Substitute grapefruit juice for lemon juice.

December 28, 2015 5:34 AM

Is it ok to substitute grapefruit juice for lemon juice in throat soothing warm drink with honey?

The most common throat soothing warm drink is honey, lemon juice and warm/hot water. Will changing lemon juice to grapefruit juice change the healthy benefits of this drink? Grapefruit juice tastes much better to me.

posted by BillyAnne to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

I'm sure it would be fine as a throat-soother... but there are something like 300+ different medications which necessitate avoiding grapefruit and its juice completely. If you are taking any prescription meds, please check with your doctor and pharmacist to find out if yours is one of the ones that interacts with grapefruit. I too love grapefruit, but had to say goodbye to it forever due to blood pressure Rx.
posted by RRgal at 5:42 AM on December 28, 2015

Should be fine.
posted by Segundus at 5:42 AM on December 28, 2015

Grapefruit juice interactions are a thing, I don't think you're talking about enough juice to matter, but double check with your doctor if you're on any of the affected drugs.
posted by Candleman at 6:58 AM on December 28, 2015

Candleman and RRgal, Thanks for the drug interaction warning. The lemon juice is very good in this drink but grapefruit juice tastes better to me! It's easier to get juice from a grapefruit also.
posted by BillyAnne at 7:11 AM on December 28, 2015

Grapefruit and ginger also go together well, if you can have grapefruit. So boiled ginger tea with grapefruit and honey would be exquisite and a great source of vitamin C and a throat soother, even a sprinkle of red pepper would be OK in there.
posted by Oyéah at 9:28 AM on December 28, 2015

Regarding your last comment, if you don't have a juicer similar to this, you might be surprised how easy it is to get a ton of juice from a lemon.
posted by papayaninja at 8:51 PM on December 28, 2015

If you live somewhere with an Asian grocery store, you may be interested in grabbing a jar of yujacha. It's a honeyed marmalade that you mix with hot water to make the most-wonderful* throat-soothing beverage. It's made from yuzu, a citrus fruit which tastes like a cross between a grapefruit and a mandarin orange.

Yes, grapefruit instead of lemon is totally fine as long as you have no drug interaction issues.

* Non-alcoholic definition.
posted by desuetude at 11:45 PM on December 28, 2015