Working in the Germ Pool.

I started working in the infant room this September.  Stress levels have been high for all the littles as they adjust to being away from their parents.  New environment, new caregivers in their lives, new friends, new sounds, new routines and on it goes.  Lots of adjustments going on for them.  As you can imagine, for this age group, there is lots of mouthing of toys, open sneezing and coughing, and drooling. Because of their age, their immune systems are vulnerable to all the germs going around. So needless to say, many of them have been sick and passing on Germs to each other and to us.

As I prefer to use natural remedies if I can, when I came down with a mild cold myself, I nipped it in the bud with a little concoction of Garlic, Lemon and Honey. I have been reading about all the healing properties of these foods.  Did you know that garlic is a natural anti-biotic?  Lemon is very high in Vitamin C and Honey (particularly raw, local honey) also has anti-bacterial properties.

I couldn't believe how much better I felt!  

When I told my daughter I drank it like a tea, she wasn't sure it sounded that tasty.  Neither did some of my co-workers.

My daughter later found a recipe on Pinterest, which she liked, that used the same items, including cinnamon and ginger. You can find the link to the website here.

This is Lisa's picture and Thaicia's recipe. Cheers, and here's to Wellness this season!

Thaicia's Traditional Cold Remedy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Serving Size: 1 cup each

A cold remedy taught by traditional healers to my friend Thaicia. It's filled with great ingredients with healing properties for those who don't want to use Western medicines to relieve a cold.

Ingredients

2 inches of ginger, sliced thinly (transverse/diagonal slices)

1 tsp ground cinnamon or 3 cinnamon sticks

3-6 garlic cloves, sliced thinly transverse/diagonal slices

2 cups water

2 lemons, juiced (juice of 1 lemon per serving)

2 heaping tbsp of raw honey (1 tbsp per serving)

Optional: 1 scant tsp propolis (if you use propolis, make sure you wash your utensils and cups immediately because it can stain)

Instructions

1. In a kettle or a covered pot, boil ginger, cinnamon (or cinnamon sticks), and sliced garlic for about 15 minutes.
2. In the cups, stir together the lemon juice and raw honey until the honey has dissolved.
3. Pour 1 cup of the boiled ginger and garlic (don't eat the ginger/garlic stuff unless you reaaaally want to get better) into the two cups full of lemon and honey.
4. If you are using propolis add a scant 1/2 tsp to each cup and stir quickly. Drink immediately and wash the cup as soon as possible because the propolis will stain the cup.
5. Drink both servings if you're really sick. Rest well, keep hydrated and stay warm, and you'll get better in no time =)