Chai tea is a popular Indian drink made with sweetened black tea and milk. It also contains a variety of spices that can differ by region. Most commonly, the spices are ginger, cloves, pepper, cardamom and cinnamon. Most of those herbs and spices have some health benefits, as do black tea and milk.
Black Tea
Black tea contains antioxidant properties. According to the University of Maryland, drinking black tea can help prevent blood vessel constriction, especially after consuming a high-fat meal, due to this antioxidant ability. Antioxidants are known to protect cells from damage, such as cancer and heart disease, caused naturally when our bodies metabolize oxygen.
Ginger
Ginger is a root that is widely used as a spice and as an herb. A study published in the August 13, 2010 issue of "British Journal of Pharmacology," conducted by H. Ling, H. Yang, S.H. Tan, W.K. Chui and E.H. Chew, showed that shogoal from ginger was effective in reducing breast cancer tumors from metastasizing, or spreading. Herbalist Michael Tierra suggests ginger in a tea to increase blood circulation as well as relief of nausea associated with pregnancy and motion sickness.
Cloves
Cloves are unopened flower buds from the clove tree and are commonly used as a spice and in dental materials. Drugs.com states that clove oil can be beneficial in healing ulcers of the stomach and may help in preventing blood clots, or platelet aggregation. As an herb, cloves and clove oil, which contain eugenol, has antibacterial properties and a mild anesthetic used to ease toothaches.
Cinnamon
Commercial cinnamon comes from the bark of the cassia, or cinnamon, tree and is commonly used as a spice. Cinnamon is known to help sugar and fat metabolize in the blood stream, which is beneficial to people who suffer from type 2 diabetes. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine mentions a study done at the University of Maryland, Baltimore which shows cinnamon bark increased the life span in roundworms that have a biochemical and genetic makeup similar to humans. As an herb, cinnamon is a stimulant which is used to treat diarrhea, cramps, coughing and pains in the lower back.
References
- Chai-Tea.Org: What is Chai?
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Tea for Two
- PubMed.Gov: 6-Shogaol, an Active Constituent of Ginger, Inhibits Breast Cancer Cell Invasion by Reducing Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Expression Via Blockade of Nuclear Factor-KappaB Activation
- "The Way of Herbs"; Michael Tierra; 1998
- Drugs.com: Complete Clove Information
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