This immune-boosting herbal tea blend is the perfect natural remedy to have on hand for cold and flu season. It’s a simple herbal tea blend with immune boosting herbs like elderberry and rose hips. This recipe is so easy to make, not to mention delicious, and perfect for soothing a sore throat, easing cold and flu symptoms, and so much more!
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Herbal Tea for Immune Support
Fall and winter is often the time for getting sick, although it can happen at any time of year. Luckily there are some great herbal allies that can help us get through the worst of it.
When you feel a sickness coming on, sometimes a hot cup of tea is the only thing that sounds good. Choose this immune boosting tea to help fight off the bug as well as protecting you from future ones!
This immune boosting herbal tea recipe is adapted from my book Healing Herbal Infusions. It’s a great book to have on hand for all kinds of herbal remedies!
Herbs to Include
While there are many different herbs that are good for boosting your immune system, I’m going to talk about five of my favorites here.
When you mix these five herbs together you get a powerful, but still tasty, immune boosting herbal tea blend. Pour yourself a cup!
I like to use dried herbs in this tea blend so that I can make up a larger batch to always have on hand when I need it.
Mountain Rose Herbs is a great place to purchase all five of these herbs!
Elderberry
I love elderberries for many different reasons. First, they are super fun to forage for, and I love making elderberry mead.
They also have powerful immune boosting benefits and are perfect for turning into a medicinal syrup or tincture.
Elderberries are commonly used to help fight colds, flus, bronchitis, and other upper respiratory ailments.
They are extremely high in anti-oxidants and have strong anti-viral properties. They also have a nice flavor, which is a plus!
Related: 70+ Elderberry Recipes & Remedies for Food & Health
Rose Hips
Rose hips are another one that have multiple uses, and also give the tea a nice flavor.
They can usually be foraged through the fall and winter, and can be made into a lovely rose hip syrup to use medicinally or culinary delights. It can also be used in cocktails like this rose hip whiskey smash!
Rose hips are extremely high in vitamin C, one of the highest natural sources, which is great for the immune system. They are also very high in anti-oxidants and can help to prevent and treat colds.
Related: 60+ Rose Hip Recipes for Food, Health & Beauty
Echinacea Root
You have probably already heard about the immune boosting benefits of echinacea root, and it’s definitely not one that you want to ignore!
Echinacea stimulates the overall activity of the cells responsible for fighting infection and makes our own immune cells more efficient at attacking bacteria and viruses. It is known to shorten the duration of colds and flus.
Echinacea root makes a powerful tincture, but is also good in a tea. It does have a bit of a bitter taste, but works well when combined with other, better tasting herbs.
Astragalus
Astragalus root is a powerful herb that is used to strengthen immunity over time. It is one that can be taken for long periods of time if need be.
Astragalus root is also often combined with echinacea for a short term boost in immunity.
Astragalus is an adaptogen that is high in anti-oxidants, and a great herb to always have on hand.
Ginger
I drink ginger in my tea every morning! I love the spicy bite that it gives, and I believe it is part of why I rarely get sick.
Ginger can be made into a healing medicinal syrup, or fermented as a ginger bug to make tasty ginger ale or ginger beer.
Ginger is antiviral, antimicrobial, and an immune stimulator. It activates T-cells which are important for the immune system, and is also decongesting and good for sore throats.
Immune Boosting Herbal Tea Blend Recipe
Making this herbal tea blend is easy. I generally do approximately equal parts of each dried herb, and I keep some in a little jar so that I always have some on hand.
If you’d like to use fresh ginger instead of dried, you can always leave that out of the blend until you are ready to make the tea, then add the fresh root.
To make the tea, bring 1-2 tablespoons of the tea blend mixture per cup of water to a boil, then simmer for 15-30 minutes or more. The longer you simmer, the stronger the tea will be!
Drink 1-3 times per day when you feel the very beginnings of a sickness coming on, or even if you feel like you may be in an immune compromised situation, such a a long plane ride. Continue taking for up to 2 weeks if needed.
The best part about this immune boosting herbal tea blend is that it actually tastes good!
The combination of the elderberries, rose hips, and ginger give it a nice berry flavor with a sweet and spicy kick from the ginger. It’s a treat to drink when the winter sickies come on!
This immune boosting tea also makes a great gift! Put this beautiful tea blend in a mason jar with some ribbon or twine wrapped around it and a tag with instructions for use.
Herbal Remedies for Cold & Flu
Kick your cold to the curb with these other herbal remedies!
- Pine Needle Cough Syrup
- Elderberry Syrup
- Rose Hip Syrup
- Conifer Needle Tea
- Elderberry Echinacea Tincture
Immune Boosting Herbal Tea
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp dried elderberries
- 4 tbsp dried rose hips
- 4 tbsp echinacea root
- 4 tbsp astragalus
- 4 tbsp dried ginger
Instructions
- Combine all herbs in a small jar. Stir until evenly distributed.
- Combine 1-2 tbsp herbal tea blend per 1-cup water in a small pot. Simmer 15-30 minutes. Strain and enjoy hot!
Notes
- This tea recipe easily scales up or down. Combine equal parts of each herb in any quantity you choose.
- To use fresh ginger instead of dried, leave the ginger out of the blend and add the fresh root when you prepare the tea.
- This immune boosting tea also makes a great gift! Put this beautiful tea blend in a mason jar with some ribbon or twine wrapped around it and a tag with instructions for use.
Could i use frozen elderberries and frozen rose hips?
Yes, that should work fine!
What would you recommend to create a tea blend with Chaparral herbs?
I don’t live where chaparral herbs grow, so I can’t really say.
Hello, is it ok not to boil the elderberries in the tea? I make elderberry syrup and I have read you are to simmer them for like 50 minutes. I would love to try this but just wondered about the elderberries possibly being toxic if not simmered long enough? Thank you for your input.
I have fresh elderberries- how do you recommend drying them? I have a dehydrator with adjustable temp.
Hi Kerry. Yes, you can use your dehydrator to dry your elderberries. This blog post looks like it has great instructions.
Do you use ginger root or ground ginger
It’s dried ginger, not ground into a powder.
Love immune boosting herbal teas, and this one looks delicious! Great recipe. ????
You said you “generally do approximately equal parts of each dried herb” – is that by weight or volume?
Is this safe for children too?
Hi Coleen , just a question, i make macadamia nutshell exfoliating powder, i am in need of some help, can you put me on the right track , on how i can & what i need to use as a carrier for showering to exfoliate,
I need youre help here thanks peter.
Thankyou for this informative blog. I too make a tea similar to this normally when I already am unwell, but this has inspired me to make your recipe and have it made up to drink it more often to boost my immunity. My recipe doesn’t have actual quantities, I just throw in some of each: Dried echinacea root, elderflowers & elderberries (dried), chopped frozen rosehips or dried (the frozen are better apparently than dried, as the drying process can destro some of the Vitamin C. Echinacea root, Lungwort and Mullein (as I have asthma). It always gives me a boost. (I will also throw in some Nettle at times). I havn’t tried ASTRAGALUS, I will have to see if I can get this one in New Zealand.
Thanks once again – Linda :)
Good information, Colleen! I need to work on gathering!