Warming chai

From Sue Giles.

Be adventurous and make your own chai—it is easy to do, and can be stored in a thermos to enjoy later in the day. Chai is a wonderful warming drink to enjoy in the winter months, and a great way to add the benefits of the warming spices to your winter regime. Ginger is a warming circulatory stimulant, as well as having immune stimulating properties, and having a beneficial effect on the digestive system.

Clove has antimicrobial properties, as does Star Anise. All of the herbs are beneficial to the digestive system having calming, antispasmodic properties, they also have some mild expectorant properties. 

A great tea to have in winter!

1. Bring 2 cups of water to the boil.
2. Add 2 tsp plain black tea.
3. ¼ - ½ inch sliced fresh ginger, or ¼ tsp dried.
4. 1 cinnamon stick broken or crushed, or ¼ - ½ tsp dried. 3 - 4 cloves.
5. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. Add 2-3 tsp sugar or honey.
7. Add 2 cups of milk (soy may be used).
8. Gently reheat and serve. 

There are many variations of this delicious tea with each culture having it’s own version. Many different spices are used, including cardamom, Star Anise (which contains an active ingredient in Tamiflu—shikimic acid), and black pepper corns.

For a caffeine free tea, you can substitute Rooibos for the black tea.