Magic Turmeric Tea is my formula for staying healthy through the winter cold and flu season. It's a powerful, supercharged drink that tastes great, too.

2 blue mugs filled with magic turmeric tea with lemon slices on the rim.

It's time for the strangest/ most awesome recipe I've ever shared with you. Turmeric tea … wait, don't run away yet!

I know it sounds like the craziest thing ever. To be honest, I was a little nervous about sharing this post with you. I can imagine that the four people who didn't run away after reading TURMERIC TEA must be thinking I've either sunk to some new blogging low or completely lost my mind.

What's really going on here is that this tea is pure magic, and I couldn't hold back sharing it with you for one day longer. You and I are OL friends, and we share things. Especially if those things are our secret tricks to coasting through each and every cold and flu season unscathed.

It would be almost mean girl of me to not share my secret recipe for turmeric tea. 

Here's the thing … every time I feel a cold coming on, or my handsome man is coughing and sneezing his way around the house, I drown myself in this magic concoction. You know what happens? Nothing. That's right, nothing happens. No coughing. Not sneezing. No awful aches and pains. Nada.

Now I'm no scientist, but I've done a little research and have some theories about why this works …

A hand reaching for a cup of magic turmeric tea.

My theory why this turmeric tea is pure magic:

Turmeric: It's the ultimate superfood. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant. It's also a serious antiviral and can kick butt on the influenza virus. Don't just take my word for it, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study in 2009 listing curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) and being a beneficial natural antiviral agent.

Green Tea: Another powerful superfood. Green tea is rich in antimicrobial and antioxidant catechins, polyphenols, and flavonoids. The same study I linked to above, suggests that both green tea and turmeric be used in countries that lack access to the flu vaccines during influenza outbreaks.

Ginger: A strong anti-inflammatory that will help give your immune system a boost. Want to hear an interesting fact? Ginger contains sesquiterpenes (what a name!) which can target and kill rhinoviruses. Aka: the family of cold viruses known us non-scientists call the Common Cold.

Garlic: The active ingredient in garlic is called allicin. Some studies have shown that allicin is effective in fighting bacterial and viral infections.

Black Pepper: It's turmeric's best friend. Black pepper increases the bioavailability of turmeric – I've read by an astounding 2000%. But it doesn't stop there. Just like all the other superfoods in this Magic Turmeric Tea, black pepper also has antiviral, antimicrobial, and antibacterial properties.

Lemon juice: Vitamin C and a damn good placebo. Even though we've all grown up thinking lemon juice is the ultimate cold fighter (honey lemon tea, anyone?!) the studies have inconsistent results that seem to show it's not as effective as we like to think it is. Doesn't matter, I still like to put lots of lemon juice in my turmeric tea. Even if this part is all placebo, I'm not messing with a formula I know works for me! ?

Fresh turmeric on a black cloth.

There you have it, my friends. This is how I give the ol' eff you middle finger to the cold and flu any time they come near. It sends them running every time.

I give a little credit to the “I'm super healthy and strong” mantra I repeat like a broken record while sipping the tea. Mind over matter! Sometimes that mantra turns into “I'm super fucking healthy and strong” said with a lot of eff you if the cold feels like it's starting to fight back. Then I just drink more tea and win the fight.

With this turmeric tea, I never seem to get any further along the ‘having a cold train' than feeling a little run down and tired for a day. It's MAGIC.

Will you join me in kicking butt this cold and flu season?

Mugs of turmeric tea with fresh turmeric slices and lemons beside them.

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More healthy turmeric recipes

2 blue mugs filled with magic turmeric tea with lemon slices on the rim.

Magic Turmeric Tea

Yield: 1 mug
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 0 mins
Total Time: 5 mins
Magic Turmeric Tea is my formula for staying healthy through the winter cold and flu season. It's a powerful, supercharged drink that tastes great, too.

If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!

5 stars (8 ratings)
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Ingredients

  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 1 ½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh turmeric, or sub powdered
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 small garlic clove, grated with a Microplane
  • 1 bag of green tea
  • Optional: 1 teaspoon honey, we like to use Royal Jelly – omit for Whole30

Instructions 

Option #1:

  • Place all the ingredients into a mug and fill with nearly boiling water. Let the tea steep for 2-3 minutes then remove the bag and sip away. Tip: leave a spoon in the mug and give it a stir before each sip to mix up the spices.
    Juice from 1 lemon, 1 ½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon grated fresh turmeric, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 small garlic clove, 1 bag of green tea, Optional: 1 teaspoon honey

Option #2:

  • Place a mug of water into a small pot, add all the ingredients and bring almost to a boil. Remove from the heat and let it sit for 2-3 minutes. Remove the tea bag then pour the tea into your high-powered blender. Blend on high until frothy and smooth.
    Juice from 1 lemon, 1 ½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon grated fresh turmeric, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 small garlic clove, 1 bag of green tea, Optional: 1 teaspoon honey

Notes

Green tea does contain caffeine. If you are drinking this in the evening, or avoiding caffeine, either use decaffeinated green tea or omit it.
Turmeric root is very sticky when grated. I find it best to keep it in the freezer as it is much easier and less messy to grate when frozen.
If you're making a big batch of turmeric tea, use 1 green tea bag for each 2 cups of tea.
WARNING: if you choose to blend the tea, the turmeric will stain your blender. You can remove most of the stain with hot water and a little bleach. Most of the rest fades over time.
Serving: 1 mug, Calories: 25kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 2mg, Potassium: 128mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 6IU, Vitamin C: 19mg, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 1mg
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