Honey Raspberry Tea (and Other Russian Home Remedies for Cold & Flu Season)

Honey Raspberry Tea

This is a very common drink in Russia, except usually the raspberries are mixed with sugar and used to sweeten the tea. I wanted to take it a step further so I used raw honey instead, and the combination of raw unfiltered honey and raw raspberries makes this drink a little powerhouse. Raw unfiltered honey has lots of health benefits, and can even help fight infections, and raspberries are full of vitamins and antioxidants that can help prevent infections. So on top of this being a delicious hot drink by its own right, this tea will soothe your throat, calm your cough, and help your body fight the germs assailing it.

Ingredients

• 1 part* fresh raspberries (organic if you can get them)
• 1 part* raw unfiltered honey
• Black tea

*In general, I’ve found that 1 pint of raspberries = 3/4 cup honey.

Method

Wash and dry the berries. Mash the berries with a wooden spoon in a mason jar. Add honey. Mix well. Let the mixture sit at a room temperature for couple of hours. Then refrigerate. Use within a week.  Use as a sweetener to your tea: 2-3 spoonfuls. If you don’t want the seeds in your tea, brew your tea and mix with raspberry honey in a measuring cup, and then just run through the strainer.

Tea with Honey and Lemon

I’m sure this one doesn’t need much introduction, but even though a lot of people know about this, not everyone actually takes advantage of it. My take on this? Just do it! Really, it’s delicious and comforting and good for you all around.

Ingredients

• Raw unfiltered honey
• Lemons (organic if you can)
• Black tea

Method

Brew tea to your liking, sweeten with honey, and add a slice or two of lemon.

P.S. Sometimes I just make sort of a honey syrup where I squeeze fresh lemon juice and mix it with few tablespoons of honey and take a spoonful of it through out the day.  My son doesn’t like tea, but he will have this syrup, and it soothes his throat and calms his cough without store-bought cough syrup.

Milk with Honey and Butter

This remedy is a bit unusual for Americans, I think, as my husband looks at me like I’m crazy whenever I do it, but it’s easy to make, and if you like milk, it’s delicious as well. You can drink it throughout the day, but it’s best before bed since one of its benefits is to help you sleep better. It also helps get rid of mucus and calm your cough.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole grass fed milk (organic if you can)
• 1-2 tbsp raw unfiltered honey
• 1 tbsp grass fed butter (organic if you can )

Method

Warm the milk until the butter melts, add honey and enjoy.

Mustard Foot Bath

I’ll bet you probably have never heard of this one. Mustard food baths are very popular in Russia, but they must have been so in America at one point too. My husband recently finished reading the new biography of Ulysses S. Grant, and apparently President Grant used to soak his feet in mustard baths to ease his migraine symptoms. You’re supposed to do this when you first start feeling sick, or when you have a stuffy nose or a bad cough. It’s recommended that you do it at night, then go straight to bed and keep your feet warm (wool socks are recommended since wool is supposed to hold heat in better). I’ve been soaking my feet in mustard baths on and off for the past month as everyone else in my house got sick, and even though I’ve been the one caring for them.

It does come with a disclaimer though: You absolutely shouldn’t do this if you have a fever, varicose veins, skin infections, or any other kind of problems with your legs. Definitely ask your doctor before doing this if you have any concerns.

You can find dry mustard powder in Russian or Eastern European stores, which we have plenty of in our area of New Jersey. It’s not a yellow mustard, it’s darker in color. I will update this as I research more options as to where else can you get this mustard if you’re not fortunate enough to live in New Jersey.

Ingredients

• 2-3 tbsp dry mustard powder
• Hot water (100°F-104°F)
• Water bucket or tub

Method

Fill the bucket (or part of the tub) with hot water. Add 2-3 tbsp of mustard powder, and mix to dissolve. Soak your feet for 30 minutes. As the water cools down keep adding a little bit of hot water at a time. Once done, dry your feet, put warm socks on and go straight to bed.

Fruit Salad

I don’t know about you, but when I’m under the weather, I always crave fruit. I love this combination of flavors. Not only is it delicious, but each fruit is packed with nutrients and vitamins that you need. It’s also seasonal and doesn’t require you to make any dressing. If you do feel that the salad is a little dry, just squeeze some mandarin juice over it.  Feel free to make up your own proportions since I usually just use what I have on hand.

Ingredients

• 2 bananas
• 2 kiwis
• 2-3 mandarins

Method

Cut up fruit and mix. Enjoy.