Working hard, playing hard and the changing of the seasons brought my immune system to a crashing halt last week. Can anyone relate? My recipe for recovery was a tidy regime of good rest, hot soup and large doses of Vitamin C, all ably complimented by copious cups of Art of Tea’s very own French Lemon Ginger.

This fabulous herbal concoction is a blend of organic lemongrass, ginger and rooibos. Each of these ingredients can infuse a wonderful, steaming cupful of healing on its own. Combined, look out! But let’s break it down. The delectably spicy-sweet gift we call ginger, originating in China and then spreading throughout Asia and as far as West Africa and the Caribbean, has a long history of uses both culinary and medicinal. Its benefits range from an analgesic to a stomach settler, and it has been noted for its antibiotic properties as well.

Lemongrass, which is also known by such exotic names as barbed wire grass, silky heads, citronella grass and fever grass, is native to the warm, tropical regions of the Old World and Oceania. It has also long been enjoyed in the cuisines of Asia and Caribbean. Lemongrass stands out with its uniquely tart taste and aroma, created in most part by a component of its natural oil known as citral. Research has shown that this wonderfully flavorful plant, which can be used dried, powdered or fresh, possesses certain anti-fungal properties.

Our third ingredient is found only in the Cederberg region of Africa’s Western Cape province. Rooibos, sometimes called “red tea” because of the reddish-brown brew it produces, is a wonderfully smooth and slightly nutty flavored infusion. An increasingly popular caffeine-free alternative to coffee, this tisane has been used for medicinal purposes natively for centuries. It has been praised for its antioxidants and low tannin levels.

With all of these wonderful benefits, you can just imagine the effects when they join forces in one spectacular infusion! Not to mention to aroma, and then the flavor! With all this available to you in a hot, steaming cup, or chilled over ice for that matter, there’s no need to wait for the changing of seasons or burning the candle at both ends to burn you out. Enjoy French Lemon Ginger now and maybe you won’t need the extra bed rest! And by the way, I’ve bounced back beautifully!