Michelle (Chicago) on 03/01/2004:

Recently I caught a very bad head and chest cold. Since I am pregnant, I prefer not to take OTC medications, so I began taking tea and lemon. Immediately I could breathe and felt better. However, after a day or two, I stopped when I shouldn't have, since apparently I was not completely cured. Not only did the cold get worse, but turned into a nasty sinus infection. I suffered miserably for over a week. Then I remember the tea. After drinking one cup, immediately my mucus became thinner and the pressure eased up. I am hopeful to be fully cured in a few more days!

When you make the tea, you should let it steep for several minutes so it turns a nice dark color, and you should use a lot of lemon, like 1/4 to 1/2 of a lemon (fresh juice is the best, but you can substitute bottled). I actually like the taste of it this way, very tart. But, you can add honey to it to make it sweet if you like.