Guest Blog: CHAI! - Part 2

Dear reader,

Please give some love to my friend and guest blogger, herbalist and yogi Dagmar Jones!

Born and raised in Germany, Dagmar has been a resident of Central Florida for more than 20 years, where she lives with her husband and two children on their organic orange grove.  Organic produce and herbs are her passion and she is fortunate enough to have made it her profession as well.  I invite you to meet her inspiring and energetic personality!

Here is Dagmar’s take on the ingredients of chai tea—from an herbalist’s perspective.

	Cardamom: The parts used of the cardamom plant for herbal actions are the seeds.  Seeds are obtained from commercial plants in Sri Lanka and India.  Cardamom is a very valuable culinary herb used extensively in India to relieve flatulent dyspepsia and griping pains.  If chewed before a meal, cardamom will stimulate the appetite and the flow of saliva.
	Ginger: The ginger rootstock is dug up when the leaves have dried.  (As a side note, it is very easy to grow your own ginger.  When you purchase ginger from the grocery store and notice a small shoot appearing, set the ginger into a pot of soil and water gently every day.  The shoots will grow into leaves and the root will multiply underneath the soil.  There is nothing like fresh ginger!).  The remains from the stem and root fibers should be removed.  Wash thoroughly and dry in the sun.  Ginger is a wonderful herb for the stimulation of the peripheral circulation.  During fevers, ginger acts as a useful diaphoretic, promoting perspiration.   As a carminative, it promotes gastric secretion and is used in dyspepsia, flatulence and colic.
	Cinnamon: The dried inner bark of the cinnamon shoots are used to make what we know as cinnamon sticks or cinnamon powder.  Cinnamon is a strong carminative.  It relieves nausea and vomiting.  Because of its mild astringency, it can be used to relieve diarrhea as well.  Cinnamon is known to balance blood sugar levels in the body.
	Cloves: The parts used for herbal action are the unexpanded flower buds.  Cloves increase circulation, promote digestion and nutrition, raise the body temperature and stimulate the excretory organs.  It also stimulates and disinfects the kidneys, skin, liver, and bronchial mucous membrane.  It is the most powerful of the aromatic and carminative herbs.  Cloves are also indicated for cold extremities, colic, flatulence and indigestion.

Chai tea contains a lot less caffeine than coffee, so it is a great alternative for people who enjoy stimulants throughout their day.  The Black tea that is used to make chai has antioxidant properties.  The spices or culinary herbs used in chai tea are all digestive aids, as Ayurvedic medicine (the ancient Indian medical system where chai tea originated) maintains that a healthy digestion is the key to overall health and well-being.  Ayurveda speaks of the digestive fire ("agni") which should be burning all day long to aid digestion and proper absorption of nutrients.  For that reason, Ayurveda frowns on cold and iced drinks as the cold is said to put out agni.  Chai tea aids in the digestive fire being strong all day and is a great beverage upon rising to prepare the body for the assimilation of nutrients as well as after meals to combat flatulence, balance and support digestion of the body.

Read more about Dagmar the herbalist and yoga instructor, as well as her Greener Living Co-op , and organic veggie and fruit delivery service.