What is this popular tea and why would you want to drink it?

What, exactly, is chai?

The word, chai, simply means “tea.”  Chai has become synonymous with the sweet, spicy, milky tea drink that is a staple of Indian afternoons. This tea has made its way to the West and can be found in many traditional coffee houses as well as Indian restaurants. This drink is good tasting, but it is also good for you. As we dissect a cup of chai, we can fully realize its health benefits.

What’s in it?

First of all, we have the tea itself. Black tea is different from green tea only in its method of preservation after picking. For green tea, the tea leaves are steamed and dried. For black tea, the leaves are fermented and dried.

These processes slightly alter the health benefits of the tealeaves themselves and greatly alter the flavor. Black tea has a stronger flavor and slightly more caffeine. Green tea is milder tasting with higher antioxidant effect.

Antioxidants are substances that counter the effects of stress on the body. Antioxidants are being studied for their potential to prevent life threatening diseases and slow the aging process.

Both black and green teas have healthful action in the body. Chai typically has less than half the caffeine of a similar amount of coffee. You may make chai with no tea leaves at all in it. In India and in packaged products you will, most likely, find it caffeinated. The other spices found in chai are believed to lessen any negative effects of caffeine.

In addition to the tealeaves, chai is made with a number of spices that will each have action on the body. The following are some spices typically found in chai and their related actions. Since this tea is typically taken during the afternoon to balance the day’s digestive fire all the spices have an effect on the digestive system.

As most of these are heating, it can be a beneficial drink for Vata and Kapha, who often struggle with digestion. But Pitta nature people will want to limit their intake or include cooling herbs, such as fennel or anise, in their chai formula.

The Spices

Cinnamon

is a digestive spice with warming, circulatory-increasing and sweat-inducing properties. It has the added benefits of being strongly anti-viral in action and anti-parasitic. Cinnamon is also considered to be balancing to both blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Its warming nature makes it best for Vata and Kapha.

Cardamom,

whose ancient name is “grains of paradise”, is another digestive stimulant, but this one also has strong action on the mind and increases mental clarity and focus. It is said to promote mental stamina and relieve depression. Pitta may take this in small amounts, though it is best for Vata and Kapha.

Ginger root

stimulates digestion, reduces mucous, and settles the stomach. It is warming and will increase circulation and sweating. Stimulating to the immune system, it is anti-inflammatory as well as preventative to both viral and bacterial infections. Fresh ginger is best for Pitta and Vata, and dry ginger is more pacifying to Kapha.

Fennel

is often used as a spice to temper the heat of the other spices in chai. It is a mild digestive stimulant and counters bad breath. It boosts the metabolism and supports the body’s formation of healthy fats. It is considered anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer and stabilizing to women’s reproductive cycles. All three doshas are balanced by fennel.

Clove

stimulates digestion and is warming to the body. It is also anti-inflammatory and reduces the effects of environmental toxins. It has been used for ages for its numbing qualities when applied to the gums. Too hot for Pitta dosha, great for Kapha, use in small amounts for Vata since it can be drying.

Black pepper

is a digestive stimulant and purifies the body by increasing both urination and sweating and supporting you in breaking down fat cells. It is both antioxidant and antibacterial. As clove, this is too hot for Pitta, great for Kapha and to be used only in small amounts for Vata.

Other Ingredients and When to Take It

Chai is often served with milk and sugar. To understand why this is done, you want to consider that chai is a mid-meal offering that will provide protein and fats in the milk, carbohydrates in the sugar, digestive spices to free up the nutrition quickly and stimulants to the nervous system via the tealeaves to increase an immediate demand for that nutrition.

Chai provides the body with nutrition and supports the body’s use of that nutrition. It is typically taken away from food at the mid-afternoon between lunch and dinner. This carries you through that slump or sugar-craving that may arise at this time.

You may take chai at any time you want the pleasant taste and the stimulation to your system. If taking near food, reduce the milk and sugar. The food will provide the proteins, fats and carbohydrates, so the tea now can be a delicious spicy support to your digestion while stimulating your nervous system to put that energy to work.

Your choices in milk or milk substitute and the type of sweetener used in your chai are entirely up to you. Packaged products, while convenient, lack the ability to directly address your tastes or to have the freshness of a chai you have brewed for yourself.

You can sit back and have a cup of chai knowing that you are bringing balance to your digestive system and improving your circulation.  A relaxing beverage that puts you in good stead for the rest of your day.

Want to enjoy chai in several varieties that focus on different needs of your body? Get three of Mary’s personally-crafted recipes by signing up at right → . Or, learn more about Mary’s tea recipes.