Ginger & Pear Water with Honey

Why people make this drink

This simple two-ingredient drink has a long track record in Chinese home kitchens for easing a ticklish throat or a cold-induced cough. Snow pear (xue li) has been used for centuries to moisten the lungs and generate fluids; ginger is warming and helps the body clear cold. Together they offer a balanced approach — the pear moderates ginger’s heat, the ginger counters pear’s cooling energy. Ginger also contains gingerols and other phenolic and flavonoid compounds, and modern research has found that these reduce levels of cyclo-oxygenase (an enzyme involved in inflammation) — giving this traditional pairing genuine scientific grounding.