Immunity Tea Pops

Most mornings the first thing I do when I get into the kitchen is make a mug of hot water and add in premade ice cubes of lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and ginger for a small immune boost. It is warming and a great way to start truly waking up for me- a serious night owl. However, there are some days, especially in the middle of the winter that I feel like I need something a little extra- for my immune system and my tastebuds! So, for those occasions I make fun Immunity Tea Pops that are filled with ingredients that will help support your immune system while still tasting great!

Now, I’ve seen frozen ‘bombs’ similar to these before and many of them will have great benefits, however my background is in herbalism (thanks Mom!) so I knew I could uplevel the traditional cube in a few different ways. So, let’s talk ingredients!

Jump to Recipe

Immunity Tea Pop Ingredients

6 Inches Ginger Root
6 Inches Turmeric Root
6 Lemons (organic)*
1.5 Cups Hot Water
1 Cup Hibiscus-Echinacea Tea
¼ Cup Echinacea Purpurea Herb
2 Tbs Hibiscus Flower
1 Tsp Black Pepper, Ground
Lemongrass, 3” per Pop

*I’m using Meyer lemons here, but either type works!

Ginger:

I absolutely love the taste of ginger; I don’t do capsaicin spicy well but ginger spicy? Sign me up. Ginger also has an incredible number of immune-boosting properties- it is full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals like Iron, magnesium, B6, and C, and bioactive compounds. These compounds, specifically gingerol, shogaol, and zingerone are what give ginger both its flavor and its immune punch! Turmeric: I am well aware at how amazing turmeric can be for your body, but this is one of those flavors that I’m not particularly a fan of. Give me earthy all day every day, but without other flavors to balance it out I feel like it tastes like dirt! HOWEVER blended together with other roots, herbs, and spices? Heaven. The reason for this taste is also the reason why it is

Turmeric:

I am well aware at how amazing turmeric can be for your body, but this is one of those flavors that I’m not particularly a fan of. Give me earthy all day every day, but without other flavors to balance it out I feel like it tastes like dirt! HOWEVER blended together with other roots, herbs, and spices? Heaven. The reason for this taste is also the reason why it is so great for your immune health! The ‘hero’ active ingredient is Curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties but also has been shown to work with your immune cells themselves.

“Notably, curcumin is a potent immunomodulator, with strong interactions with different types of immune cells, including neutrophils, T cells, mast cells, epithelial cells, eosinophils, and basophils, resulting in the regulation of pathological immune system reactions (Panahi et al., 2015, Mohammadi et al., 2022, Rahimi et al., 2019).”

Lemons:

These balance out the other ingredients’ taste and are high in Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps with the production of white blood cells when you’re feeling under the weather! I particularly enjoy using Meyer lemons because of their added sweetness and their thinner skins. Vitamin C slowly degenerates in water, but because these are frozen, the water won’t be hot enough to affect the pops!

Echinacea Purpurea:

Echinacea has been used in traditional herbalism for hundreds of years, most notably in Native populations here in America. Echinacea has been shown to stimulate immune cells, reduce inflammation, and help increase the production of cytokines (proteins that help with inflammation and immune response.)

Hibiscus Leaf:

Hibiscus is another herb that is high in vitamin C and has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It is also beautifully floral and pairs well with the other flavors of ginger and lemon.

Black Pepper:

I know this sounds strange and you don’t often see it in frozen immunity helpers across the internet, but black pepper is SO important when it comes to the efficacy of turmeric. Piperine, which gives black pepper its flavor, works with your body to increase the bioavailability of curcumin by up to 2,000%. It does this by inhibiting enzymes that metabolize the curcumin in turmeric, so it stays in the body longer and is absorbed in larger doses. It why you often see supplements in pill-form include black pepper in their formulas.

Lemongrass:

I’d add lemongrass in for flavor alone! But on top of that it contains vitamins A and C and creates the perfect handle so you don’t stain your fingers orange from the turmeric!

Immunity Tea Pop Method

Make the tea! Combine echinacea and hibiscus in a tea strainer and steep in the hot water for ten minutes. Strain the solids and let cool. This is a VERY concentrated tea- normally you use about a teaspoon of echinacea for 8 ounces of water. But because I don’t want to add too much liquid to this mixture but still want all the benefits, making a concentrated tea makes sense.

Remove the skin (I use a spoon!) of the turmeric and ginger roots and break down into smaller pieces. Add to a high speed blender (I use a Vitamix.)

The reason for using organic lemons in this recipe is that we will use the whole lemon! Scrub the lemons clean and then break down into eighths. Remove all the seeds and add to the roots in the blender.

Add 1 cup of the steeped tea and the teaspoon of black pepper into the blender and combine well. The mixture will be thick and slightly grainy but still can be poured. If it is too thick to work with, add in more of your steeped tea!

Pour into ice cube molds (I am using large square cubes, but you can divide into any size you’d like) and add a length of lemongrass as a handle.  Freeze overnight and then transfer to an airtight container.

To take advantage of the great immune boost add about two ounces of ice cubes to a 12 ounce mug and pour hot water over the cube to melt. To hurry the melting process, use the lemongrass ‘handle’ to bob the cube!

Immunity Tea Pops

Immunity tea pops are frozen, herbalism-based blocks full of turmeric, ginger, lemon, and herbal tea formulated to help support your immune system.
Prep Time 1 day 15 minutes
Course Drinks

Equipment

  • High Speed Blender I use a Vitamix

Ingredients
  

  • 6 Inches Ginger Root Skinned
  • 6 Inches Turmeric Root Skinned
  • 6 Lemons Meyer or Regular, Organic!
  • 1.5 Cups Hot Water
  • 1 Cup Herbal Tea Made as part of this recipe
  • 1/4 Cup Echinacea Purpurea Herb
  • 2 Tbsp Hibiscus Petals
  • 1 Tsp Black Pepper
  • Lemongrass Stick Cut into 3" Pieces

Instructions
 

  • Combine echinacea and hibiscus in a tea strainer and steep in the hot water for ten minutes. Strain the solids and let cool.
  • Remove the skin (I use a spoon!) of the turmeric and ginger roots and break down into smaller pieces. Add to a high-speed blender.
  • Scrub the lemons clean and then break down into eighths. Remove all the seeds and add to the roots in the blender.
  • Add 1 cup of the steeped tea and the teaspoon of black pepper into the blender and combine well. The mixture will be thick and slightly grainy but still can be poured. If it is too thick to work with, add in more of your steeped tea!
  • Pour into ice cube molds and add a stick of turmeric as a ‘handle.’ Freeze overnight and then transfer to an airtight container.
  • To use add about two ounces of ice cubes to a 12 ounce mug and pour hot water over the cube to melt. To hurry the melting process, use the lemongrass ‘handle’ to bob the cube!
Keyword Drinks, herbal, Immunity, Tea, vegan

Some links are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. Photos by Becky Duffyhill

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