Yep, you read that right. Hot water with honey and lemon. Sounds boring, doesn't it? Bland perhaps? Faceless when compared with its flashier cousin tea? Paltry when compared with its biggest rival, coffee? Well, perhaps. But this combo stands on its own, and I can promise if you try it you'll be surprised just how enjoyable it truly is.

This concoction made its way into my life several times. My husband, who was seeing an acupuncturist for eczema, a condition affecting the epidermis in the form of a red, itchy rash that can form all over your body, brought home a bunch of lemons along with some other more questionable items from the local Chinese grocer. The acupuncturist suggested having at least a cup a day of hot water with lemon -- lots and lots of lemon, as much, in fact, as my husband could tolerate -- in conjunction with some other recommendations in order to cure his eczema.

Never one in favor of caffeine, and even less a fan of our homemade coffee, I decided to join my husband in his morning ritual of imbibing a cup of steaming hot water with lemon. It sounded bland, it sounded boring, but at least it was something different.

It took several trisd before I figured out the preferable lemon juice to water combination but once I did I was shockingly hooked. It really wasn't that bad. In fact, it was rather uncomplicated and soothing, like having a hot beverage when you feel ill to make yourself feel better only without the illness.

After a short time, I decided that since I was treating myself rather than eczema, I would experiment by adding other flavors, such as mint and even orange peel. These and other tastes were good, but the best combo proved to be a touch of honey. And I do mean a touch. Honey is better than sugar, yes, but it's still sugar, just in another form. So sample gingerly from the honey jar.

I tend to use organic lemons and organic honey, or at least honey from local farms. Right now I'm hooked on clover honey but have a feeling that one I saw infused with lavender might be just the ticket for these cold winter months.

Although I don't have eczema, I've noted other benefits of this drink that can be enjoyed by all. It has no caffeine, virtually no calories, and offers some vitamin C from the citrus. Depending on your tolerance for lemon juice, it might be a drink you could enjoy throughout the day, although I limit my intake to one strong cup in the morning simply because I am not at all sure how much lemon juice is good for a person. I also noted one online source citing this drink as an all-natural cure for the common cold and flu and another vegetarian source citing it as a digestive tonic. Again, whether or not these theories have been proven is debatable (as are most things these days) but my philosophy is that it's all natural, so it can't hurt.

In case you were wondering, my husband's eczema cleared up. Whether or not it had to do with the hot water with lemon and honey is anyone's guess, but it was an enjoyable experiment.