Cramp Bark Chai ~Taste of Herbs

Cramp Bark Chai

by Rosalee de la Forêt

Chai teas are a delicious blend of spices that are warming in nature. Just sipping chai tea you can feel the heat rise out from your center to fill your whole body. During the winter months we practically always have chai brewing on the wood stove.

Not only do I drink chai teas for pleasure, I also like to add other medicinal herbs to the brew for specific purposes. These blends come in handy when you want to mask the unpleasant flavors of other herbs.

Learning about herbalism through your sense of taste is a powerful way to connect to herbs. It can also give you a deeper understanding of how herbs work!

There are five categories or tastes in herbal medicine: pungent, salty, sour, bitter and sweet.

This herbal recipe contains several tastes but is mainly an exploration of pungent and acrid tastes.

This cramp bark chai is a nice blend for people with pain from muscle tension. I especially use it for people with menstrual cramps. The chai spices and the cramp bark all help to relieve the tension and, therefore, pain associated with menstrual cramps.

The following recipe is part of the upcoming Taste of Herbs Course. 

What you’ll need...

• 1 tablespoon of cramp bark
• 2 tablespoons of ginger root
• 2 tablespoons of dried orange peel
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon chips
• 1 teaspoon of peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon of hulled cardamom or two crushed cardamom pods
• 1/4 teaspoon of cloves (about 3-5 cloves)
• 1 and 1/2 quarts of water
• optional: milk and honey

Place all the ingredients in a pan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat.

Cover and simmer for one hour. Strain. Add the milk and honey if desired.

This recipe is an excerpt from the upcoming course, 

Taste of Herbs. 

Taste is an amazing way to learn HOW herbs work.

Rosalee created the 

Taste of Herbs Flavor Wheel 

to help people learn herbalism using their sense of Taste.

Get the free Taste of Herbs Flavor Wheel here. 

Rosalee de la Forêt is the creator of Taste of Herbs, a new course by LearningHerbs and Mountain Rose Herbs. Rosalee is a clinical herbalist, herbal educator and founder of Herbal Remedies Advice.

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Much herbal love,

   

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