Cinnamon Tea

This has been a challenging winter - the weather is cold and wet, then hot, then wet again. My Canadian body, which is used to 6 months of ice, finds it's stressful to try to keep up.

As preventative medicine, on those damp chilly days when it feels like a virus might be floating around, I brew up a cup of cinnamon tea and snuggle under a blanket with a good book.

Cinnamon has been shown to have antibacterial and antiviral qualities. It's also a restorative, used for centuries in Chinese medicine to get the blood moving and restore strength to a body depleted by illness or stress.

It's also a sedative and mood booster. After a couple of cups of cinnamon tea and a good nap, the whole world looks brighter.

I usually drink it without sweetener, but a little raw honey, added once the tea has cooled a little so as not to destroy the beneficial enzymes, helps soothe the throat. I have teaspoons made from organic bamboo (from bambuhome.com). Unlike metal spoons, they stay cool while stirring the honey into the tea.

Of course, you don't have to be under the weather to drink a cup of this delicious tea.

(Organic cinnamon sticks are becoming more commonly available. If your local health food store doesn't have them, you can order them online at Mountain Rose Herbs. Buy raw honey at your local farmers market.)

Cinnamon Tea
2 2-inch organic cinnamon sticks (4 inches total)
1 tsp honey or to taste

Bring 2 cups cold water to boiling in a small saucepan. Add the cinnamon sticks, cover, and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Your house will smell great.

Strain the tea into 2 mugs (or save half in the saucepan and reheat it when you're ready for a second cup). Sweeten to taste with honey.

Makes 2 cups

(I let the cinnamon sticks dry on a rack in the kitchen and use them for a couple more pots of tea before throwing them in the compost.)