Chai Tea – Amazing Properties With Various Health benefits
Chai tea is originated in India; it’s a Hindi word “Chai” which literally means tea itself. It is a popular drink that is consumed by almost all Indian people.
If ever you have a cup of Chai tea Masala chai, sure that you will become a fan of it, and no sooner will get addicted to it.
What exactly Chai tea is?
It’s a unique preparation of tea made with different spices as ingredients. The combination of different spices makes it very special with a unique taste. There are varieties of recipes available for Chai tea and each variety depends on the spices you infuse in the tea along with the quantity of the spices used during the preparation of tea.
Some of the common spices which are used in the preparation of Chai tea are ginger, cloves, pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, garlic, cardamom, etc. Generally, black tea is used as the basic ingredient, tea preparation is an art, and one requires good skill to make it in an absolutely perfect way.
What are the health benefits of tea?
The properties of tea are present in all varieties, it does not matter if it is green tea, black tea, or blue tea. It always refers to the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis, and therefore its benefits are extended to all types of tea, regardless of the processing process they have gone through.
However, some types of tea have greater benefits, depending on the chemical compounds that predominate in them. The tea plant has a large number of chemical components of its nature, which are responsible for transmitting to our infusion. It provides different and varied nutrients and health properties.
1. It has an antioxidant effect
The polyphenols are tea endogenous substances that act as antioxidants in the body, fight to age, help to strengthen capillaries, have anti-inflammatory effects and antibiotics, and combat hyperthyroidism.[1]
2. It prevents diseases
The flavonoids of tea help prevent cardiovascular disease, reduce the risk of cancer, and slow aging. Catechins are the main flavonoids in tea. These are antioxidant substances 100% more effective than vitamin C and 25% more effective than vitamin E.
3. It has an astringent effect
The tannins present in the tea give this infusion healing and anti-diarrheal properties. In addition, they help to inhibit the absorption of cholesterol, so they are great allies in lowering the blood level.[2]
4. It has multiple nutrients
Tea contains a lot of substances such as salts and minerals Very beneficial to health, such as iron, fluorine, calcium, zinc, potassium, and magnesium. The concentrations found in tea are in small concentrations, unlike other food supplements that generally have high concentrations. Incorporate the mixture of all-natural minerals in tea helps to balance the body.
5. It has multiple vitamins
The level of vitamins present in a cup of tea varies according to each type of variety of tea, but in all cases, we can find vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C, and D in small concentrations.[3]
6. It has a stimulating effect
The caffeine present in tea helps keep us awake and focused. If we compare it with coffee, any type of tea has a much lower amount of caffeine (between 7 and 10 times less). In addition, tea polyphenols slow down the absorption rate of caffeine, its effect is noticed more slowly but at the same time, it is more durable.
7. It helps to lose weight
The thermogenic effect of caffeine is ideal to accompany diets to lose weight. Along with polyphenols, caffeine contributes to decreasing the absorption of fats in our body, in addition to slightly accelerating the metabolism.
8. It has a relaxing effect
The L-theanine is an anti-stress amino acid that helps to relax and maintain mental focus, completely natural. It is absorbed in the small intestine, acts on neurotransmitters, and stimulates alpha waves that increase brain activity, improves mental focus and concentration capacity while allowing the body and brain to remain calm.
The benefits of drinking chai tea
To the properties of the tea that we mentioned above, we can add innumerable benefits that translate into well-being for the body and for the spirit.
- Tea is a hundred percent natural food, unlike industrialized beverages.
- It does not provide calories or fat, it is a great ally in diets to lose weight (provided you consume it without sugar).
- Another of the qualities of tea is that it provides a high level of antioxidants.
- These fight free radicals and help prevent aging, as well as improve the appearance of the skin and nails.
- In addition, its unique and varied taste of tea gives us a moment to enjoy ourselves every time when we drink a cup of tea.
- It is also a nice way to entertain a loved one, it makes our company when we are alone and invites us to share it with friends.
- It allows us to experience ancient rituals or to create our own ceremony, it gives us a moment of relaxation and pleasure, it takes us to faraway places and introduces us to different cultures … tea makes us good!
- In addition to the properties of tea for health, we can observe some advantages over other drinks for daily consumption.
- First, it should be noted that although it contains caffeine, it represents between 1.4% and 4% of the weight of the leaf, according to the latest research on the subject.
- To make it even clearer: while coffee contains about 300 mg of caffeine and a coffee filter of approximately 115 mg, a cup of tea can contain between 25 and 70 mg of caffeine only.
- On the other hand, tea is a natural drink without calories, unlike industrialized beverages such as soft drinks or flavored waters that in many cases have sugar and therefore fat.
- In addition, the fact that you do not have alcohol is also an advantage, since you can drink at any time and in any place.
Undoubtedly, the benefits of drinking tea are many and varied.