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Jenna Bush Hager swears this Starbucks drink is the ultimate cold buster

Apparently, this soothing beverage is beloved by country singers who need a pick-me-up before performing.
Starbucks medicine ball
Nathan Congleton/TODAY
/ Source: TODAY

Warm one day, cold the next? If your body has succumbed to the dreaded change-in-weather head cold, TODAY's Jenna Bush Hager may just have the right remedy to make you feel better.

On Monday's show, TODAY with Hoda & Jenna guest co-host Meredith Vieira told Jenna that she has been suffering from a seasonal cough that just won't let up. Thankfully, Jenna had a great solution. Once again, she shared her go-to, feel-better drink that soothes her body when she has a cold.

It's called a "Medicine Ball," and it's been a popular order ever since it originated on Starbucks' "secret menu."

"I've had this cough now for it's going on well over a week," Meredith told Jenna as she donned a fluffy red robe.

"She says she's allergic to me," Jenna joked.

"I'm not sure because it does certainly come out here," Meredith said. "No, I'm not allergic to you. I couldn't be. I don't know how to get rid of it. So, if viewers have any suggestions. I know you came up with something."

Said Jenna, "I talked about this when I was sick. It's called the 'Medicine Ball' from Starbucks."

Then she promised: "It'll knock it out."

Earlier this year, Jenna also recommended the sweet and soothing drink to her co-host Hoda Kotb. The colleague who originally recommended the drink to Jenna told her that country singers sip it to soothe their throats before performing.

The Medicine Ball started out as a customer-created beverage until it became so popular that the coffee chain added it to its permanent menu in 2017. Though it might not appear in all stores, it's easy enough to make as a custom order.

To order the drink at a Starbucks store or through the chain's app, ask for a Honey Citrus Mint Tea.

If you don't see it listed on a store menu board or in the app, here’s the recipe:

1 Venti cup filled with half hot water and half steamed lemonade

1 bag of Teavana Jade Citrus Mint Tea

1 bag of Teavana Peach Tranquility Tea

1 packet of honey

Pump of peppermint (optional)

According to Fortune, Starbucks COO Kevin Johnson said that it usually takes several weeks or even months to add a new drink to the menu, but this one was fast-tracked because of the demand from customers. The store manager who initially alerted corporate to this trend reported that his baristas were making more than 20 of these drinks a day.

A spokesperson for the company confirmed to TODAY Food that Starbucks really began seeing orders come in for this beverage in October 2016.

The drink's popularity seems to have come mostly from Instagram, where you’ll find many posts about the beverage, sometimes with different variations of ingredients and names.

“I thought the Starbucks ‘sick tea’ or ‘coldbuster’ was gonna taste weird but it's actually pretty good,” wrote Instagram user justbusydreaming in her post about the drink. “I've had a crazy fever for a couple of days with migraines, body aches, a runny nose... but this really cleared up my sinuses and made me feel a lot better.”

Another user, heyjanegrubb, claimed it’s a “Miracle cold cure every time.”

Now that it's an official drink on the chain's menu, this soothing elixir now has a standard recipe card and ring code at Starbucks locations nationwide. A tall (12-ounce) beverage goes for about $3.50 — which is totally worth it if it actually helps you feel better while you're fighting off that mid-season head cold.

Cheers, Meredith, hope you feel better soon!

A version of this story was originally published in 2017.