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Health See other Health Articles Title: Is Chai Tea Good for You? Chai Tea Benefits & Recipes Is Chai Tea Good for You? Chai Tea Benefits & Recipes Affiliate Disclosure Chai tea has been popular for years, hitting the big coffee shops in both hot and iced form, but is chai tea is good for you? Well, yes — for the most part — though it depends on what chai tea you drink. Like most foods, it’s easiest to find the not-so-healthy version of chai tea just about anywhere these days. It’s your job to keep an eye on the label and know what your chia tea contains. However, traditional chai tea ingredients are amazing, and as long as you pay attention, you can have the best version — the version let’s you say to the question is chai tea good for you. Chai, or chai tea, is made using various combinations of spices and tea, but the most popular blend starts with black tea and a blend of ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, fennel, black pepper and clove. As you can imagine, each of the ingredients contains its own special benefits, and when combined, it can be even more powerful for the body. In fact, chai benefits include possibly helping support digestion, lower blood sugar and promote cardiovascular health. (1) Is Chai Tea Good for You? Benefits of Chai Tea 1. Anti-Inflammatory: Reduces Pain Associated with Arthritis There are several ingredients in chai tea that may help eliminate pain associated with arthritis and other inflammatory-causing disease, specifically clove, ginger and cinnamon. Studies show that whole clove, crushed clove or clove oil can help reduce inflammation, as can cinnamon and ginger. According to the Arthritis Foundation, ginger has properties much like the well-known go-to ibuprofen. Used in Asian medicine for centuries, ginger works by suppressing inflammatory molecules. A specialized ginger extract called Eurovita Extract 77 was found to reduce inflammatory reactions in rheumatoid arthritis as effectively as steroids, as noted by a 2012 in vitro study. (1) Research published in Pharmaceutical Biology examined the anti-inflammatory effects of certain oils, including clove, coriander seed and black cumin oils. Albino rats fed with these cold-pressed oils, and the researchers found that these oils, especially the clove oil, “could minimize acute inflammation.” (2) As far as cinnamon is concerned, a study published in Phytotherapy Research found that cinnamon bark essential oil shows promise as an anti-inflammatory when evaluating human skin cells. However, the researchers noted that “further research is required to clarify its clinical efficacy.” (3) 2. Treats Nausea Ginger is one of the ingredients in chai, making the tea a great choice for a nagging upset tummy. Ginger can help reduce nausea and vomiting and even rid the discomfort of motion sickness and chemotherapy-induced nausea. According to research analyzed in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, the traditional folk remedy for gastrointestinal complaints may even remedy the nausea and vomiting associated with cancer. Ginger contains bioactive compounds within the rhizome of the spice, particularly gingerol and shogaol. These compounds display anti-inflammatory properties, as previously noted, making it a great choice for anyone experiencing upset stomach issues of any sort. (4) 3. Contains a High Antioxidant Load If you ask anyone in Japan or China, places where heart disease is much lower than our Western numbers, about their beverage of choice, it’s likely to be tea. John Weisburger, Ph.D, and senior researcher at the Institute for Cancer Prevention, notes that teas are loaded with antioxidants called polyphenols. We know that the job of antioxidants is to scavenge the body of free radicals that can cause cell damage. According to WebMD and Dr. Weisburger, tea has more polyphenols than fruits and vegetables. While I’m not suggesting you leave your fruits and vegetables, adding a cup or two of tea into your day could offer even more antioxidants to help combat free radical damage and disease. (5) 4. Aids Digestion Many spices have long been known to aid in digestion, and black pepper is one of them. It’s common for chai tea to be consumed after a meal for that very reason. So how does black pepper aid in digestion? It seems that it has the ability to support the pancreas in secreting digestive enzymes. This action helps speed up the time required to digest fats and protein. (6) Studies experimented with a few different blends of spices, all of which contained black pepper and all of which helped with digestion. Combining just the right spices, such as those found in chai tea — specifically cardamom, ginger, fennel, clove and black pepper — can offer support for the gut. (7) 5. Can Help Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease Cinnamon is found in everything from Greek food to candy, and it’s a key ingredient in chai tea that’s been linked with reduced risk of heart disease. It can help those with diabetes by regulating blood sugar levels, aids in stabilization of cholesterol and triglycerides, and studies have shown cinnamon helps reduce blood pressure. as the eternal tree of tropical medicine, cinnamon contains vital oils and other derivatives, giving it the ability to help combat diabetes and cancer, as well as cardiovascular disease. It’s even been reported to help fight Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease as well. (8, 9) Poster Comment: Good chart at end of article. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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