They say that after water, chai tea is the oldest drink in the world . If true, it seems incredible that you would have to wait until the 1960s hippies made their psychedelic journey through India (Beatle music in the background) before they brought it to America. In other words, when it comes to trends in tea , we are some 9,000 years behind Indian cuisine.
But we westerners are intense when we want to impose a fashion and now there is chai tea everywhere. You walk into any cafeteria and surely they have a chai tea recipe on their menu, in general the Chai Latte tea that is quite a sensation.
An excellent option is Chai Tea since it respects the original ingredients of the recipe. The traceability of its components is verified from the first steps of cultivation in different parts of the world, ensuring that they are 100% original.
Malawian and Indian black tea is accompanied by various spices, according to the classic Indian recipe inspired by Ayurvedic medicine. These are: Cardamom, Clove, Cinnamon, Ginger, Vanilla. Sweetea Chai tea accompanies its recipe with natural Stevia leaves as a sweetener .
Some of these spices will be familiar to you and others not so much. They are present in Chai tea to give it its characteristic flavor, but also because its effects on health have been known for centuries.
Benefits of cardamom in chai tea
Cardamom is a herb from which its seeds or the oil extracted from them are used. It is widely used in Middle Eastern cuisine, but also in bakeries in Scandinavian countries. It is known as the Queen of Spices and its essential oils have well-known medicinal applications.
1- Ideal for digestive problems
Cardamom has been used for thousands of years to help with digestion.
It is often mixed with other medicinal spices to relieve digestive discomfort, nausea, and vomiting .
The most researched property of cardamom, when it comes to relieving stomach problems, is its possible ability to heal ulcers .
Laboratory research also suggests that cardamom may protect against Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that is present in most cases of stomach ulcers.
In addition to this indication, cardamom is used in oriental medicine to calm acidity, activate digestion, relieve stomach pain and spasms.
2- For bad breath:
Cardamom has antibacterial properties that help eliminate bad breath, since it neutralizes dental bacteria.
In some cultures, it’s common to eat whole cardamom pods after a meal to freshen breath, and mint gum makers often use cardamom precisely to combat bad breath.
3- Fight depression:
In addition to the caffeine (theine) found in chai tea, cardamom has the added benefit of helping those experiencing mental stress, depression, or any other mental health problem.
4- Helps to lower high blood pressure:
Cardamom has been shown to help lower blood pressure , likely due to its antioxidant and diuretic properties. At the renal level, it modifies the exchange of sodium and potassium by increasing urination, and at the level of the central nervous system it has a sedative effect, thus helping to reduce the stress associated with arterial hypertension.
5- Improves breathing:
The cardamom present in chai tea helps increase airflow to the lungs and improve breathing.
In fact, in one study, participants were asked to inhale cardamom essential oil for one minute before running on a treadmill for 15 minutes. This group had significantly higher oxygen uptake compared to the rest of the participants.
Another way in which this spice acts on breathing is by relaxing the bronchial passages, which makes it indicated for the treatment of asthma. It is also especially useful for flu states and colds.
6- Indicated for sexual dysfunctions:
The use of cardamom as an aphrodisiac has been known since ancient times. Sexual dysfunctions like impotence and premature ejaculation can also be successfully treated with cardamom.
This aphrodisiac effect is observed in both men and women, since the essential oil of cardamom seeds acts on the nervous system, relieving stress associated with sexual dysfunction.
As you will see, chai tea is much more than just a fad, since its health benefits and its versatility for different recipes show that it has come to the West to stay.
Be sure to read our upcoming articles about the spices that enrich chai tea.