How to Make Homemade Ginger Tea

Ginger tea is an herbal tea made with fresh ginger and boiling water. You can add fresh lemon juice, sweeteners, or cinnamon sticks to ginger tea, which has a long history throughout Asia as a medicinal beverage. In Korea, ginger tea is known as saenggangcha and features pine nuts as a garnish. In India, adrak chai is made with ginger, black tea leaves, and milk.

Although often referred to as ginger root, ginger actually comes from the rhizome (underground stem) of Zingiber officinale, a tropical flowering plant from the same family as cardamom and turmeric. The sharp bite of raw fresh ginger comes from gingerol, an aromatic compound that transforms into the sweeter zingerone when heated or dried, making ginger an especially versatile ingredient.

Ginger has been used as a medicine for thousands of years in India, China, Greece, and the Middle East, especially to reduce nausea, heartburn, upset stomach, and morning sickness. It’s also known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. One of the benefits of ginger tea is that hot water can be soothing for sore throats, making fresh ginger tea prevalent during cold and flu season.