Honey, Lemon, and Ginger Tea: A Healthy Drink Before Breakfast

In this article, I have come up with a well-known morning drink i.e. tea. Tea is found to be the most widely consumed beverage in the world next to water. Tea is the common drink of Indians and also of the population all over the world. Tea is native to Asia and originated in Southwest China, where it was used as a medicinal drink. In India tea was indigenous, but its commercial production began with the arrival of the British East India Company in the 16^th century. But, don't worry, I am not going to tell you about the history of tea. Now, tea is widely consumed in India and popular in the world too. Besides, India is one of the largest producers, and exporters of tea, after China in the world. So, the importance of tea in India and the world can't be neglected. However, tea is not taken in a healthy way. Its many contents have serious side effects and most people are not aware. The main harmful substances in tea leaves are caffeine and tannic acid. Even coffee, another popular beverage after tea, also contains those substances. Excessive intake of tea or coffee makes you addicted and affects your digestive system, teeth, joints, and what more. So, if tea or any other drink is a must then we should have it definitely, but in a healthy way. So, here I am with you to share a drink, which is not only healthy but also delicious. It's a Honey, lemon, and ginger tea. I am going to tell you about the benefits of honey, lemon, and ginger tea plus its recipe. Honey with lemon and ginger—the 'trio'—makes a great drink. Each of the ingredients has unique medicinal qualities when combined to make a drink that gives a delicious taste plus a soothing effect on the mind and body.

Why this drink?

• A good source of energy and refreshing: Honey is a good source of energy as honey contains about 64 calories per tablespoon. I have used 2 tablespoons of honey in my morning drink. Lemon provides freshness and ginger adds a spicy flavour. It's a refreshing and palatable drink plus a great energy source. So, it's good to start your morning tea with the 'trio'—honey, lemon, and ginger as the main ingredients.
• Immediate relief from nausea and indigestion: Nausea refers to the sensation of having an urge to vomit, while vomiting refers to the splitting up of the contents of the stomach. They are not diseases, but rather symptoms of a body disorder. Ginger can help prevent or treat vomiting and nausea from cancer chemotherapy, pregnancy, which is a relief during that period, and motion sickness (Lete & Alluέ, 2016; Mashhadi et al., 2013). Ginger has been used as a digestive aid and for other therapeutic uses for thousands of years by ancient cultures, especially in India and other south Asian countries. Ancient countries' texts have mentioned a lot about ginger. So, ginger in tea is a must. Moreover, if you have a motion sickness tendency, you can drink a cup of ginger-lemon tea, with honey as a natural sweetener, prior to travel to prevent nausea. It also alleviates an upset stomach. It improves the functioning of the colon. Honey is a predigested sugar, that helps digestion. Lemon helps in cleansing and is a diuretic. So, Honey and lemon water is believed to cleanse the colon (large intestine) and expel undigested food, waste, and other toxins that have built up in it. The removal of toxins improves the absorption of nutrients in the stomach and helps you stay hydrated. This drink is also believed to prevent abdominal bloating. It eases the pain and uneasiness of an upset stomach. The ginger and lemon contents in the drink lower the chances of heartburn and indigestion. Lemon juice with warm water improves kidney function. It causes the food to be better absorbed by the body and prevents belching and bloating after eating too much. It improves your appetite as well. Thus, lemon, ginger, and honey in warm water are a perfect remedy and combination.

• Antimicrobial and wound healing properties: Honey exhibits skin healing and antiseptic properties, it's antibacterial and antifungal. Antimicrobial agents found in honey help prevent infections by eliminating bacteria in and around wounds. Many types of bacteria cannot survive in honey. So wounds heal, swelling calms down and tissue can grow back. Due to its ability to retain water, honey helps rehydrate dry skin. It can also help relieve sunburn pain and accelerate the healing process. While lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C that can heal wounds and preserve the strength of bones and teeth. So, honey with lemon and ginger makes a great drink.
• Boosts immune system: Honey present in the drink may also boost the body's immune system by aiding in the production of white blood cells. This improves your ability to fight infection and helps reduce fevers, while ginger increases blood circulation in the body which is vital for optimum health.
• Rich in antioxidants: Lemons contain bioflavonoids, also referred to as Vitamin P, and are super antioxidants, that help maintain adequate levels of vitamin C in every cell of your body. Vitamin C content in lemon juice acts as a great antioxidant that can also help neutralize the activity of waste products called free radicals in your body. These free radicals damage DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid, a significant molecule that encodes the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all living organisms) and aggravate health problems. So, lemon is a good ingredient in your morning drink. It also helps in reducing inflammation and swelling caused by free radicals in the body. By stemming damage due to inflammation in your body, vitamin C may decrease the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Similarly, ginger and honey also possess anti inflammatory and antioxidative properties (Samarghandian et al., 2017; Vaidya et al., 2016)

• Good for hair: Since honey, ginger, and lemon tea is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and super antioxidants, you’ll be able to tackle your hair problems easily and naturally.
• Brings a natural radiance to your skin: the cleansing action of lemon and honey helps in purifying the blood. It makes your skin glow. Honey, lemon, and ginger water are better than any anti-ageing cream available on the market. The drink is rich in Vitamins C and B (specifically riboflavin i.e., vitamin B2 which protects cells from damage and is great for tissue repair), and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium which are great for bones but also calm stress, nourish adrenal glands and stimulates collagen. Your skin can never glow if the body is toxic or acidic. Further, the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties of ginger helps delaying the process of aging (Mashhadi et al., 2013).
• Relieves cough and cold: Honey has a soothing effect on sore throats, making it an effective and natural cough suppressant. It is effective for children (Goldman, 2014). Being a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, honey provides magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, copper, and zinc as well as vitamins A, B-complex, and C.

