Ginger is a fantastic anti-viral and the best way for you to access these properties is by consuming the fresh juice. Lemon and honey are also great for your immune system so I developed this drink some time ago and have been building on it ever since. As the name suggests it has a pretty big kick. Mitchell and I always liked ginger to be strong and Ethan and Ryan just had to get used to it. I find that it keeps us healthy through the winter – along with a balanced diet of whole foods of course.
At the moment our garden is providing us with all of the ingredients for the basic mix. Our lemon tree is bearing fruit. We are also hosting bee hives for Lionel who owns Malieta Honey. He is an amazing man who is repopulating our area with bees. And maybe you saw the ginger I picked in my video on Facebook. Ginger is a very easy plant to grow and ready to harvest each winter.
The basic recipe is below but here are a couple of additions you may want to try. There are 2 litres of water in the mix. Instead of using plain water, I use 1 litre of aloe infused water and 1 litre of herbal tea. Below is a picture of a single leaf of Aloe Barbadensis. It is one of the two most potent in the Aloe family: an amazing plant with benefits for us externally and internally. According to the late Isabell Shipard, It is excellent for digestion and also anti-parasitic and anti-fungal. It reduces inflammation internally and increases immunity. I could go on. There are 3 1/2 A4 pages in Isabel’s book. Lets just say it is a great addition to any drink.
Take care when using any aloe. There is the clear gel inside but there is also the yellow sap around the gel and just under the skin. You don’t want to consume any of that as it can cause stomach cramps. And it tastes terrible. Fillet the aloe leaf by trimming the edges, then the top layer of skin and finally the gel inside. Rinse the piece of gel well. Actually I rinse it and then leave it in a glass of water for a minute or so.
Once your piece of gel is washed thoroughly, leave in 1 litre of water for a few hours then strain. I also like to add a pot of tea to my drink.
Choose from any herbs you feel would benefit you in the drink. I like digestives and immune herbs such as marshmallow, chamomile, elderberry, Siberian ginseng, lemon balm and peppermint.
When your tea has steeped and cooled, add it to the drink mix.
Ginger Kick
This is our family's favourite drink for winter. It is quite spicy as the name suggests and has a perfect balance of ginger, lemon and honey. You can always reduce the ginger and adjust honey to taste. I like to infuse it with extra immune boosting ingredients as well. See below for details if you would like to go the whole way.
Ingredients
- 140 ml fresh ginger juice
- 130 mls fresh lemon juice
- 2 litres liquid - you can use water or infuse it with herbal tea and/or aloe plant. (See above for details).
- 1 cup honey dissolved in 1 cup warm to hot water - Don't boil the honey so that you can retain the medicinal benefits.
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl - preferably one with a pourer.
- Decant into bottles and store in the fridge.
- Drink warm or cold daily to keep away viruses.
