Altitude sickness ginger tea
An infusion of fresh ginger, invigorating and slightly spicy, brightened with lemon and sweetened with honey. A simple hot drink to fight cold, fatigue, and altitude sickness.
An infusion of fresh ginger, invigorating and slightly spicy, brightened with lemon and sweetened with honey. A simple hot drink to fight cold, fatigue, and altitude sickness.
The summit of Mauna Kea is magnificent, but your body isn't made to live above four thousand meters. Your head pounds, your stomach protests. So I make myself a strong ginger tea: a few slices in boiling water, a squeeze of lemon, a spoonful of honey. It warms my cold hands in the dome and settles my stomach. A simple little gesture — but without it, I couldn't keep a clear mind to track the stars racing around the black hole.
- •Fresh ginger — a few slices (active principle, warmth)
- •Water — one cup (infusion)
- •Lemon — a squeeze (acidity, vitamin C)
- •Honey — to taste (sweetener)
Altitude sickness ginger tea
An infusion of fresh ginger, invigorating and slightly spicy, brightened with lemon and sweetened with honey. A simple hot drink to fight cold, fatigue, and altitude sickness.
Why this dish? Before ascending to the summit, observers acclimatize mid-slope at the Hale Pōhaku station. At 4200 meters, the air is thin, heads spin, hearts race: a ginger tea, reputed to ease nausea, warms and soothes in the cold of observation nights.
The summit of Mauna Kea is magnificent, but your body isn't made to live above four thousand meters. Your head pounds, your stomach protests. So I make myself a strong ginger tea: a few slices in boiling water, a squeeze of lemon, a spoonful of honey. It warms my cold hands in the dome and settles my stomach. A simple little gesture — but without it, I couldn't keep a clear mind to track the stars racing around the black hole.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh ginger — a few slices (active principle, warmth)
- Water — one cup (infusion)
- Lemon — a squeeze (acidity, vitamin C)
- Honey — to taste (sweetener)
Ingredients
- Fresh ginger — 4-5 slices (≈2 cm) (active principle, warmth)
- Water — 250 ml (infusion)
- Lemon juice — 1 tsp (acidity, vitamin C)
- Honey — 1 tsp (sweetener)
Method
- Peel and thinly slice the fresh ginger.
- Bring water to a boil, add ginger, and simmer 5 to 10 min.
- Strain into a cup.
- Add lemon juice and honey, stir, and drink hot in small sips.
How it was made : Ginger has been used for millennia in Asia as a remedy for nausea and digestive issues; modern science confirms its anti-nausea effect. At high-altitude observation sites, teams readily use such hot drinks to alleviate symptoms of acute mountain sickness.
The contemporary twist : Add a thin lemon slice floating on the surface like a pale moon in your cup.
Andrea Ghez · Charactorium