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Chai Tea For A Cold Winter's Day
Below is a recipe for you to make at home, along with a breakdown of how the herbs keep us warm, reduce pain associated with the cold, and harmonize digestion.
Have a cup daily and enjoy the benefits!
Chai Tea for a cold winter's day
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger, cut into thin rounds
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 10 whole cloves
- 6 cardamom pods
- 2 teaspoons fennel
- 6 cups cold water
- 6 bags of black tea (optional)
- 2 cups whole milk (or milk substitute)
- 1/2 cup golden brown sugar (optional, can substitute honey at a lesser amount)
Preparation Combine first 6 ingredients in medium saucepan. Using mallet or back of large spoon, lightly crush or bruise spices. Add 6 cups water; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover pan, and simmer gently 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add tea bags and steep 5 minutes. Discard tea bags. Add milk and sugar. Bring tea just to simmer over high heat, whisking until sugar dissolves. Strain chai into teapot and serve hot.
How these herbs work for your health and wellness
Cardamon: Bai Dou Kou
- Category: Aromatic transform Damp
- Nature: Spicy, warm, aromatic
- Function: moves qi, dissolves dampness, and strengthens the ST
- Function: warms the abdomen and stops vomiting/relieves nausea
- What it helps with: fullness/stuck feeling in the stomach, nausea/vomiting
- Category: Warm interior, expel cold
- Nature: Spicy, warm
- Function: warms the abdomen and directs rebellious qi downward
- Function: warms the Kidneys and tonifies Kidney yang
- What it helps with: nausea/vomiting, hiccups, abdominal pain, diarrhea, lack of appetite
- Category: Warm interior, expel cold
- Nature: Spicy, sweet, hot
- Function: fortifies the Kidneys and Spleen yang, warms Heart yang and fortifies yang
- Function: disperses deep cold, warms the channels, unblocks the channels and vessels, alleviates pain
- Function: leads the fire back to its source
- Function: encourages the generation of qi and blood
- What it helps with: aversion to cold, cold limbs, weak back, abdominal pain and cold, lack of appetite, diarrhea, wheezing, weak and cold lower extremities, chronic deficiency of qi and blood
- Category: Warm, acrid surface releasing
- Nature: Spicy, warm
- Function: releases the exterior and disperses viruses
- Function: warms the middle and stops vomiting
- Function: warms the Lungs and stops coughing
- Function: resolves toxicity
- What it helps with: viral infections, cough, phlegm, nausea/vomiting, harmonizes digestion
- Category: Warm interior, expel cold
- Nature: Spicy, hot
- Function: warms the abdomen, disperses cold, and relieves pain
- What it helps with: nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain
- Category: Warm interior, expel Cold
- Nature: Spicy, warm
- Function: Disperses Cold, warms the Liver and Kidneys, and stops pain
- Function: regulates the qi and harmonizes the Stomach
- What it helps with: lower abdominal pain due to cold, indigestion, lack of appetite, and nausea/vomiting
