a comforting beverage in just a few minutes. You can always make it fresh with hot water, slice of lemon, ginger, and honey, or you can make it in bulk like I do. Here’s my preferred method:
- Slice lemons and ginger and alternate layering into an airtight jar (ex: mason jar).
- Slowly, pour honey over the lemons and ginger and fill jar to the top. Seal tightly.
- Store in the refrigerator until needed.
storage Tip
I love using mason jars to store my home remedies, like this ginger lemon honey tea that’s in a quart-size mason jar with a wide mouth.
Ginger Lemon Honey Tea Benefits
I use this all-natural home remedies for cough as my first defense when we do get sick. It tastes amazing, makes me feel better quickly and speeds up recovery. Here’s why…
- Reduces the inflammation and swelling in the body when fighting off a common cold. Lemons are high in vitamin C, which helps boost the immune system and neutralize the free radicals in the body.
- Breaks down mucus and alleviates congestion: Lemon has natural acidity to help break down mucus as well as alleviate congestion.
- Helps you sweat out the toxins in your body, which is helpful when you have a cold or flu. Ginger contains a bioactive compound called gingerol, which is known to be the strong medicinal part of ginger. It’s also a helpful home remedy for cough, settling upset stomachs, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and cold sweats.
- Natural cough suppressant thanks to the honey. It can also improve the body’s ability to fight infection and decrease the risk of fevers.
Common Questions
Lemon ginger honey tea offers numerous health benefits, including boosting the immune system, aiding digestion, and relieving cold symptoms. The combination of ginger and honey tea provides anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, while the lemon adds a dose of vitamin C. Together, these ingredients can help soothe sore throats, reduce nausea, and improve overall wellness.
Yes, lemon ginger tea can be an effective home remedy for cough relief. The ginger acts as a natural expectorant, helping to loosen mucus and ease coughing. To make ginger lemon tea for cough, simply add a bit more ginger when preparing the tea and sip it slowly. The honey helps soothe the throat, making it easier to manage coughing fits.
The lemon ginger tea benefits can be enhanced by the addition of honey, which is known for its antibacterial and soothing properties. Ginger is excellent for digestion and reducing inflammation, while honey helps coat and calm an irritated throat. Together, ginger and honey tea can help alleviate symptoms of colds and flu, improve digestion, and provide a natural energy boost.
More Home Remedies for Cold and Flu
Thirteen years ago, I went on a wellness journey to discover the best home remedies for coughs, colds, flu, and whatever came our way. Here are a few recipes that have stuck with me over the years:
- Elderberry syrup: can be taken daily, and taken multiple times a day when experiencing cold or flu symptoms. And when you can make a medicinal syrup into popsicles for sore throats, I’m 100% here for it.
- Rawkstar fire cider: while this tonic is not for the faint of heart, it does wonders in limiting the life of a cold or the flu, and helps to strengthen the immune system along the way. This is one home remedy that’ll scare the cough right out of ya!
- Homemade vapor rub: this is a perfect natural remedy for cough + decongestant. Use it on the chest, as well as the feet to soothe.
Ginger Lemon Honey Tea
Ingredients
- 2 lemons organic
- 2 inch ginger root
- 1 cup raw honey
- 12-oz mason jar
Instructions
- Slice lemons and ginger.
- Place the lemon and ginger slices in the mason jar, alternating layers of each.
- Slowly, pour honey over the lemon and ginger. Allow the honey to sink down and around the lemon and ginger slices. Fill jar to the top with honey and seal tightly.
- Store in the refrigerator. Over time, the mixture will start to turn into a loose jelly.
- When you are in need of some soothing tea for cough, scoop 2-3 tablespoons into a mug full of hot water—be sure to scoop whole pieces of ginger and lemon. Allow to steep for 3-4 minutes and sip away.
Video
Notes
- Since lemons are going into this concentrate, make sure to wash them well before slicing.
- Use a jar with a tight-fitting lid to ensure this mixture stays protected.
- For best personal results, use raw, local honey that was made within the season you are using it.
We have had ours in the fridge for several weeks and it still has not jellied, other than about a half inch on the bottom. The rest is still liquid. Is it okay to use this way? Any ideas as to what might cause it to be this way (so we can try something different next time)?
Hey Angie.
Thanks for the comment. Is your mixture in a sealed container?
Greetings! Ty for this awesome recipe! I’m just curious, what makes you say it’s shelf life is 2 months? 😀
Hey ChiquitA.
