Holiday Citrus Tea- A Soothing Comfort to Ward Illness Away

Three ingredients. Well, four if you count hot water. This simple tea works wonders for soothing sore throats, strengthening the immune system against those winter-time bugs, and best of all, just for curling up with a nice hot mug.

Want to know the secret ingredient?
Garlic. Garlic gives a fantastic boost to your immune system; fighting germs you may already have and warding off ones that might not yet have taken hold. I know what you’re thinking. Garlic in my tea? Yuck. Does not sound like a pleasant cuppa, does it? But just hang on a minute.

I felt that way, too. When Erin first suggested I drink some for my hoarse throat, I was not excited. I’ve had enough weird “healthy” stuff to last a lifetime, and garlic-lemon tea sounded…well, kinda nasty. They insisted it was good though, so I gave it a try.

And much to my surprise, the garlic wasn’t even detectable! It added a smooth, gentle fullness to the overall flavor, but I didn’t notice any actual garlic taste at all.

Sugar? Who needs it?
Another great thing about the tea that really, really surprised me was that it didn’t need any sugar. At all. And let me be the first to tell you, I am incorrigible with the sugar spoon. Coffee and tea, at least where I am concerned, always needs at least two spoonfuls of sugar, if not more. Always. But not this tea!

Everything in that mug was actually healthy, boosting my immune system with an incredible leg-up, and tasting lovely. I mean, really! I think this might be my new favorite hot drink. (Bye-bye, ultra-sugary black tea!) I told Erin, when she asked what I thought of it, that it tasted cozy. That’s the best word I can think of for it.

How to make it:
You’ll have to try it for yourself and see; I highly recommend it. And take that from a converted skeptic and doubter. ;) The recipe below makes one mug of tea; double, triple, or quadruple it to share with someone special.

Ingredients: 
3 medium cloves of garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
1 regular-sized cereal spoon of honey
1 mug of hot water

Directions: 
Place all ingredients into a blender. Whiz it until frothy on top. Pour into a warm mug, garnish with some mint, if you like, and enjoy the comfort of a therapeutic blend. :) Enjoy!