Defence Tea

As we step into Autumn, we wanted to share a delicious tea recipe which is perfect warming hug in a mug to support your immune health through the colder months.  The ingredients are super simple to find and you may even have them in your kitchen already... so dig into the spice cupboard, pop the kettle on and let's sit down for a nice cup of tea!

Steep the following ingredients in hot water (but left a couple of minutes off the boil). Note that you can either make in a teapot if you prefer no bits in your cup or pop directly into a mug. Ingredients given are per serving:

A pinch of cayenne

3 fine slices of ginger

1 tsp of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

Juice of half a lemon

A pinch of Cumin

Why these ingredients:

Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum annum)

This gorgeous fiery spice has been widely used in celebrity endorsed teas with claims to promote healthy metabolism and weight loss. Despite these eye catching claims in the media, cayenne is actually researched for its potent antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity[i].  Not only great for day to day immunity but cayenne is even showing promise in more advanced immune cases with its protective effect for cellular health[ii].  Just a note to err on the side of caution with the amount used though… as well as it packing a nutritional punch, it has the powerful heat to match so just a tiny pinch to give you the medicinal benefits but not to overpower the other ingredients in the tea.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

Ginger is a wonderful ingredient in cooking and has been used historically in various systems of medicine to treat coughs, colds, sore throats, fever and infectious diseases amongst other ailments[iii]. A natural antimicrobial, it is even shown to be effective against drug resistant pathogens[iv].  A key ingredient in our Defence supplement to help support immunity but more than that, it is also multifunctional in that it also works on anti-inflammatory pathways. In vivo studies have shown the extract to significantly downregulate proinflammatory cytokines[v].  It’s medicinal benefits are attributed to its content of phenolic compounds, specifically gingerols and shogaols, which seem to be the predominant bioactive compounds.  These compounds not only support immune health but have other far reaching health benefits including blood sugar control, weight management and nausea relief[vi].

Apple Cider Vinegar

We recommend not just using any apple cider vinegar but one that is naturally fermented and raw rather than pasteurised.  The network of strands and cloudy appearance within raw vinegar is a collection of bacteria, yeasts, enzymes and proteins known as the ‘mother’.  Not only does this provide a natural probiotic content, but apple cider vinegar has also been shown to have antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria[vii].  Adding yet more potential to our immune supportive tea.

Lemon

Naturally rich in vitamin C which has a well established role relating to immune function, from sustaining the integrity of immunological barriers to supporting the function of many types of immune cells including phagocytes, natural killer cells, T-cells and B-cells. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant which yet again acts as an anti-inflammatory. You may note the connection with multiple ingredients in our tea being both anti-inflammatory and also supporting the immune system and that is due to the strong connection between the two.  Where we see excessive inflammation it can lead to tissue damage and subsequent ill health[viii]. It is therefore important to maintain vitamin C status which can be especially depleted during times of illness or stress[ix].

Cumin

Last but not least is cumin.  It should be noted that this common spice is not related to the more powerful black cumin seed which is featured in Defence but it is much more widely available and in most peoples spice selection hence why we have included it in our tea.  Cumin is a wonderful tasting spice and not only adds a wonderful flavour to the tea but also is yet again studied for its anti-inflammatory activity as well as soothing for the digestive system[x].

 We hope you have enjoyed your tea whilst reading all about the wonderful properties of the ingredients for your heal

References:

[i] Batiha, G.E.-S. et al. (2020) ‘Biological properties, bioactive constituents, and pharmacokinetics of some capsicum spp. and capsaicinoids’, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(15), p. 5179. doi:10.3390/ijms21155179.

[ii] Granato, M. et al. (2015) ‘Capsaicin triggers immunogenic pel cell death, stimulates DCS and reverts pel-induced immune suppression’, Oncotarget, 6(30), pp. 29543–29554. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.4911.

[iii] Nikkhah Bodagh, M., Maleki, I. and Hekmatdoost, A. (2018) ‘Ginger in gastrointestinal disorders: A systematic review of Clinical Trials’, Food Science & Nutrition, 7(1), pp. 96–108. doi:10.1002/fsn3.807.

[iv] Karuppiah, P. and Rajaram, S. (2012) ‘Antibacterial effect of allium sativum cloves and zingiber officinale rhizomes against multiple-drug resistant clinical pathogens’, Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 2(8), pp. 597–601. doi:10.1016/s2221-1691(12)60104-x.

[v] Szymczak, J., Grygiel-Górniak, B. and Cielecka-Piontek, J. (2024) ‘Zingiber officinale roscoe: The antiarthritic potential of a popular spice—preclinical and clinical evidence’, Nutrients, 16(5), p. 741. doi:10.3390/nu16050741.

[vi] Unuofin, J.O. et al. (2021) ‘Ginger from farmyard to town: Nutritional and pharmacological applications’, Frontiers in Pharmacology, 12. doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.779352.

[vii] Yagnik, D., Serafin, V. and J. Shah, A. (2018) ‘Antimicrobial activity of apple cider vinegar against escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and candida albicans; downregulating cytokine and microbial protein expression’, Scientific Reports, 8(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-017-18618-x.

[viii] Miles, E.A. and Calder, P.C. (2021) ‘Effects of citrus fruit juices and their bioactive components on inflammation and immunity: A narrative review’, Frontiers in Immunology, 12. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.712608.

[ix] Doseděl, M. et al. (2021) ‘Vitamin C—sources, physiological role, kinetics, deficiency, use, toxicity, and determination’, Nutrients, 13(2), p. 615. doi:10.3390/nu13020615.

[x] Norouzkhani, N. et al. (2022) ‘From kitchen to clinic: Pharmacotherapeutic potential of common spices in Indian cooking in age-related neurological disorders’, Frontiers in Pharmacology, 13. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.960037.