Recipe Post: Anti-Inflammatory Tea to Calm and Love Yourself With Every Day
A gift from my Naturopath that will make your house smell amazing and your body feel so much happier.
I finally found a Naturopath that never fails to steer me in the right direction. Having this resource during the pandemic has been amazing, and surprisingly/thankfully, I have only needed to see her for our regular every-3-months check-ins. I have all kinds of middle-aged/old lady problems. Thyroid problems, a life of questionable food choices problems, and Fibromyalgia. One of my favorite things about her care is that she is highly attuned to my supplement fatigue. This is a great tea recipe she shared with me last year when I told her I wanted to cut back on supplements, more actively use food as medicine, and commit to a daily yoga routine. (BTW, She said she would prescribe some form of daily yoga to every patient if she felt like it were reasonable to expect people to be able to follow through.) And, sometimes, when my fibromyalgia is really intense, nothing beats a good Turmeric supplement. I really like and seem to respond best to the one from Trader Joe’s. (I was so relieved during a lead contamination scare that the TJ’s supply was not part of any recalls, too!)
Save the image above for the recipe, or read/copy it below:
- 1 gallon of filtered water
- ½ C. chopped ginger root
- ¼ C. chopped turmeric root
- 2–3 cinnamon sticks
- 2 tsp cardamom
- 2 tsp whole cloves
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 1–3 anise stars
Optional additions- lemon, honey, or even booze for a pro-inflammatory treat. Boil the liquid for 15 minutes and then simmer for 1 hour. Keeps in the fridge for 7–10 days. Drink hot at full strength, or cold added to sparkling water.
More reading up on these ingredients:
Ginger Root: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92775/ and https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-benefits-of-ginger
Turmeric: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/turmeric and https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric
Cinnamon: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4003790/#
Cardamom: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cardamom-benefits
Cloves: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-cloves
Black Pepper: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/black-pepper-benefits
Anise: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/anise#TOC_TITLE_HDR_11
I’ll be drinking at least a cup a day as I move towards eating less refined sugar and meditating more about how the food I eat can be medicine. Do you have go-to beverages and food that are also your medicine? What works for you?
Update: after about a month of daily drinking, one other benefit of this tea that I did not see coming is how satisfying it is when I’m having a sugar craving! My stepmom is even calling it “Sugar-killing tea!” And, my intermittent fasting friends say it is really great for keeping their fast as well.
