The drink is delicious, with fresh and tasty notes, the scent is enveloping, we are talking about the herbal tea prepared with ginger and lemon. But this decoction is not only pleasant to taste, it is also a source of health properties. Indeed, in recent months several scientific researches have been dedicated to deepen the benefits of the drink given by the combination of ginger and lemon. So let's try to understand what a ginger and lemon tea can do for our health.
Ginger and lemon for the liver
The liver is one of the most important glands in our body. In addition to participating in digestion and metabolism, in fact, the liver also performs functions of defense and elimination of toxins and pathogens. The problem is that the liver is often threatened by hepatotoxic agents such as medicines, processed foods, or heavy metals. These substances increase the damage of free radicals to the liver that, in the long term, can present conditions such as fatty liver or hepatic steatosis, but also inflammation, cirrhosis and cellular degeneration. Well, numerous scientific researches show that a help to protect the liver comes from the combination of ginger and lemon. In fact, the drink prepared with these two ingredients has shown important antioxidant properties and useful in protecting the liver. In particular, starting from a condition of fatty liver and with a high number of free radicals that threatened the health and functionality of the liver, the intake of ginger and lemon allowed to reduce the indicators of fatty liver (Bekkouch et al, Antioxidants , 2022). Not only that, ginger and lemon have allowed to restore the levels of liver enzymes, such as ALP, transaminases and Gamma GT, bringing them back to normal and thus reducing liver pain, thanks to the synergy of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective substances provided by ginger and lemon, such as hesperidin, gingerol and rutin (Bekkouch et al, Antioxidants, 2022).
Ginger and lemon against cell degeneration
The herbal tea prepared with ginger and lemon has been shown to maximize the immunostimulating, antioxidant and anticancer properties of the two ingredients taken individually. In particular, the combination given by ginger and lemon, in the form of herbal tea, has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of diseased cells, favoring apoptosis, namely the programmed death of cancer cells, and hindering angiogenesis, which is the formation of new blood vessels to bring nutrition to the tumor (Al ataby et al, Front Nutr, 2022). Noteworthy is the fact that, to carry out the research mentioned, an herbal tea was used prepared by infusing a sachet with a mixture of ginger and lemon, as can be commonly found in the supermarket, for five minutes in boiling water. The study was carried out by evaluating the action of ginger and lemon herbal tea in case of breast cancer, but, based on previous studies, it is plausible to believe that this drink contributes to the prevention of other cellular degenerations, such as those affecting the lungs, prostate and liver (Al ataby et al, Front Nutr, 2022).
Ginger and lemon for better digestion
The ginger and lemon herbal tea helps digestion and counteracts abdominal cramps and bloating. In fact, ginger is carminative and helps in case of nausea, indigestion and bloating and lemon helps to counteract stomach acid and promotes gastric motility (Bodagh et al, Food Sci Nutr, 2019 - Klimek-Szczykutowicz et al, Plants, 2020).
Ginger and lemon as steam inhalations
Not only as an herbal tea to drink, the immunostimulating, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of ginger and lemon can also be exploited by preparing steam inhalations. In fact, it was observed that inhaling the vapors of a decoction prepared with ginger and lemon, and enriched with turmeric and garlic, allowed, in a few days, to fight the flu symptoms and viral infections of the respiratory tract (Unofin et al, Front Pharmacol, 2021).
Ginger and lemon herbal tea, how to prepare it and warnings
The preparation of the herbal tea is very simple. In a saucepan, pour a glass of water and the juice of half a lemon. Add the peel of the half lemon used, which is why the biological origin of the fruit is important, and 2 centimeters of fresh and peeled ginger. Bring everything to a boil and let it simmer for five minutes. Remove from the heat and let it rest for ten minutes, then filter and drink. You can sweeten with honey if you wish. Alternatively, an excellent drink is also one prepared without cooking, squeezing the juice of half a lemon, adding water and a grated ginger. The resulting juice has been shown to effectively stimulate digestion and protect the liver (Khodaje et al, Jundishapur J Nat Pharm Prod., 2015). Before starting to drink regularly a herbal tea or a drink of ginger and lemon ask your doctor for advice if you are taking any medications, to verify that there are no interactions. For example, ginger can interact with warfarin, which is an anticoagulant drug (Chua et al, Singapore Med J, 2015). If, on the other hand, you want to use the herbal tea for steam inhalation, you can add, along with the lemon and ginger, a clove of whole, unpeeled garlic and half a teaspoon of turmeric powder. Bring everything to a boil and let it simmer for five minutes. Then remove from the heat and inhale the vapors by covering your head with a towel.
