songs of experience

Our whole household has been sick with the crud for the past two weeks. When a friend asked me if I was taking anything for it I said, “I don’t like to take any medicine,” and she said, “I meant something herbal.”
“Like what?”
“Ginger tea. With lemon. And cayenne pepper.”
“Cayenne pepper?! In tea?”
“Yep.”
“I thought it was just for salsa.”
“And garlic.”
“You mean I have to drink garlic?”
“Yeah, crush it up and drink it.”
“Okay, I’ll try it,” I said.
And I did. I trust my friend so I tried her seemingly crazy recipe. Later, I found this on-line:

Ginger Root Tea to Cure a Cold

1 inch piece gingerroot, peeled and grated
2 cups cold water
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey (or more to taste)
1-2 garlic clove, minced

1. Put grated ginger and water in a pot and bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Add cayenne pepper and simmer for 1 more minute.
3. Remove from heat and add 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, honey to taste and garlic.
4. Let cool slightly and srain before drinking.

It burns going down, but I tell you … it made me feel so much better. Not cured, but better. And I had none of that Thera-flu, Afrin, Niquil chemical grogginess. No morning-after headache either.

Maybe I’ll try accupucnture next!