Ginger and lemon: together they help purify and wake up the slow metabolism. Ginger and lemon are foods that offer known health benefits. If taken together, however, the beneficial effects increase, making this combination a drink very rich in properties for health. Let’s discover the benefits of ginger and lemon, how to prepare the drink and many valuable tips on how to take them.
Ginger and lemon together have many benefits. Ginger and lemon are two important plants that we can consider as two powerful natural remedies.
If taken in synergy, they mutually enhance their benefits, in particular the purifying effects, regulating digestion and metabolism, anti-inflammatory and strengthening the immune system, thanks to the combination of their numerous active ingredients, antioxidants and vitamin C. Let’s now take a look at the properties of ginger and lemon.
The benefits of ginger root
Ginger is a root, now also known in the West for its numerous health properties. In particular, it is rich in anti-inflammatory active ingredients and substances useful for the digestive system. Its spicy and warming components make it a food suitable for slimming regimes because it not only improves digestive functions, but also produces a “thermogenic” effect, which helps to activate the metabolism, and makes it a powerful fat and calorie burner.
How did ginger get to Europe? It was brought from the Middle East by the veterans of the Asian campaigns of Alexander the Great, in the third century BC. Greece was the first country to use it, then ginger quickly spread throughout Europe, where it was used both fresh and powdered.
For centuries in the East, ginger has been regarded as a medicine. Just think of Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine. Its therapeutic virtues are due in particular to two active ingredients called gingerol and zingiberene with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and antibacterial effects.
The benefits of lemon
Lemon is one of the most effective medicine-foods made available by nature. In ancient times it was used more for its healing properties than in cooking. The strong concentration of Vitamin C makes it a very effective antioxidant, which promotes the elimination of toxins, helps detoxify, fights water retention, strengthens the immune system, balances the body’s pH, contributing to overall health.
The origin of the lemon tree takes us far to China and Indochina. Over time, through the Middle East the lemons arrived in Sicily and from there they entered Europe around the first century AD, at the time of ancient Rome. They became popular in cooking mainly for juice and as a folk remedy for skin care and other common ailments.
How to take ginger and lemon: 5 practical recipes
Now let’s see how to take ginger and lemon and how to prepare it at home with different recipes in the form of hot tea or cold infusion, with a spicy or sweet taste. Let’s start with the simple ginger and lemon herbal tea and then see some variations.
1. Ginger and lemon herbal tea, excellent for purification
An excellent habit, that of starting the day with a herbal tea based on ginger and lemon. It provides a burst of energy, promotes the purification of the organism, intestinal well-being and helps keep the skin healthy. To prepare the herbal tea, you need to boil a 5 cm piece of peeled ginger root for a few minutes, turn off the heat and when the drink has cooled, add lemon juice and drink first thing in the morning, before breakfast.
2. Hot tea for sore throats and flu
It is particularly indicated in winter to counter the onset of colds and keep flu symptoms at bay. Ginger together with lemon can be compared to a natural antibiotic, useful in case of pain and inflammation in the throat. In this case, a 4 cm piece of ginger root is boiled in half a liter of water for ten minutes, then left to cool and only at this point the juice of half a lemon is added, so as not to denaturalize the vitamin C which is thermolabile. You drink one cup in the morning and one in the evening with the addition of a level spoonful of eucalyptus honey. This particular honey is not only used to sweeten, but has a natural expectorant and soothing actioninflammation of the respiratory tract.
3. Ginger, lemon and honey after a meal
A great way to end the meal with a digestive effect is a hot drink made with ginger, honey and lemon. In this case, you need to peel half the ginger root and extract the juice with a juicer or extractor. Then heat a cup of water, but not too much, add a quarter cup of ginger juice and half a lemon squeezed. With a spoonful of honey you get a perfect balance between sweet and spicy. This drink drunk after lunch replaces coffee and after dinner promotes digestion, prevents bloating and fights flatulence.
4. Decoction of ginger and lemon zest for nausea
The decoction of lemon peel gives rise to a grandmother’s remedy called Canarino, a traditional canary yellow drink with a bitter taste, used to treat nausea and stomach pain. If you add pieces of ginger root together with the lemon peel and boil them together, you get an even more powerful decoction with an intense flavor, which, sipped in small sips after meals, promotes digestion, relieves stomach pain and stops nausea.
5. Cold infusion of ginger and lemon
A pleasant thirst- quenching drink rich in anti-inflammatory elements is the ginger and lemon infusion that can also be drunk cold. In this case, the ginger infusion is prepared by boiling four centimeters of root for 5 minutes, then put in the fridge and before drinking it cold, add the lemon juice. It can be sweetened with maple syrup and drunk at any time of the day, to refresh and restore. Especially for those who want to stay on a diet, but not only, the cold infusion of ginger and lemon, sweetened in a natural way, keeps away from sweet snacks and keeps the metabolism in balance.
Ginger and lemon: formidable allies
When two such powerful substances are taken in synergy, the benefits for the body are guaranteed and multiplied. From the morning on an empty stomach to the evening after a meal, there is always a good time and a good opportunity to take ginger with lemon.
