What are HIQ shots? The honey-lemon-turmeric quick boost drink is transforming morning routines

In a world where everyone is looking for a quick fix to get more energy – right now – wellness experts are turning back to Mother Nature for lasting vitality.

Meet HIQ Shots—a potent fusion of Honey, Immunity, and Quick Boost components that’s reimagining how mornings kick off. Developed with the ancient troika of honey, lemon, and turmeric, this golden potion is affectionately referred to as an organic energy shot, rousing the body gently and effectively. Rooted in Ayurveda and nutritionally approved by present-day gurus, HIQ Shots are more than just wellness tonics for the liver—they assist in rapidly revving metabolism while also supporting your immune system and producing anti-inflammatory effects.

Chaitanya Yerawadekar, Cult’s nutrition expert, explains that the morning shot helps the body naturally transition from a state of rest to one of vitality, making the morning wake-up as simple as possible. With each gulp, you’re recharging your system with the nectar of the gods, obtainable in nature, for boundless energy, body equilibrium, and vitality, says Chaitanya and explains its multiple benefits.

Honey: Nature’s Smart Sugar

Ayurveda calls honey (madhu) yogavahi, a carrier that amplifies the strength of other items. Modern scientific wisdom affirms this ancient insight: honey's natural enzymes and slow-releasing glucose-fructose combo provide gentle fuel to the liver after an overnight fast, staving off energy dips up the latter part of the day.

A study on raw honey in the scientific field, published in the Scientific World Journal (Al-Waili et al., 2011), showed that, besides promoting beneficial gut bacteria, it offers mild antimicrobial protection as well. It’s basically prebiotic and antiseptic in one spoon. Best practices are to source raw local honey, unheated honey. Pure, overly processed honey loses enzymes such as diastase and invertase, the compounds that make it therapeutic. It’s even discouraged, in Ayurveda, to heat honey because honey is thought to create ama (metabolic toxins).

Lemon: The Morning Cleanse, Explained

That citrus tang isn’t only for flavour. Lemon juice has a high concentration of vitamin C and citric acid, which stimulate the digestive fire in the body. In scientific terms, the acidity of lemon stimulates bile movement and liver enzymes important in detoxification and fat metabolism. In warm water, lemon juice helps to balance morning pH and hydrate the body after fasting for hours. Ayurveda’s lemon amlaphala uses ushna virya (warming potency) to describe its name, which is to say that it triggers digestion while also supporting liver and gallbladder health. But just do not overdo it. Half a lemon is good enough. More will do the opposite and can upset pitta or wear down tooth enamel over time.

Turmeric: The Golden Regulator

Haridra, or turmeric, is one of Ayurveda’s most potent rasayanas (revitalising) herbs. Its active ingredient, curcumin, controls inflammation at a cellular level. Research in Planta Medica (Shoba et al., 1998) confirms that the addition of a minimum amount of black pepper (which is rich in piperine) increases curcumin’s absorption by almost 20 times. The significance of turmeric in this morning blend is small but profound: it can reduce systemic inflammation, detoxify the liver and help support immune signalling pathways in many ways. Ayurveda says turmeric also balances all three doshas and purifies rakta (blood), while modern studies show that it acts by altering the NF-κB pathway, a master switch that keeps inflammation at bay.

How to Make the Perfect Morning Shot

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• Juice of ½ lemon
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric (powder or fresh root)
• A pinch of crushed black pepper
• 150 ml lukewarm water

Method:

Add turmeric and pepper to warm water. Top off with lemon juice and honey (no metal spoons or boiling water). Sip very slowly, preferably on an empty stomach, before breakfast or tea. This simple ritual serves more than just to hydrate; it rouses the vagus nerve, regulates cortisol and primes your digestive system for the day ahead.

What Happens Inside Your Body

• Steady energy: Honey replenishes your glycogen system and does so without spiking insulin levels.
• Better immunity: The antioxidants of turmeric and the enzymes of honey work together to help white blood cells function properly.
• Natural detox: Lemon helps with bile flow, the process of cleansing the liver and metabolic changes to fats.
• Better mood and focus: If you have a good gut, you have better serotonin production, the basis of calm alertness.

You’ll probably feel lighter, more alert and less bloated within a week. It's not a placebo; it’s your metabolism getting into gear.

Ayurvedic meets modern: A perfect blend of intuition and evidence

Ayurveda knew centuries ago what modern chronobiology is learning and reworking because your morning ritual sets up your metabolic rhythm for the rest of your day.

Honey’s madhura rasa (sweet taste) nurtures ojas, the subtle essence of vitality. Lemon’s amla rasa (sour taste), which cleanses kapha, and the katu rasa (pungent taste) of turmeric balances vata and pitta. The three of them constitute an ideal tri-dosha balance now supported by studies in microbiome science and mitochondrial function.

Quick Expert Tips

• Always use lukewarm water, never hot.
• For diabetics, honey can be reduced to a half teaspoon.
• Those with acidity should reduce lemon and use more water.
• Rotate honey types seasonally: Jamun, forest, or wildflower, to benefit from different phytonutrients.

(The author, Nivedita, is a freelance writer. She writes on health and travel.)