I love the holidays and this week, in particular, is my favorite time of year. Christmas is over but New Year’s is coming and this week is still filled with family events and festive foods without all the expectations of trying to make the holiday perfect. But it’s also a busy, stressful time of year when people get sick. I have spent many New Year’s weekends taking care of sick kids and other family members. So besides eating the last of the cookies, I find myself making my favorite Flu Tea.
This tea is made from Elder flowers, Yarrow, and Peppermint–three herbs that can help strengthen the immune system. This tea is an antiviral, diaphoretic, antioxidant, antibacterial, and digestive aid. While you can drink this tea at any time during a cold, it works best at the first sign of illness. When you feel yourself getting sick, make a cup of tea. While it’s brewing, run a bath as hot as you can stand it. Get in and drink the tea–with water as hot as you can stand it–and sit and sweat in the tub for at least ten minutes. Then get out, dress as warmly as you can, and get into bed under lots of covers so you keep sweating. Then try to sleep. You will sweat the cold out while you sleep and you’ll feel much better the next day. If you can’t find the dried tea leaves listed below, you can try buying them from Mountain Rose Herbs.
For those of you new to this series, Sarah Munro, the heroine in ONE DARK WISH, the second book in the Deadly Force series, is an 18th century historian who inherited a collection of colonial-era herbal and homeopathic remedies. And in this blog space, I’ve been sharing her recipes with you all. I’m adding this recipe to her collection because the ingredients in this tea have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and immune strengthening qualities. If you choose to add a dash of honey for sweetness, it is rich in antioxidants that can help aid digestion, soothe coughs, and lower inflammation.
Note: I am not an affiliate of Mountain Rose Herbs. I just love their website and buy most of my herbs and other special ingredients from them.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup Dried Yarrow leaves (Achillea millifolium)
- 1/4 cup Dried Peppermint or Chocolate Mint (Mentha spicata) leaves
- 1/4 cup Dried Elder Flower (Sambucus canadensis, S. nigra) leaves
- Honey, to taste
Directions for Flu Tea
- This recipe makes 3/4 cup of dried tea mixture. Each cup of tea uses 2 teaspoons for 18 cups of tea from one recipe.
- In a small bowl, stir together the herbs and store in a glass container with a tight fitting lid.
- To make one cup of tea, put 2 teaspoons of dried tea into a tea ball and place in a mug.
- Boil the water and pour over the tea ball in the mug.
- Steep for at least 5 minutes (or longer if that’s your preference) and remove the tea ball.
- Sweeten with honey, if you want it a bit sweeter.
- Enjoy!
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER ABOUT WILD PLANTS, FORAGING, AND MAKING HERBAL REMEDIES:
I am not a medical professional and nothing written on this blog is medical advice. None of my statements have been evaluated by the FDA (I am legally required to give you this disclaimer).
It is important to do your due diligence before foraging, harvesting, and/or consuming any type of medicinal plant.
- If you are taking any medications, talk to your doctor about any potential drug interactions.
- If you are allergic to anything, make sure whatever you are foraging is not in the same family. Example: While dandelions are typically considered safe, those who are allergic to ragweed, latex, daisies, or any other plants in the same or similar families, may not be able to consume dandelion.
Always research potential side effects, dosage recommendations, and how to properly prepare and consume each medicinal plant.
Always make sure you are foraging what you believe to be. Fully prepare and study the anatomy before harvesting wild plants.
Always make sure your kitchen/work area is clean and that all materials are sterilized.
Do not forage plants from areas that have been sprayed within the past 2 years at the very least.
I am not legally or morally responsible for the health of any of my readers. Please do your own research!
