Dalia's magic tea

It has been a bit of an eventful week. I think my daughter broke my nose (a few days ago, and obviously unintentional...I hope :-)). Mothers are constantly receiving bumps and bruises - it's part of the job - I do recall the wallop of some hard toy right on the centre of my nose though. I have quite a swollen nose at the moment which is immensely attractive, and will be sure to have it properly checked tomorrow. Meanwhile I'm feeling a little off, wondering if infection has set in to the tissues because they are so hot and tender. So I'm drinking my magic tea and thought that perhaps you could all do with the recipe for when you feel your immune system rev up.

It isn't the most delicious concoction in the world, but I find it totally palatable and love the zing feeling it gives me when I'm feeling all a-floppy with whatever little microbe is trying to flare up in me.

You can adjust the amounts as you wish:

- Thumb sized ginger root, peeled and sliced (give it a bit of a beating to release the flavour/magic bits)

- Pinkie finger sized piece of turmeric root, peeled and sliced (also given a bit of a beating)

- Organic, single sourced honey, to taste

- Two slices of unwaxed, organic lemon

- A green/white tea bag, steeped for 3-5 minutes then removed

Why these ingredients?

Ginger root: A potent, delicious source of antioxidants. Ginger's main antioxidants - called gingerols - are anti inflammatory compounds which help to reduce the discomfort and disease progression associated with inflammatory conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, colorectal cancer and more.

Turmeric root: Both the volatile oil fraction and the pigment (curcumin) in turmeric have been shown to have strong anti inflammatory action. Curcumins have been shown to have comparable anti inflammatory action to anti inflammatory medications such as hydrocortisone and phenylbutazone without the toxic side effects. Turmeric has been shown to be helpful in inflammatory bowel diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, tumour growth and spread, childhood lukaemia, liver function, cardiovascular health and neurodegenerative diseases.

White and green tea: Both contain a lovely antioxidant called EGCG which help to mop up the free radicals which cause disease.

Lemon: A source of unique flavonoids with antioxidant effects plus plenty of one of the most famous and important antioxidants, vitamin C.

Hope you find that helpful :-) Have a beautiful week!