Fighting the Flu? Crockpot Drink Recipe Helps You Feel Better

This year's cold and flu season has already been a rough one. Louisiana has been hit particularly hard by the onset of high fevers, chills, aches and pains, and the general malaise that comes with these illnesses too. In fact, Louisiana has been ranked high on the list of Walgreens' Flu Index for the past several weeks, no let's make that the last several months.

While healthcare professionals encourage you to take steps to avoid getting sick they really don't have that much to offer once you've gotten sick. In most cases, a cold or the flu just has to run its course and the best medicine can do is offer symptom relief. And one of the most effective ways to feel better from those symptoms starts with your slow cooker or crockpot.

The Facebook Page Slow Cooker Tips and Recipes recently shared a recipe for a drink that offers a soothing respite from the hacking, coughing, running, and sore nose that most of us experience when we're sick. What makes this recipe even better is you can literally set it and forget it in the slow cooker and it's hot and available to you any time of the day or night.

Here's the recipe.

All you need is some lemons, some ginger root, some honey, and some apple cider vinegar. Just add water to the ingredients and let the slow cooker work its magic.

I think we're all aware of the benefits of honey and lemon when it comes to sore throats. However, cough drop manufacturers have yet to figure out how to make their cough drops taste like those namesake ingredients. Those things taste worse than the flu feels. But in this elixir, you won't get the bitter taste of medicine you might find in an over-the-counter cough drop.

Instead, your airway and sinuses will be bathed in a delicious and fragrant blanket of soothing warmth. Some commenters on the Facebook Page where the recipe was first published suggest adding a bit of whiskey or rum. That will certainly enhance the concoction's warming ability but the addition of alcohol does very little with the drink's soothing properties.

If you find yourself under the weather or love someone who isn't feeling their best make sure you share this with them. We hope it helps.