This splash of color and collection of textures create a delicious tea for soothing a sore throat during the season of sickness. Remember to stay healthy by maintaining a healthy body that bugs have trouble thriving in! That means keeping a delightful balanced diet full of local wholesome foods, exercising, getting outside, throwing a bit of relaxation or fun into your day, and snuggling up under the covers for a good 8 hours each night.
Tasty Throat Tea Recipe...
1 part ginger root
1 part rose buds
2 part marshmallow root
1 part licorice
2 parts pau d’arco
Mix these together and steep 1 tablespoon per cup for 20-30 minutes in boiled hot water. The ginger will help drive the actions of the other herbs and also serves to help warm you up (I am always cold, so I love ginger!). Licorice and marshmallow root are both very soothing on the throat due to muco-polysaccharides, often referred to as ‘mucilage’ in herbalism terms. The rosebuds are for taste and a bit of vitamin C. Pau d’arco supports protecting the body from infections (scientific research on this is still preliminary), and the inner bark from this tree has been traditionally used by the Incas in the Amazon. The inner bark contains lapachol and beta-lapachone, two compounds that demonstrate antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. Pau d’arco has been used in teas and tinctures for the cold, flu, and sore throats. I hope you enjoy it!
**Pau d’arco should not be used in conjunction with blood thinning medications.