Notes by Nourish

In today’s post, we’re going to cover my favourite 5 Ways to use Honey to Fight the Cold and Flu Season.
As the colder weather approaches and cold’s and flu start to raise their unwanted heads, now is an excellent time to set yourself up with an amazing immune-supporting routine.
There are a plethora of herbs, teas, supplements and so forth that help to support the immune system during these times, but don’t forget honey.
Raw Honey is an incredibly powerful tool to have at hand regularly to help prevent as well as treat any coughs, colds and sore throats.

Let’s get to my 5 Ways to use Honey to Fight the Cold and Flu Season!

No. 1 – Fire Cider

I’m a huge fan of Fire Cider. I’m that person that considers it so marvellous that it counts as a Christmas present for my family! I enjoy making it for other people and watching their expressions as they take their first taste. I imagine it’s somewhat similar to watching a baby try lemons for the first time!
Anyway, back to the topic at hand! What is Fire Cider?

Fire Cider is a popular herbal folk remedy made from a combination of apple cider vinegar that has been infused with herbs such as garlic, onion, ginger, turmeric, horseradish, and hot peppers. It’s then finished off with a good lashing of raw honey.

Fire Cider is one of the more pleasant and easy ways to boost your health and immune system, especially at this time of year. I wrote a blog post about it here so you can learn more about it and how to make it.
It’s really easy to make and to take.
As a preventative, simply take a tablespoon each morning to help ward off any nasties going around.
Alternatively, if your throat is scratchy or your nose is starting to leak, take 1 to 2 tablespoons at the first sign of a cold. Repeat this every 3 to 4 hours until symptoms subside. 

No. 2 – Fermented Honey Garlic

This is the newest addition to my fermentation love affair. I don’t know why it took me so long to try it. It’s seriously easy to make and it’s incredibly versatile to use.

I wrote a blog post on how to make it here so give it a try yourself!

Fermented honey garlic is really nice to add to a variety of dishes to not only boost the flavour profile but also to support your immune system.

Garlic is one of our most versatile herbs, helping to provide respiratory, immune, digestive and cardiovascular support.
It’s fantastic at helping to fight infection and bacteria and is a wonderful ally for preventing and resolving respiratory infections.  

No. 3 – Herbal Syrups

If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know I’m obsessed with herbal syrups. In particular, any that have anything to do with elderberry or thyme.
Herbal syrups are something that I like to make and have to hand pretty much all year, but especially around the change of season into winter.

I shared here in my blog post how to make herbal syrups should you be keen to try making them. It’s not hard, and it results in the most delicious medicine!

To use herbal syrups, simply take a spoon a day as a preventative or when you feel like you’re coming down with something. In this case, take a spoon every few hours until symptoms subside.

If you don’t wish to make a syrup, we stock some great ones in-store and online.

• Pukka Elderberry Syrup – a delicious organic blend of manuka honey 14+, trikatu, thyme along with aniseed, liquorice, horseradish and peppermint. 

No. 4 – Straight Off The Spoon

Possibly the easiest way to take honey is literally off the spoon. My preferred honey for this is Manuka honey because it’s so incredibly powerful as an immune system supporter.

If you’ve seen true manuka honey on the shelves before, you’ll notice that it does come with a pretty hefty price tag, but alas, that is for good reason. I wrote a blog post all about Manuka Honey here so feel free to have a quick nosy over there.

In short, Manuka honey is produced in New Zealand by bees that pollinate the native Manuka bush.
Manuka honey has many uses, but it is most famously known for its ability to help promote a healthy immune system.
Importantly, it is loaded with minerals, enzymes and antioxidants, and is a fantastic defence against colds when used daily during the winter. It’s also a great treatment for coughs and sore, dry or irritated throats if you were not able to escape catching something.

Of course, you can use raw honey here. Raw honey has not been heat-treated/pasteurised like commercial honey. Unfortunately, pasteurisation removes the beneficial enzymes, vitamins and health properties in honey – basically all the beneficial bits you want!

No. 5 – Add to Hot Beverages

Herbal infusion, teas, medicinal mushroom hot choccies, turmeric lattes… all of these are good vessels for a dose of immune system supportive honey.

Lattes

One of my favourite ways is through a latte of some kind. I wrote a blog post here called 7 Superfood Lattes You Need to Try, and I’m serious. Try them! I love them to the point that I struggle daily with which one to have that I almost always end up with 2 or 3 in a day! Especially in winter when I’m cold and need an internal hug from warm beverages!

These beverages are not only loaded with superfoods like turmeric, matcha, beetroot and medicinal mushrooms, but they’re also really delicious and super easy to get your honey into.

Herbal Infusions

Additionally, adding honey to respiratory herbs is a particularly good idea for fighting against respiratory infections and coughs. Thyme is a great lung strengthener and helps to treat respiratory tract problems.
It’s part of the mint family and has antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiviral, expectorant, astringent and anti-inflammatory properties.
Other options would be peppermint, spearmint, rosemary or sage.

One other way certainly worth mentioning that most people think of when adding honey to something is ginger and lemon water. Make sure the water isn’t boiling when you add the honey as that will kill off its benefits.
Simply steep your fresh ginger in hot water, wait for it to cool off a little bit and add a lemon slice or a squeeze of juice, then stir in your honey.

Tea

Although I’m personally not a huge fan of sweetened tea, adding a spoon of honey to green tea when you’re feeling under the weather is another option that many find helpful. Equally, a spoon of honey added to chai tea is another delicious option.

I hope you enjoy these 5 Ways to Use Honey to Fight the Cold and Flu Season. There are certainly more ways to enjoy a spoonful of honey but here are some fantastic ways that I love to use it.

If you’re interested in learning more about ways to support your immune system this upcoming winter season, have a read over these blog posts:

• 8 Natural Tips to Halt Your Cold in Its Tracks
• 7 Supportive Herbs for Your Respiratory System
• 6 Helpful Herbs You May Not Have Heard Of But Should
• East to West, Tea’s the Best: 9 of our Favourite Health Benefiting Teas
• What’s the Scoop on: Reishi Mushrooms
• 5 Essential Pantry Ingredients to Support Your Health This Change of Season
• Support Your Immune System now with These 5 Things
• 5 Top Foods for Staying Healthy This Winter

Emily Nöth

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*Please note that while we are knowledgeable about our products and nutrition, this blog should never be a substitute for medical advice and attention. 

Please remember that you should always obtain the all-clear from your doctor before starting any new supplement plan or diet if you’re on any medication