Why *This* is the Perfect Tea

Who else loves teas? There are calming teas, energizing teas, digestion teas, detox teas … All these blends make quite a pantry and a home pharmacy. If you are looking for that one perfect tea, here it is.

In Ayurvdea, we find the concept of doshas – vata, pitta, and kapha. Each dosha is a combination of two elements. Vata – space and air. Pitta – fire and water. Kapha – water and earth. Each is also associated with a principle. Vata – movement. Pitta – process and digestion of food, fluid, and data. Kapha – our physical structure. All these elements and principles exist in each of us.

Briefly this is what each of the doshas is –

Vata Dosha
  • movement, including circulation
  • nervous system
  • respiration
  • elimination
  • info exchange
  • flowing, cold, light, dry, subtle
Pitta Dosha
  • transformation
  • digestion
  • metabolismn
  • heat
  • hot, spreading, sharp
Kapha Dosha
  • structure
  • lubrication
  • formation of tissues
  • heavy, slow, smooth, stable

While different herbs can help balance each of the three doshas, here’s a combo that is tridoshic and supports all three. This tea is tasty and perfect for seasonal cleansing. While improving digestion, it also helps to reduce sugar cravings and bloating, and promote detoxification.

What is this perfect tea?

Cumin, coriander, and fennel.

Simply add a pinch of each and steep in a cup of hot water for five to ten minutes. As digestive aids, chewing the loose bits in your tea is another way to benefit. Otherwise use a tea ball.

perfect tea great for the winter

The Benefits of Cumin, Coriander, and Fennel

Cumin

You may know cumin as an ingredient of curry powder. Cumin has both culinary and medicinal uses and is a commonly used spice in many cuisines. With warming properties, cumin helps to decrease kapha and vata and supports agni, digestive fire.

According to Medical News Today, cumin boosts multiple benefits, helping conditions such as diabetes, stress, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. 1 A 2015 study also shows taking cumin for eight weeks helps with weight loss and insulin metabolism.

Coriander

Coriander is cooling and calms the mind. It also helps with cholesterol and diabetes. 2

Fennel

Fennel helps to reduce bloating and gas. Great as an appetite stimulant and digestive aid, Fennel has been used for centuries.

A cousin of cumin and coriander, fennel is used to stimulate digestive fire and can soothe the nervous system.

Can we make this perfect tea even better? What about adding some ginger? So perfect for the coming colder weather and yin of winter.

1 Six Health Benefits of Cumin by Megan Metropulos, MS, RDN, and Megan Ware, RDN, LD in Medical News Today. [link]
2 The cholesterol lowering property of coriander seeds (Coriandrum sativum): mechanism of action. J Environ Biol. 2008 Jan;29(1):53-6. [link]