Homemade tea recipe can fight the flu, health expert says

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It's flu season again, and it's time to look for new ways to stay healthy.

Dr. Martha Rivera, a pediatric infectious disease expert at White Memorial Medical Center, gives her sick patients a dose of some homemade flu-fighting tea.

Ingredients in the tea include ginger, oregano, sage and thyme. Honey and lemon can be added to taste. Rivera said the ginger provokes a good anti-inflammatory response.

"Ginger is a wonderful way to increase the body heat...you sweat...you get rid of the virus," she said.

After drinking this tea, patients say they feel relief right away.

It's a natural prescription that Rivera said can help the body heal.

Natural tea recipe:

2 cups boiling hot water

1 slice ginger root (about 1-inch thick)

1/2 tsp oregano (dried, fresh or oil)

1/2 tsp sage (dried or fresh)

1/2 tsp thyme (dried or fresh)

Steep the tea for 15 minutes. Add honey and lemon to taste. Use maple syrup for children under the age of 1.