My boys and I have had some sniffles this week, nothing too terrible, but a sure sign that our bodies need a little extra help. In our house that means extra cod liver oil, earlier bed times, and lots of homemade bone broth. This week we have had broth in mugs with garlic and ghee, in several soups including a carrot breakfast soup, in reduction sauces/gravies over liver and again over steak, and again in mugs with cinnamon and honey. I have successfully dosed my kids and I with broth all week. So today I made the most special broth of all for my kids, Chocolate Broth! This chocolate concoction uses ginger, honey and cayenne pepper to help blast stuffy noses, warm the body, and strengthen the immune system (see bottom for links to references) .
Hot Chocolate Bone Broth
3 cups homemade beef or chicken bone broth (plain)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
4-5 TBSP local raw honey
3 cups raw milk, raw cream, or coconut milk (or if you really need an extra dose of broth you can use all broth, the milk just gives it a creamier smoother Hot Cocoa feel).
Gently heat broth in a sauce pan over medium heat and whisk in the cocoa powder and spices. Once heated through and fragrant remove from heat and stir in your raw honey. Add your raw milk and combine. I add the honey and milk once removed from the heat to retain as much of the beneficial raw goodness as possible and so my chocolate broth is immediately drinkable by my little children. If you are using pasteurized milk you do not need to remove it from the heat to add.
Honey: Cold and Sore Throat Remedy
"Honey is considered to be one of the best natural remedies for sore throats, coughs and general cold symptoms. Honey has long been used in various natural sore throat remedies ranging from teas to syrups. Even today many commercial preparations for sore throats and coughs (such as lozenges) are still primarily based on honey." homeremediesweb.com
Ginger: Immune Boosting Action
"Ginger can not only be warming on a cold day, but can help promote healthy sweating, which is often helpful during colds and flus. A good sweat may do a lot more than simply assist detoxification. German researchers have recently found that sweat contains a potent germ-fighting agent that may help fight off infections. Investigators have isolated the gene responsible for the compound and the protein it produces, which they have named dermicidin. Dermicidin is manufactured in the body's sweat glands, secreted into the sweat, and transported to the skin's surface where it provides protection against invading microorganisms, including bacteria such as E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus (a common cause of skin infections), and fungi, including Candida albicans. " whfoods.org
Honey & Ginger: Respiratory problems
"The mixture of honey and ginger is an excellent expectorant and therefore provides instant relief to people suffering from cough, cold, sore throat, and runny nose." organicfacts.net
Cayenne: Clear Congestion
"Capsaicin not only reduces pain, but its peppery heat also stimulates secretions that help clear mucus from your stuffed up nose or congested lungs. Capsaicin is similar to a compound found in many cold remedies for breaking up congestion, except that capsaicin works much faster. A tea made with hot cayenne pepper very quickly stimulates the mucus membranes lining the nasal passages to drain, helping to relieve congestion and stuffiness..." whfoods.org
