Autumn Digestive Tea

It's a rainy, dreary Sunday here on the east coast. The kind of day you just want to just curl up with your favorite book or movie. The perfect kind of day to relax and go inward if your schedule allows for it--seize this day for self-care!

I came across this delicious tea for healthy digestion for the autumn season, that I wanted to share with you from the book, "The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook" by Kate O'Donnell. Many, if not all of the recipes in Kate's book are simple, tasty and effective. For that reason, this tea is one of my favorites for a chilly, damp, lazy day. It is four simple ingredients that you simmer in boiling water, covered, for 10-15 min and Wah-Lah!, you're ready to strain & sip. I love to shop Bayan Botanicals for their high quality spices.

Ingredients:

2 cups water

1/4-inch piece fresh ginger root

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp licorice root powder

Why this combination for Fall? Well, cinnamon is a warming spice and a spice that may feel nostalgic to you as we approval the Holiday season. It is both sweet & bitter and helps to balance the cool, dampness of Kapha (Water & Earth elements) as well as the cool, airy properties of Vata (Air & Space).

Ginger root is royalty when it comes to the digestive system. Remember growing up, your mom would give you ginger ale when you were sick with the stomach flu? Or airline attendants passing out small fizzy cups to ease nausea or motion sickness? Ginger warms and soothes your internal landscape and helps aid in the absorption and assimilation of nutrients in the body.

Fennel seeds contain a decent amount of fiber as well as antioxidants. Fiber helps to curb your appetite while antioxidants protect the body from any potential damage caused by free radicals. These little seeds pack a punch of benefits as they also ease indigestion and bloating.

And lastly, licorice root, an equally powerful spice. My favorite benefit of licorice root, is that it works to absorb and retain water to help rehydrate the body. Vata is dry and cool, so incorporating licorice root will help to balance the body with its wet and warming properties.

This digestive tea is best drank with or after meals. So pause that Netflix show & throw a pot of water onto the stove. Your body & mind will thank you.

In the light,

Sunshine Yogi