orange and cinnamon hot toddy

Here is another delicious recipe for those cold winter evenings. With the winter just around the corner, we are all worried about getting a cold or flu. Here is something to help prevent colds and flu. Warm up with a Hot Toddy. Have a hot toddy when you’re feeling under the weather and need a little nightcap to soothe you to bed. The hot toddy will be your new favourite beverage to banish the chill of winter and it also soothes your throat, making it an excellent elixir for when you have a cold or flu.

Makes 2 servings
Ingredients
*         Hot water
*         1 Bag camomile tea
*         2 Cinnamon sticks
*         2 Tbsp. raw honey
*         1/2 Lemon or lime (about 4 teaspoons juice)
*         2 Orange slices
*         50ml Brandy or whiskey

Method

1. Put the kettle on to boil while you set out the other ingredients.
2. Put the tea bag and cinnamon sticks in a teapot. When the water boils, pour 1 and ½ cups of water over tea bag and let everything steep for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, divide honey and lemon juice between two mugs. Squeeze an orange slice into each.
4. When the tea is ready, pour over honey; stir to dissolve.
5. Add 25ml of Brandy or Whiskey to each glass. Stir, sip, and add more honey and Brandy or Whiskey to taste.

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Why this recipe is packed full of healthy goodness   

Health Benefits of Chamomile Tea 

Promotes Sleep If you love herbal tea, you most likely already know chamomile tea as the 'night-time' tea. This tea, with its mild sedative effects, is treasured for its ability to relieve insomnia and encourage a good night's sleep, free of nightmares. If you've been having sleepless or restless nights, a steamy, soothing mug of chamomile tea at bedtime may be just what you need to sleep soundly through the night. Insomnia and sleepless nights often go hand-in-hand with increased melancholy and worry, and may even cause depression. Chamomile tea can ease anxiety and depression, too.

Reduces Anxiety 

Today's busy, stressful world leaves many of us feeling increasingly anxious, worried, and upset or even depressed. 

Traditional healers have long recommended chamomile tea as a simple, healthy (and delicious) way to relieve anxiety. Current scientific studies support this tea's long-time reputation as a stress reliever and nerve relaxant, showing it to be an effective way to reduce anxiety and depression. If you've been feeling anxious, stressed, or depressed, you may find soothing relief in a cup of chamomile tea. Make it a part of your daily routine for full, long-lasting benefits.

Fights Colds 

Another very good reason to add chamomile tea to your tea cupboard is this tea's ability to boost your immune system.
Studies have shown that enjoying chamomile tea regularly is a healthy, natural way to support your immune system, which in turn can protect you from so many health issues - even the common cold that we all dread so much.

Antioxidant

Camomile tea is a very rich source of antioxidants, and these antioxidants provide so many benefits for health! Not only do antioxidants fight inflammation and protect against chronic disease (such as cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and rheumatoid arthritis), but they also work to slow the aging process and reverse the visible signs of aging (like wrinkles and loss of skin elasticity). 

Benefits for Type 2 Diabetes
Research has found that enjoying camomile tea each day with meals can provide support for those with type 2 diabetes.

Camomile tea can substantially lower blood glucose levels and it can also help prevent or improve many of the complications that can accompany type 2 diabetes, such as kidney damage and vision loss, as well. Even if you don't have diabetes, this herbal tea is a wise preventive choice. Camomile tea works to stop the progression of hyperglycaemia, which can protect you against developing diabetes and encourage healthy organs and blood vessels, too.

Blood Thinning Benefits

Because certain compounds in camomile have blood thinning properties, that steamy mug of camomile tea may benefit your overall heart health too by improving circulation, encouraging healthy blood vessels, and providing protection against cardiovascular disease.

Fights and Prevents Cancer

Early laboratory research suggests that this powerful herbal tea may also help to fight and even prevent cancer. 
Not only do camomile tea's antioxidants provide protection against cancer, but camomile also has certain chemicals that slow the spread and shortening the lifespan of cancer cells.

Promotes Dental Health

Drinking a cup of camomile tea (or simply gargling with cooled camomile tea) can encourage healing of and bring soothing relief to painful gums, gingivitis and toothaches.

