A hot drink with lemon can give you a lot of relief, especially when you're not feeling well. Boiling water and steam can ease congestion and sore throats, while lemon has a high content of vitamin C, so it's helpful in strengthening the immune system. The range of natural ingredients that you can add to restore health is very wide indeed. The choice often falls on honey, especially if you have a sore throat, but you can also use ginger to relieve nasal congestion or cinnamon whose scent can help clear a blocked nose and breathe better.
Ingrediants
Hot drink with honey and lemon
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of honey
- 120 ml of boiling water (or more)
Yield: 1 cup
Hot Drink with Ginger and Lemon
- 4 tablespoons (60 g) of fresh grated ginger
- 1-2 lemons squeezed
- 1 liter of boiling water
Yield: 6-8 cups
Hot Cinnamon Drink (with or without Bourbon)
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of honey
- 60 ml of boiling water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 slice of lemon
- 3 cloves
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
- 45ml bourbon (optional)
Yield: 1 cup
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Make a Honey Lemon Hot Drink to Relieve a Sore Throat
Step 1. Squeeze half a lemon
Cut the fruit in half and squeeze half to get a tablespoon of juice. Pour the lemon juice into the cup. Thanks to the high content of vitamin C it will help you to strengthen the immune system.
- The antibacterial properties of lemon make it useful in case of fever or sore throat.
- Check that no lemon seeds have fallen into the cup. If there are any, remove them.
Step 2. Measure the honey
Pour two tablespoons into the cup with the lemon juice. In addition to having antibacterial properties, honey is able to create a protective coating on the throat and give it relief.
Step 3. Bring 120ml of water to a boil
Pour it into a teapot or saucepan, then heat it on the stove over high heat until it begins to boil. Then move the teapot or saucepan off the heat.
Step 4. Pour the boiling water into the cup with the lemon juice and honey
When the water boils, slowly pour it over the ingredients that are already in the cup. Stir to dissolve the honey and evenly distribute the lemon juice. Let the drink cool for a few minutes before you start sipping it.
- You can add more lemon juice, honey, or boiling water to taste.
- If you are affected, boiling water will help relax the sore throat muscles.
Method 2 of 3: Make a Hot Lemon Ginger Drink to Relieve Nasal Congestion
Step 1. Grate the ginger
Cut it into pieces for easy handling, then peel it by gently scraping it with the edge of a spoon. Throw away the peel and then grate the pulp by rubbing it quickly against the tines of a fork. The ginger will break into small pieces.
Step 2. Pour a liter of cold water into a saucepan
Add the grated ginger. Fresh ginger feels warm and helps loosen and expel mucus by relieving nasal congestion.
In addition to being a natural antibacterial, ginger is able to reduce swelling and improve blood circulation
Step 3. Heat the water over medium heat
Keep the saucepan covered while you wait for the water to boil. When it comes to a boil, turn off the stove, move the saucepan to a cold surface, and let the ginger steep for 10-15 minutes.
Step 4. Cut and squeeze the lemons
While you wait for the water to boil, make the lemon juice. Cut the fruits in half, squeeze them and pour the juice into a clean bowl. Make sure you extract every last drop of juice from the lemons.
- Check that no lemon seeds have fallen into the bowl. If there are any, remove them.
- Save the freshly squeezed lemon juice for now.
Step 5. Filter the drink
At the end of the brewing time, you need to remove the grated ginger from the water. Place a colander over a pitcher or bowl, then carefully pour the contents of the saucepan into it.
- The water will fall into the bowl while the ginger will be blocked by the mesh of the colander.
- Throw away the contents of the strainer after all the water has been filtered out.
Step 6. Add the lemon juice and serve the drink
Pour freshly squeezed lemon juice directly into the hot ginger drink. Stir to mix the ingredients. The quantity obtained is enough for 6-8 cups. Pour in the drink and start sipping it immediately. Drink it gradually throughout the day; for convenience, you can heat it in the microwave.
- If you want, you can add a teaspoon or more of honey to protect and soothe the sore throat.
- You can transfer the leftover herbal tea to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. It will last up to three days.
Method 3 of 3: Make a Cinnamon Hot Drink (with or without Bourbon)
Step 1. Put the water to boil and slice the lemon
Pour the water into the kettle or saucepan. Immediately afterwards, cut a lemon in half with a sharp knife and then make a perfectly circular slice about half a centimeter thick. If you want, you can squeeze half of the fruit and add the juice to the drink. For now, set the lemon wedge aside.
Step 2. Measure out the honey and bourbon
Pour both ingredients into a cup. If you have a sore throat, honey can help protect and relieve it.
Step 3. Pour the boiling water into the cup
When the water reaches a boil, turn off the heat and pour it into the cup with the honey and bourbon. Add the lemon wedge, a cinnamon stick and three cloves. Cinnamon relieves pain caused by throat inflammation, is high in antioxidants, and its scent can play an important role in clearing a stuffy nose to help you breathe better.
- Cloves have the ability to relieve pain and good antibacterial properties.
- Don't use clove essential oil as it can cause stomach pain. Use the whole spice.
Step 4. Let the ingredients steep for 5 minutes
Mix the drink using the cinnamon stick or a spoon. Wait five minutes, then mix it once more, add a sprinkle of nutmeg and start sipping immediately.
- If you want, you can remove the cloves from the cup after soaking them for five minutes, but you should be aware that they are free to ingest and may offer other health benefits.
- At this point you can add lemon juice or honey.
