In photo: (1) Turmeric tea served with lemon and honey (2) Ingredients: (from the left) ground cinnamon from Healthy Options, black pepper, locally produced honey from Baler, and peeled turmeric and ginger roots.
The ber-months are now in full swing. This means that we are again susceptible to cough and colds that come during these weather changes. Especially with climate change, the weather patterns have been very unpredictable. Since my mom got sick a few years back, I researched on natural remedies that can help relieve symptoms of cough and colds and found that turmeric tea is an anti-inflammatory spice that can boost your immune system.
When I visited my mother’s home town of Jaro, Leyte (Philippines), I found out that the turmeric root and its leaves are have long been used by my grandmother in her heritage recipes that would cure headaches and hangovers (I would make a post on this too). Turmeric is native to Southeast Asia, and can be found anywhere in the Philippines. It is available in most fresh sections of the grocery store.
So if you are coughing and sneezing right now, or you just want to reduce that bloated feeling from last night’s heavy dinner, this recipe is for you!
Makes 3-4 servings
This recipe is calorie free if you do not add honey.
Ingredients:
- 3 to 3 1⁄2 cups of water
- 6 pcs turmeric root (2 1⁄2-3 inches each)
- One thumbnail sized ginger root
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Local honey to taste (measure to your liking)
Directions:
- In a saucepan, put the water, turmeric root, and ginger root with the ground pepper and bring to a boil.
- Turn off the heat; put cinnamon powder in the mixture, and stir.
- take out the ginger root from the saucepan and set aside (the ginger tends to make the tea more spicy when it is left in the heat for long–but if you have sore throat, then by all means, keep the ginger in to make you feel better).
- Serve with a piece of lemon slice and your local honey to taste. (Optional)
Note: I peel my turmeric root because I find the taste richer and less earthy when it is peeled (my preference). You may also keep the skin when you don’t have time to peel, or you can also grate it. You may also use around 1 tbsp of dried turmeric powder as a replacement.