Health Benefits of Honey 

Nature's Energy Booster

Honey is a great natural source of carbohydrates which provide strength and energy to our bodies. Honey is known for its effectiveness in instantly boosting the performance and endurance, and reducing muscle fatigue of athletes. Its natural sugars play an important role in preventing fatigue during exercise. The glucose in honey is absorbed by the body quickly and gives an immediate energy boost, while the fructose is absorbed more slowly providing sustained energy. It is known that honey has also been found to keep levels of blood sugar fairly constant compared to other types of sugar

Immunity System Builder

Amongst the many health benefits of honey, what is most impressive is that honey can be a powerful immune system booster. Its antioxidant and anti-bacterial properties can help improve digestive system and help you stay healthy and fight disease. 

Honey is Anti-Cancer

Honey does not cure cancer but what many people have overlooked is that honey possesses carcinogen-preventing and anti-tumour properties.

For Sore Throats
One of the better known health benefits of honey is that it is able to help treat sore throats. Thanks to its anti-microbial properties, honey not only soothes sore throats but can also kill certain bacteria that cause the infection.

Health Benefits of Hot Lemon Water 

 Gives your Immune System a Boost

Vitamin C is like our immune system’s jumper cables, and lemon juice is full of it. The level of vitamin C in your system is one of the first things to plummet when you’re stressed, which is why experts recommends supplementing with vitamin C during especially stressful days.

Excellent Source of Potassium 

Lemons are high in potassium, which is good for heart health, as well as brain and nerve function.

Aids Digestion

Lemon juice not only encourages healthy digestion by loosening toxins in your digestive tract, it helps to relieve symptoms of indigestion such as heartburn and bloating.

Cleanses Your System

Lemon helps flush out the toxins in your body by enhancing enzyme function, stimulating your liver.

Keeps Your Skin Blemish-Free

The antioxidants in lemon juice help to not only decrease blemishes, but wrinkles too. It can also be applied to scars and age spots to reduce their appearance, and because it detoxifies your blood, it will maintain your skin’s radiance.

 Reduces Inflammation

If you drink lemon water on a regular basis, it will decrease the acidity in your body, which is where disease states occur. It removes uric acid in your joints, which is one of the main causes of inflammation.

Helps Fight Viral Infections

Warm lemon water is the most effective way to diminish viral infections and their subsequent sore throats. Plus, with the lemon juice also boosting your immune system, you’ll simultaneously fight off the infection completely.

Health Benefits of Cinnamon

Regulates Blood Sugar
Numerous studies show that cinnamon regulates blood sugar, making it a great choice for diabetics and hypoglycaemic alike. That’s also great news for anyone who wants stable energy levels and moods.

Regulates Cholesterol

Cinnamon reduces LDL cholesterol levels.  LDL is also known as the harmful cholesterol.  Reducing it may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Prevents Infections

Cinnamon has natural anti-infectious compounds.  In studies, cinnamon has been effective against ulcer-causing bacteria and other pathogens.

Reduces Pain

Cinnamon reduces pain linked to arthritis.  It has been shown to reduce cytokines linked to arthritic pain. Cinnamon has also been found to be an effective natural remedy for eliminating headaches and migraines.

                                  References

1.       The tea talk. 2014. Chamomile tea benefits your body, mind, and spirit. [Online] Available at: http://www.theteatalk.com/camomile-tea-benefits.html. [Accessed 12 May 2014]   2.       Benefits of honey. 2014. Health benefits of honey. [Online] Available at: http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/health-benefits-of-honey.html. [Accessed 12 May 2014] 3.       Lifehack. Brady, K. 11 Benefits of Lemon Water You Didn’t Know About. [Online] Available at: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/11-benefits-lemon-water-you-didnt-know-about.html. [Accessed 12 May 2014] 4.       Organic authority. Manitsas, A. 2010. 11 Health Benefits of Cinnamon You Need to Know. [Online] Available at: http://www.organicauthority.com/health/11-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html. [Accessed 12 May 2014] 5.       Richly rooted: Natural living in abundant grace. 2014. Warm Up with a Hot Toddy (Good for Colds and Flu!) {Wellness Wednesday #32}. [Online] Available at: http://richlyrooted.com/2014/01/hot-toddy-good-for-colds-and-flu.html. [Accessed 12 May 2014]