The Best Teas for Flu

Hot tea is one of life's little pleasures for many people, and especially when you're feeling sick with the flu, nothing quite seems to soothe like a cup of hot tea. Teas can be made from herbs and other medicinal products and are quick and easy to make. Sweetened with a dollop of raw honey a cup of tea can offer relief from pain and the chills associated with the flu. Often found premade in tea bags in health food stores, some of the best teas for offering flu relief can be stored in your kitchen cupboard.

Ginger Tea

To break up coughs, reduce fevers and soothe sore stomach upsets due to the flu, use a tea made from raw ginger, suggests the iVillage.co.uk website. Grate about 2 tablespoons of raw ginger and steep in two cups of boiling water for 15 minutes. Strain the ginger and add honey for a soothing tea.

Hot Spice Tea

In his book Back to Eden, Jethro Kloss recommends combining hot spices to reduce a fever and break up chest and sinus congestion. Combine horseradish, garlic and cayenne pepper into a paste by first crushing a clove of the garlic and then mix the three items together into a paste. Use about 1 tsp. of white horseradish and cayenne pepper to taste. Steep in a cup of hot water for 10 to15 minutes and then remove the spices with a tea strainer. Add a spoonful of raw honey and sip slowly. Hot mustard powder can be added to the mixture as well.

Mullein

Purchase dried mullein herb and steep a spoonful in a tea ball in one cup of boiling water for 15 minutes to make a tea that helps create a barrier for soothing the pain of sore throats during the flu. Mullein also acts as an expectorant, loosening tightness in the chest and aiding the body in ridding itself of excess mucous, according to Holistic Online.

Hot Lemon Tea

A good argument can be made for hot lemonade being called a tea, because what is a tea if not a healing substance steeped in hot water to bring out its inherent healthful properties? And lemons are filled with high levels of vitamin C, one of the best treatments for fighting the flu, according to dietician Lynn Grieger of the Ivillage website. She recommends increasing vitamin C intake during the flu. Add lemon zest from one lemon to boiling water and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Strain off and add the juice of ½ lemon and a spoonful or two of raw honey for a dose of vitamin C, high in antioxidants that will help purify your system, boost your immunity and flush toxins during the flu.

Elderberry

Holistic Online recommends making a tea from dry elderberry herb and boiling water. Use 3 to 5 grams of herb added to one cup of water. Allow it to steep and strain the herb. Elderberry is reported to protect the respiratory tract against flu. It has also been shown to help reduce muscle pain and other flu symptoms.