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For thousands of years people have turned to herbs, spices, and teas to soothe what ails them. Whether you're looking to energize and invigorate your body, soothe your mind, or get your glow on, herbs can have a powerful impact. Adding herbs to your food is one way to enjoy their wide array of health benefits, but you can also try them in tea form. Here are nine superstars to add to your healthy living routine.
Ginger
A relative to turmeric, ginger lends a satisfying zing and bright note to all kinds of sweet and savory dishes. It's also been used medicinally for centuries to treat conditions like nausea, diarrhea, and arthritis and to energize the mind and body. Purchase it in capsules or add fresh and ground ginger to an array of foods and drinks. Try it in baked goods, juices, soups, sauces, and even smoothies—add a ½ teaspoon for a little flavor kick and stomach soother.
Ginger is a natural fit for an invigorating tea like Pukka’s Revitalise. That sweet and stimulating ginger essence will invigorate the senses and aid digestion. This refreshing blend also features antioxidant-rich, antimicrobial cloves1, as well as other sustainably sourced herbs like cardamom2, cinnamon, elderflower, and green tea to enliven your day.
Turmeric
Turmeric has been used for thousands of years to treat inflammation and conditions that stem from it such as breathing issues, arthritis, digestive problems, cancer, and more. It’s antioxidant properties have also been shown to neutralize free radicals and promote inner and outer health and glow. Turmeric’s active compound, curcumin, has been extensively studied for its benefits. Known as the “golden goddess,” turmeric has been used for centuries by India’s yogis to improve mobility and flexibility.
While this bright yellow-orange powder is available in capsule form, incorporating turmeric into food, spice blends, and drinks is a great way to enjoy its benefits. Use it to make golden milk by adding a teaspoon of ground turmeric to coconut or almond milk along with a quarter teaspoon each of ground ginger and black pepper, plus honey to taste. Turmeric is also ideal for teas. Pukka’s organic Turmeric Glow tea blends the power of turmeric with uplifting lemon fruit, cardamom, and whole leaf green tea. You’ll get a powerful antioxidant boost to help energize and protect you.
Cardamom
Cardamom2, a member of the ginger family, is commonly used to soothe digestive issues like gas, constipation, and IBS. It’s also been studied for its antioxidant properties. Enjoy it in baked goods, sauces, curries, spice rubs, and beverages. Its subtly spicy, almost citrusy flavor pairs well with many other herbs and spices. Incorporate it into a spice rub for organic poultry with turmeric, ginger, coriander, cumin, allspice, and black pepper.
Cardamom is perfect in a gentle yet powerful blend like Pukka’s Detox tea, which enhances the process with coriander, another digestive herb. This blend features sweet aniseed3, crisp fennel, licorice root, and celery seed, which has been used as a diuretic—a delicious way to help you feel balanced and regular.
Chamomile
The dried flowers of the chamomile plant contain flavonoids and other powerful compounds. Chamomile4 has been used to treat insomnia, inflammation, muscle spasms, gastrointestinal disorders, and more. Its sweet, gentle flavor makes it ideal for adding a floral note to desserts and drinks (try making almond or coconut milk infused with chamomile). You can also use it in sauces or incorporate it into a spice blend for use in fish and poultry. Essential oils of chamomile are often used for aromatherapy purposes.
Pukka’s Relax tea combines chamomile with oat flowering tops, cardamom2, fennel seed, and soothing marshmallow root, which has been used to ease GERD-related GI discomfort.
Rose
We associate roses with love and romance. The scent can also impact mood. Damask rose, for example, is known for having a calming, uplifting effect and has been used to help calm the nerves and soothe the mind5. In food and drinks, it works well with other delicate flavors. Many Middle Eastern recipes feature it as an ingredient in sweet, floral preserves and sauces. It’s also wonderful in desserts like cakes and custards, or added as a garnish to salad.
Pukka’s Love tea, which features rose, was blended by Sebastian, Pukka’s Master Herbsmith, as a gift to win over his partner—now wife. Because being relaxed and at ease helps us feel more open to love, this tea also features other soothing herbs like elderflower and chamomile4, as well as lavender, which has been extensively studied for its calming effect and ability to ease tension and encourage relaxation.
Cranberry
Cranberry boasts a high antioxidant function. While you can eat cranberries as an ingredient in foods like baked goods, sauces, and juices, cranberry is commonly taken as a supplement in capsule, extract, or powder form to help cleanse the system and protect against infections like UTIs.
Raw cranberries have an extremely sour taste and tough texture, so they’re best enjoyed cooked. Try them in oatmeal or a homemade cranberry sauce sweetened with just a touch of local honey. It’s also great in savory dishes as a way to add a hint of tart flavor to marinades and sauces for meat. Cranberry is also a great addition to herbal teas like Pukka’s Womankind tea, which also includes antioxidant-rich beetroot6, plus hibiscus7, licorice, and marigold. The vanilla in this blend is also helpful for soothing mood swings and hormone-related tension, thanks to its soothing scent8 and a compound called heliotropin8.
Matcha
Superfood matcha is, essentially, ground up green tea leaves. The best part? You reap all those benefits of green tea9 in an even more concentrated form. The catechins in green tea and matcha have been shown to help protect against disease, support a healthy metabolism, and boost focus and concentration. Matcha powder, with its mellow taste and beautiful green color, is a gorgeous addition to baked goods (hello, matcha muffins), oatmeal, homemade energy bars, or beverages like smoothies or tea—matcha latte, anyone?
Pukka’s Supreme Matcha Green blends three fairly-traded whole leaf greens: Chinese Sencha, Indian Oothu and Vietnamese Suoi Gang. Shazam—superpowers recharged.
Shatavari
A key ingredient in Pukka’s Womankind blend is Shatavari, a plant found throughout India whose roots have long been used for healing purposes10. The roots are thought to have a tonic, diuretic property and to increase breast milk production in nursing mothers. It’s been used to treat gastrointestinal problems and female reproductive issues, cleanse the system, and support lactation. Like all other Pukka teas, you’re only getting the highest-quality ingredients.
Elderberry
For those times you want to take extra care to stay warm and well, elderberry can be part of your cold-fighting kit. Used for centuries to treat respiratory ailments like sinus infections, it is often used to help treat cold and flu symptoms by reducing congestion and possibly helping you sweat more. Maybe not pretty, but definitely important when you want to get back to feeling well fast. Packed with flavonoids whose antioxidant properties help fight off pathogens (like a cold or flu), elderberry deserves a place in your wellness routine. Just be mindful that the berries need to be cooked, as the raw ones contain a compound that’s similar to cyanide—aka poison.
It’s perfect in a tea like Pukka’s Elderberry & Echinacea tea, which combines the power of elderberry with other immune-supporting superstars like aniseed, beetroot, echinacea, elderflower, and ginger.
10 Sources
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3819475/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92774/#ch17_sec5
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3405664/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2995283/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19370942
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425174/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22331521
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7949692
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2855614/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4027291/
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