  However, honey should not be given to babies under one year old. Infant botulism may affect them. Clostridium botulinum bacteria in soil and dust produce a toxin that causes it. Bacteria can contaminate honey, carpets, and floors (Kate M. Cronan, 2020; Branan, 2021). These microorganisms are not harmful to adolescents and adults as their developed digestive systems allow the toxins to be expelled from the body before they can cause any harm.

• Prevents the formation of cancerous cells: Lemon water is alkalizing. The human body functions best in an alkalizing state while cancer cells breed in an acidic state in the body. So, lemon is a good ingredient in your morning tea. Besides lemon, ginger and its constituents—gingerols, shogaol, and paradols are the valuable ingredients possessing anti–cancerous properties (Mashhadi et al., 2013; Prasad & Tyagi, 2015)
• Helps in weight loss: Ginger and lemon both are considered blood thinning agents. High blood sugar levels trigger cravings for carbohydrates and fatty foods. Ginger helps to normalize these sugar levels which otherwise can affect your ability to lose weight or eat healthy food. Ginger also improves fat absorption and prevents it from accumulating in the body. Both ginger and lemon have anti-inflammatory properties that prevent inflammations and enhance the activity of the liver that helping in shedding your extra pounds. The fresh aroma of lemons reduces stress causing an increase in metabolism and proper organ function that can help in weight loss. Lemon with honey can help in preventing accumulation of fat in the body (Shetty et al., 2016).
• Stress reliever: Whenever you feel tensed or worn out, a drink can also be an effective stress reliever. The strong aroma, its sour, spicy, sweet, and refreshing taste plus calming effects provide you relief and relaxation to your body and mind.
• Reduces Pain: Ginger contains gingerol, a powerful antioxidant compound known for its medicinal properties. Ginger has effective anti-pain properties. It is used to reduce pain associated with osteoarthritis (a type of joint disease), reduce muscle pain due to exercises, and also reduce menstrual pain in women. So, never avoid ginger in the morning drink.

Now, I hope you are in the mood to have such a drink. So let's start preparing a healthy drink.

• If you wish, you can stir cinnamon stick in the drink, gives a good taste.
• I have used 2 tablespoons of honey if you are calorie conscious you can add only 1 tablespoon of honey and add more lemon juice depending on your taste although lemon juice increases sourness.
• You can add ground black pepper too in your drink if you want a little more spicy.
• You can add Basil (Tulsi) leaves in the boiling water with ginger. Tulsi leaves have medicinal properties.

Try different variations one by one. The drink can be taken in the evening, or before meals. It's definitely a refreshing and stress reliever drink.

References:

1. Mashhadi, N. S., Ghiasvand, R., Askari, G., Hariri, M., Darvishi, L., & Mofid, M. R. (2013). Anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of ginger in health and physical activity: review of current evidence. International journal of preventive medicine, 4(Suppl 1), S36–S42.
2. Prasad, S., & Tyagi, A. K. (2015). Ginger and its constituents: role in prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal cancer. Gastroenterology research and practice, 2015, 142979. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/142979
3. Lete, I., & Allué, J. (2016). The Effectiveness of Ginger in the Prevention of Nausea and Vomiting during Pregnancy and Chemotherapy. Integrative medicine insights, 11, 11–17. https://doi.org/10.4137/IMI.S36273
4. Shetty, P., Mooventhan, A., & Nagendra, H. R. (2016). Does short-term lemon honey juice fasting have effect on lipid profile and body composition in healthy individuals?. Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine, 7(1), 11–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2016.03.001

5. Vaidya, D., Yashwant, S., Parmar, Rana, N., Sharma, S., Vaidya, D., & Rana, N. (2016). Honey as Natural Sweetener in Lemon Ready-to-Serve Drink Honey as Natural Sweetener in Lemon Ready-to-Serve Drink. International Journal of Bio-Resource and Stress Management, 7(2), 320–325. https://doi.org/10.5958/0976-4038.2016.00050.6

6. Samarghandian, S., Farkhondeh, T., & Samini, F. (2017). Honey and Health: A Review of Recent Clinical Research. Pharmacognosy research, 9(2), 121–127. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-8490.204647
7. Goldman R. D. (2014). Honey for treatment of cough in children. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 60(12), 1107–1110.

8. Cronan, K. M. (2020, February). Infant Botulism. Kidshealth. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/botulism.html

9. Branan, D. (2021, October 25). Health Benefits of Honey Lemon Water. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-honey-lemon-water