Fight the Flu With Tea!

Already, the school year has started and everybody is out and about in public places spreading germs like never before. My entire neighborhood is already sick, so now we are battling against it and allergies mixed together.
Even though it's not quite the flu season yet, if your immune system isn't built up you will be fighting germs left and right at school and work. However, acting as if everybody is infested and washing your hands excessively isn't as fun as experimenting with teas and their healing powers (not that it should be replaced!!!)
First off, there are some different ways to brew tea:

• Make your own tea bags (super fun!) You can do them fancy like in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WLImRRLujU or simple like in this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_LDzCR_JWY .
• Buy pre-made tea bags.
• Get a tea ball. Perfect for single cups made with loose tea. Look at the picture below.
• Another way is to use the coffee maker. "What!?" you say. Yea, I thought that too. How easy, just use tea instead of coffee! I read that you will need to use one tablespoon instead of teaspoon of herbs per cup because of the reduced steeping time.

Now for the herbs. To fight colds and flus, there is a great variety. You'll need to experiment to see what works best for you. You can also mix teas to get a little gourmet!

1. Echinacea. You can grow this flower in your backyard and dry it for the winter cold season. Also known as purple cone flower. 
2. Ginger and Cinnamon. Natural news says, "A great herbal tea can be made for those trying to recover from a cold of flu by simmering a couple of cinnamon sticks and sliced fresh ginger in water for at least 20 minutes" It's required for me to say to read more by going to their site but I wouldn't suggest it due to the  unnecessary amount of advertisement on their site.
3. Elderberry. Yes, it sounds like it could of been used in Lord of the Rings, but it's from this earth. Another thing is that it's a berry- not an herb. I would top your tasty teas off with a teaspoon of elderberry syrup to get as much as possible out of one cup of healing liquid. 
4. Licorice. No, not licorice candy-sorry. That would be too good to be true. You can by licorice to make into tea, but make sure it is actually licorice not anise!
5. Sage. I don't know what that would taste like, but I found a recipe for tea with it in it here: http://commonsensehome.com/preparing-for-cold-and-flu-season-herbs-spices-and-the-kitchen-sink/ 

Fun-fact-that-doesn't-have-to-do-with-tea-but-does-with-flu: (Whew, what a long title!) You know that idea about chicken soup being good for colds floating around? Even if it sounds just like a myth, it's actually true if you make it right. People used to make chicken soup but boiling the bones with leftover meat on them for hours. That's what has the special properties. NOT bouillon-flavored broth that you microwaved! So if you want to go this route, boil those bones!