Thanks for reaching out to us and for the question. The shelf-life in the fridge, if stored in a glass jar with a tightly fitting lid, is 2+ months. Some people say honey can last years. But honestly our doesn’t stick around very long once we make it, couple weeks, tops. 🙂 If you don’t feel like it is edible, then just throw it out, better safe than sorry. Hope that helps.
And honey has antibacterial qualities!
Can I Ninja blend all the ingredients together then refrigerate? Thank you so much for the great information!
Hey Laura.
Great question. We haven’t tried that method, but if that is something you would like to try, go for it! 🙂
I tried that and it wasn’t as good. It turns mushy and I couldn’t take it. But I have been chopping ginger and lemon in small pieces and taking 2-3 spoonful of it every morning with the water. Never tried with hot water as tea – but will now!
Hope you enjoy it better as a tea. 🙂
I love these ingredients, especially to bust up your cold symptoms. The Vitamin C in the lemons is fantastic and the ginger not only has health benefits, but the spice helps cut through nasty post-nasal drip. My boyfriend is not a huge fan of ginger, so I put mine in a squeezable honey bear so he can squeeze out the flavored honey, and I can open the top and scoop out the lemons and ginger.
Great thinking, Leigh! 🙂 You are so right, the ingredients are great immunity boosters.
Do you peel the ginger?
Hey Janene. Great question. Yes, please peel your ginger. 🙂
You say to peel it but in the photos it’s unpeeled?
Hey Marie.
Either way will work, it’s personal preference. 🙂
How much raw honey to use for your recipe? (Lemon, Honey, Ginger for
Cold and Flu Remedy).
Hey Julie.
Once the lemon and ginger are inside, fill the rest of your 12oz. cup up with Raw Honey. 🙂 (Possible 6-8 ounces, depending on the size of your lemons and ginger) Hope that helps.
Can I take this if not sick? Then if I get sick it won’t work? Is it a preventative mix? Thanks
Hey Kathleen.
Yes, here is a link to one of our favorite natural immunity boosters. 🙂
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/immune-system-booster
The photograph shows clear honey, but the raw honey is not clear and does not pour. Should I warm the raw honey so that it pours?
Hey Marcia.
If you need to warm your raw honey to pour it, go for it. 🙂
Thanks for this idea. It worked a treat for me while pregnant as being so limited to medication etc. Im making it for my family as little gifts too! X
Great idea to make it for family! 🙂 Hope they enjoy it too. 🙂
Does this need to be in a glass jar? I don’t have a mason jar and want to start it asap!!
Good question. We have only made this in glass, maybe someone from our community can answer this question. I would suggest a sealed container, if you don’t have a mason jar. 🙂
I have bought individual mason jars at Dollar Tree so you don’t have to spend a fortune on a ton of them. If you don’t have a Dollar Tree, other dollar stores should have some sort of glass containers with lids. 🙂
After you add all 3 ingredients to the water do you use a sieve to remove the ginger and Lemon or do they soften up enough to eat?
Hey Elaine. Great question. You can keep them in there and it will turn into more of a jelly form. 🙂
Can you give this a waterbath and can for a longer shelf life?
Hey Lee Lee.
I don’t think anyone on our team has giving this a waterbath before, but here is a helpful article I have enjoyed reading:
How long will this keep in the fridge?
Hey Jeanne.
You can store it in the fridge for 2 months. 🙂
How long does it take to turn into a jelly?
Thank you.
Good morning Megan.
You don’t have to wait for it to turn into jelly to use it, you can use it immediately and can store for up to two months. Hope this helps. 🙂
Thank you!!! I was wondering the same thing as my 5 year old woke up with a NASTY cold.
Can I Crush the Ginger & Lemon in Mixer grinder & then use paste with honey.
Hey Atly.
Thanks for your comment. The Ginger and Lemon mixed with the honey make paste. Hope that helps. You can always try it by blending first and see if it works. 🙂
I wana know wak al r d benifits of havin dis syrup plz sae n how to use as per
Hey Shajman.
Lemon: High in vitamin C, which is an antioxidant vital to a strong immune system and neutralize the activity of free radicals in the body, reducing the inflammation and swelling caused by free radicals in the body.
Ginger: Promotes a healthy sweating that aids in the detoxification of the body, which is often helpful when you have a cold or flu. Ginger is also helpful for settling upset stomachs, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and cold sweating.
Honey: Soothes a sore throats, making it an effective and natural cough suppressant. Honey may also boost the body’s immune system by aiding in the production of white blood cells. This improves the body’s ability to fight infection and decreases the risk of fevers. The natural sweetness of honey also balances the tartness of the lemon and the ginger’s spice, giving honey, lemon and ginger tea its soothing flavor.