Anna Getty’s Immunity-Boosting Ginger Lemon Tisane

With all the talk these days about immunity, I thought it was time to check in with Anna Getty, the chef behind the delicious, healthy, mainly plant-based, low-sugar, often lectin-free recipes and food inspiration at Amalgam Kitchen. Anna’s been sharing nutritious advice with me for more than a decade, so when she offered to teach me how to make this easy, immunity-system supporting tisane recipe, I jumped at the chance. Want the recipe?

We met up in March for a 30-minute recipe demo plus conversation about health and wellness in the time of Covid-19 and here’s the link to the video. We made this Immunity-Boosting Ginger Lemon Tisane, which is a natural herbal tea infused with lemon, ginger, and honey. 

Anna Getty’s Immunity-Boosting Ginger Lemon Tisane Recipe

(serves two, certified organic ingredients preferred)

1-2 ginger roots (roughly two-inch pieces), washed

1 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1-2 lemons, washed

2 tsp honey — preferably Mānuka honey, which has antibacterial and antioxidant properties, but you can also use raw honey

2 mugs

Can’t make the conversation? No worries! Here’s how to make Anna Getty’s Immunity-Boosting Ginger Lemon Tisane:

1. Slice the ginger thinly — you can even use a mandolin. If you are sensitive to spice, just use one root — if you’re like me, you’ll want two.
2. Drop the ginger into a saucepan and pour four cups of water over, then cover and leave on low heat for five minutes.
3. While that’s cooking (and your house is beginning to smell amazing) add to each mug a teaspoon of honey, plus the cayenne and turmeric, and mix it into a paste.
4. Then cut each lemon in half, pick out the seeds, and squeeze the juice — including any pulp, that’s the good stuff as it’s full of antioxidant bioflavonoids — into the cups. If you like lemon, use one per cup; otherwise, just half a cup is fine.
5. After the ginger has cooked down, strain into the cup, stir and sip. Yum!

“This tisane supports the immune system — and just makes you feel better if you’re coming down with something,” Anna told me. “I always save the leftover ginger in my fridge in case I need to put it on a feverish forehead and bring the heat down.”

The immunity-boosting supplements Anna recommends are vitamins B, D, and C + zinc, along with quercetin. A sante!