Glue & Glitter

Tomato Tea for Cold & Flu Relief

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Sickness has swept through my house over the past few weeks, and when it was my turn to be sick, I turned to my old friend: tomato tea.

mug of tomato tea surrounded by ginger, garlic, and lemon

I’ve been making tomato tea for years, and it’s become a go-to when I’m dealing with a nasty cold or flu. It’s a recipe I learned from Jean Woolhiser at Earth Clinic, and it has brought me so much symptom relief during this bout of cold or flu – I’m not even sure which one I had this time!

I used to make my tomato tea pretty much just like Jean, but over the years, it has evolved as I made it again and again, using what was in my pantry and seemed appealing.

This is the recipe that I usually make, with substitutions listed to help you use what you have. Because the last thing you want to do when you’re sick is run to the store.

Tomato tea is not a cure for the cold or for the flu, meaning that it most likely won’t shorten the duration of your illness. What it definitely does is help give you temporary symptom relief. It’s also a good way to sneak in a snack when sickness has sapped your appetite.

mug of tomato tea with ingredients around it. text reads: "Soothing Tomato Tea - Natural relief for Colds & Flu"

Here’s a quick breakdown of why the tomato tea helps you feel better while you drink it and for a while afterwards:

  • Ginger. There is evidence that ginger is a good pain reliever. Adding a dash of ginger to your mug can help soothe a sore throat and may even offer some relief to sore muscles.
  • Spice. The ginger, garlic, and hot sauce make this drink pretty spicy, and that’s no accident. Spicy foods and drinks help get things moving if you’re congested, and they have a numbing effect that’s nice on a sore throat.
  • Heat. Just like spice, a warm drink helps ease congestion. Don’t just sip this tea – breathe the steam deeply. It’s so soothing!
  • Nutrition. The reason this drink is made with tomato juice is because when you’re sick, chances are you’re not inclined to eat. The tomato juice delivers some calories and vitamins to help you feel a little bit less weak. A cup of tomato juice has around 50 calories, 120% of your daily vitamin C, 10% of your vitamin A, 2% of your iron, 2% of your calcium, and 8% of your dietary fiber needs for the day. Not bad for a little mug of goodness!

Grab your favorite mug, and let’s brew up some soothing tomato tea, y’all! Watch the recipe video or follow the written recipe below.

Sickness has swept through my house over the past few weeks, and when it was my turn to be sick, I turned to my old friend: tomato tea.

Tomato Tea for Cold & Flu Relief

Mix and match the ingredients listed to make your own perfect mug of tomato tea. I'm offering many options, so that hopefully you can make this without having to run to the store for any ingredients.
3.67 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Vegan
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 7 minutes
Servings: 1
Calories: 97kcal
Author: Becky Striepe

Ingredients

  • 1 mugful of organic tomato juice - or veggie juice
  • juice of 1/4 a fresh lemon or 2 teaspoons vinegar - Any vinegar is fine. I've used rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and even balsamic to make this in the past.
  • sriracha sauce - to taste, hot sauce of your choice, or a pinch of cayenne
  • 1 pinch of ground ginger or 1/2 teaspoon minced - fresh ginger
  • 1 clove of garlic - minced or crushed, or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  • Warm the tomato juice on the stove or in the microwave. It's even OK if it's a little bit too hot. That nice steam is good for soothing your poor nose and throat!
  • Add the rest of the ingredients to your mug, and stir.
  • Sip, and enjoy!

Notes

As you can see, this recipe is very flexible. The idea is to get an acidic, somewhat spicy mix happening, so use what's in your pantry to make that happen. I'm sure that some of you are not fans of the microwave, but if you have one, I hope you'll make an exception in this case. Give yourself a break, because (as Daniel Tiger loves to remind us), "When you're sick, rest is best."

Nutrition

Calories: 97kcal
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Completely unable to breathe or sleep I have tried this tea but so far I have not seen any difference. How long does it take to work in your experience?

    Reply

    • For me, the steam and spice usually help right away. You might try more hot sauce, to see if that gets things moving. I am so sorry that you are this miserable! I hope that you feel better soon.

      Reply

    • Thank you! We are feeling a lot better over here. Poor Darrol had two colds in a row, but Dave and I managed to dodge the second one.

      Reply

  4. I can totally see how this works, and it sounds delicious, like sipping on tomato soup. I love the addition of ginger as it’s also an anti-inflammatory, which would also help reduce the symptoms of congestion. Thanks for this!

    Reply

  6. I don’t feel sick at all, but I’m going to make a mug of this anyway! In the winter, I get bored of the usual drinks, and I want something warm and satisfying. For a while, I drank a lot of broth teas. This is a similar idea and would be homemade. Thanks for the great idea, Becky!

    Reply

  10. I have never heard of tomato tea before. I love sipping on tomato soup though, so I’m guessing I would love this too. Last year at this exact time I was super ill, so I know what you’re going through. Luckily, this year, we were all sick in October, so the holidays were smooth sailing. I’m reaching for this spicy tomato tea next time though!

    Reply

  11. I’m totally intrigued by this—I used to like V8 juice when I was a kid—go figure! I hope you guys start feeling better soon. I hate the way germs linger and make their way through every member of the family before making a very long overdue exit.

    Reply

    • I liked it too! I remember when the spicy one came out. It was so exciting! Dave and I are feeling better, but Darrol seems to have caught something else in the week since he got over the last thing. Ugh!

      Reply

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