How to make the popular Starbucks ‘Medicine Ball’ tea that fans claim will soothe a cold (2024)

If you’re feeling a cold coming on but don’t want to wait in line at Starbucks, here’s how to make the popular “Medicine Ball” at home.

The “Medicine Ball” — also known as the “Cold Buster” — originated as a secret menu item but became so popular that the chain decided to officially add it to the menu, listed as the Honey Citrus Mint Tea.

The drink does not contain actual medicine but does include several ingredients that have long been touted as at-home natural cold remedies.

Starbucks ‘Medicine Ball’ tea recipe

• 1 bag of Teavana Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea
• 1 bag of Teavana Peach Tranquility Herbal Tea
• 8 ounces of hot water
• 8 ounces of steamed lemonade
• 1 tablespoon of honey

A “Medicine Ball” is made by steeping Jade Citrus Mint and Peach Tranquility tea bags in a mixture of half hot water and half steamed lemonade and sweetened with honey to taste.

The Jade Citrus Mint tea is a green tea with lemon verbena, lemongrass and spearmint, while the Peach Tranquility tea is a combination of peach, candied pineapple, chamomile, lemon verbena and rose hips.

The teas contain naturally occurringanti-inflammatory properties, which help ease discomfort and provide antioxidants to support the immune system; in addition, the lemonade is loaded with vitamin C.

The warmth of the cozy drink — a standard 16-ounce cup is about 130 calories — should help to soothe a throat and loosen mucus in one’s chest.

To top it off, the honey does more than just sweeten the concoction: it has been found to offer antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, anticancer and antimetastatic effects,according to the National Library of Medicine.

The smooth, thick sweetener has long been touted as a cough suppressant and throat coat, too.

The green tea adds about 20 grams of caffeine to the drink, which is just a small portion of the 400 milligrams of caffeine a day that is considered safe for most adults, according to the Mayo Clinic.

If you’re trying to fight off a cold but aren’t enticed by a “Medicine Ball,” you might try the viral “Immunity Cubes” to give your body a boost.