As the season changes and the flu season is upon us, it’s much easier to catch a cold than a break in this bustling city. An endless cycle of stress, processed diet and a lack of sleep can lower your immunity, making you a phlegmy, sneezing, coughing germ-oozing person! And no one likes the sound of that especially in the midst of a pandemic! Your immune system might not zoom up overnight with these health drinks, but these delicious cold cures are packed with vitamins, probiotics and gut-cleansing concoctions that build up health over time.
Here are five probiotic and immunity-boosting drinks you can make right in your own kitchen:
1. Wang Lao Ji (cooling tea)
Starting off the list off with something sweet, Wang Lao Ji is a type of Chinese herbal cooling tea. It has a little bit of everything to fight off the flu. Think root beer without the fizz, your mouth will definitely be less miserable after drinking this!
It may not have the same appeal as soft drinks, but according to Chinese medicine, the drink dries dampness in the body, especially on hot days, which are plentiful in Hong Kong. It is a mix of herbs which washes out the toxins from the liver and clears the stomach and lungs.
Ingredients: Water, mesonas chinesis, plumera rubra, microcos paniculate, chrysanthemum, loncera japnica, prunella vulgris and licorice
How to make it:
1. Wash the dried herbs
2. Place the herbs in a tea bag and boil in water
3. Leave the tea to simmer for an hour
2. Barley Water
A simpler but very popular alternative is barley water. It is as easy to make as it is to buy in stores, and even easier to drink to stay healthy.
Barley is a great source for dietary fiber which keeps the digestive system healthy. It encourages bowel movements and balances the growth of bacteria in the gut – supporting weight loss and a healthy diet, which ultimately makes it difficult for illness and pathogens to spread in the body. After all, a healthy gut is a healthy body. It also helps that it has almost no taste (aside from a mild nutty flavour).
Ingredients: Water and barley
How to make it:
1. Rinse the barley under cold water until water runs clear
2. Pour in barley in a pot of water and bring to a boil
3. Turn down the heat to simmer for 15 to 30 minutes
4. Add honey for taste
Also Read: Seven Chinese herbal teas to soothe the body
3. Kombucha
If you’re feeling under the weather or just need a boost to wake you in the morning, you swap your morning coffee for the fermented concoction, kombucha. This superfood drink is basically fermented sweet tea mixed with specific strains of bacteria (acetic acid) and yeast (osmophilic) that comes together to make a very distinctly acquired taste — think fruity-apple cider.
Often consumed for better digestion and gut health, it also serves other health perks that improves the body’s defense against viruses, washes out toxins from the body and breaks down nutrients. It also builds the body’s defenses against viruses, thanks to the antioxidants in the tea as well as the good microbiome (bacteria) in the yeast.
Ingredients: Pu’erh, black or green tea, sugar, SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast) or store-bought kombucha.
How to make it:
1. Boil the tea
2. Add sugar
3. Cool down the sweetened tea then pour into a glass jar
4. Add SCOBY
5. Cover and leave to ferment in room temperature for 8 to 12 days
6. Add your preference of fruits, honey or syrup to taste
4. Water Kefir
A refreshingly fizzy alternative on a hot day for an immunity boosting drink. Unlike regular kefir made from milk, a dairy-free, low-calorie, plant-based kefir beverage, made with kefir grains extracted from pear cacti. It has a mild, diluted, fruity water like taste and takes less time to ferment than kombucha.
These soft, jelly-textured “grains”, when fermented in water, are said to help lower the risks of diabetes and cancer by reducing inflammation and controlling the levels of immune cells in the body. It also contains a more diverse range of bacteria and yeast of up to 56 different strains – more than its milk-based counterpart, which supports the health of the gut, organs and overall wellbeing of the body.
Ingredients: Water, sugar, carbonated beverage, water kefir grains
How to make it:
1. Dissolve sugar in hot water
2. Mix and add cool water
3. Add water kefir grains
4. Leave to ferment in room temperature for 24 to 48 hours.
Also Read: Six natural sweeteners that are healthier than sugar
5. Kanji drink
Another probiotic drink is a traditional north Indian spiced beverage that is jam-packed with health benefits, especially to keep the body warm during colder months. It has a pungent, sour-sweet and slightly hot taste. Although not as appealing as it sounds, its perks are the highlight.
Being a fermented beverage, it helps keep the gut stay healthy, while also offering a slew of Calcium, Vitamins (K, A and B9) and anti-bacterial properties that help lower blood pressure and promote cell growth in the body – ultimately boosting the immune system.
Ingredients: Cold water, carrots (traditionally black carrots), beetroot, ground mustard seeds and heeng (asafetida), red chili powder, salt
How to make it:
1. Place the beetroot and carrot in a glass or ceramic jar
2. Fill to the top with cold water
3. Season with ground mustard seed, heeng, chili powder and salt
4. Leave to ferment for 4 to 5 days in the sun.
Also Read: 10 spices with amazing health benefits