How to make ginger tea with this simple recipe that has *major* benefits

Selena Gomez famously takes a ginger shot every morning because it “[kills] everything inside—all of the bad things,” as revealed on The Late Late Show’s Carpool Karaoke. But you don’t have to throw back the uber-healthy ingredient in a really intense shot to reap the benefits—once you know how to make ginger tea, you can sip it any time you want.

In Ayurveda, ginger’s beloved for its “digestive fire” properties and is used a lot in traditional cooking, according to Shrankhla Holecek, Ayurvedic expert and founder of beauty brand Uma Oils. “Warming by nature, ginger also boosts circulation in the body, and can be analgesic,” she says. “So it’s great when you’re having a headache.” In true all-star fashion, ginger’s also incredibly anti-inflammatory. That and a study published in Nutrition magazine also notes that drinking ginger daily has the ability to boost immunity and potentially even lower one’s risk of heart disease.

There are various ways to make ginger tea, but in its most simple form (ground ginger and piping hot water) it’s equally delicious and healthy. “Freshly sliced ginger is considered the most beneficial,” says Holecek, who also shares her fave recipe to take it up a notch: “I particularly love it in black tea, brewed alongside turmeric and cardamom, plus cinnamon for added warming intensity. If you’re not vegan, it’s really delightful with some milk and topped with honey.”

Of course, since making ginger tea involves, well, fresh ginger, take note that you shouldn’t be intimidated by the notoriously hard-to-carve root—there’s actually an easy way to peel ginger with a spoon (yes, really). From there, it’s as easy as adding water.

To enjoy the classic anti-inflammatory beverage, here’s how to make ginger tea:

How to make ginger tea in 4 simple steps

Ingredients
1 tsp fresh grated ginger1 cup of waterHoney (optional)

1. Boil the water.

2. Add the ginger to the water and let sit for 4-5 minutes.

3. Use a strainer to drain the tea as you pour into a cup.

4. Use as much honey as desired and enjoy!

Turmeric’s also a powerful ingredient—here’s how to make an Ayurvedic turmeric lemonade and healthy turmeric tonic recipes.