Tea for when it snows.
Recipe
- a slice of Ginger
- 3 Cardamon Pods
- 3 Black Peppercorns
- 1 Clove
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (or a stick of cinnamon)
- 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
- 2-3 Black Peppercorns
Bring to boil 4 cups of water with all the spices. Lower the heat and keep simmering for 15 minutes. If you prefer it slightly sweet (and to balance Vata), you can add sucanat or organic cane sugar or Honey.
The Spices
According to Ayurveda Heat dissolve Kapha, all the spices used here are heat producing, hence increases Pitta.
Black pepper is a 'blood purifier'. A warming spice of pungent taste. It is excellent for pacifying Kapha, helps pacify Vata and increases Pitta. It has cleansing and antioxidant properties, and it is a bioavailability enhancer — it helps transport the benefits of other herbs to the different parts of the body. It helps the free flow of oxygen to the brain, helps enhance digestion and circulation, stimulates the appetite, and helps maintain respiratory system health and the health of the joints.
Cinnamon bark is a warming spice of sweet, pungent and bitter tastes. It is said that helps regulate sugar levels. It is excellent for pacifying Kapha and good for balancing Vata also. Individuals trying to balance Pitta can also consume cinnamon in smaller quantities.
Ginger is a warming spice, contributing the pungent taste. It helps pacify Vata and Kapha and increases Pitta. It is used so widely in Ayurveda that it is an entire medicine chest in itself. There is an ayurvedic sutra (verse) that says that everyone should eat fresh ginger just before lunch and dinner to enhance digestion. Not only does ginger stoke the digestive fire, but it also whets the appetite, improves assimilation and transportation of nutrients to targeted body tissues, and clears the microcirculatory channels of the body. Traditional Ayurvedic texts recommend ginger for therapeutic use for joint pain; for motion or airsickness; and for clearing the microcirculatory channels to facilitate better absorption of nutrients and better elimination of wastes. Modern science, by way of worldwide research, ratifies its effectiveness in preventing motion or airsickness, improving digestion, and for its pro-analgesic effect on the joints, particularly in early stages of rheumatoid arthritis.
Cardamon is tridoshic (good for balancing all three doshas) however, it should be used in moderation when there is a Pitta imbalance. Cardamom is considered an excellent digestive, especially beneficial in reducing bloating and intestinal gas. It is excellent for balancing Kapha, particularly in the stomach and the lungs. It is also useful for pacifying Vata. The seeds are often chewed to refresh the breath. Cardamom is often combined with other sweet spices such as fennel and with pungent spices such as cloves, like in this tea.
Cloves are considered to enhance circulation, digestion, and metabolism and help counter stomach disorders such as gas, bloating and nausea. The essential oil of clove is used as an ingredient in oral hygiene products to promote tooth health and freshen the breath. The clove contributes the pungent and astringent tastes. Cloves help pacify Vata and Kapha and increase Pitta.
Fennel is sweet te with an undertone of the bitter taste. Fennel is extremely good for digestion. It acts as a general toner for the digestive system and is particularly good for enhancing agni, the digestive fire, without aggravating Pitta. In India, eating a few toasted fennel seeds after a meal is a common practice, both to aid digestion and to freshen the breath.
Resources: Maharishi Ayurveda