A Simple Gut Healing Chai Tea

Maybe you drink chai tea in autumn because it’s warming, spicy, and delicious, and I certainly can’t blame you for that because it’s a favorite of mine for those reasons, too! But, did you know that chai spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and clove are supreme herbs for digestive health? And you can easily use them to flavor additional gut-supportive herbs that blend well and enhance the medicinal action while still tasting delicious!

First, I’d suggest ditching the black tea portion of a standard chai – partly because it’s often less soothing for the gut and also because the black tea will make a simmered or long-steeped chai blend taste terrible. Then, swap it out for cut and sifted marshmallow root. You could use marshmallow powder, but it turns to mucous-like slime in water – this is excellent for the gut but a little off putting. The chopped up roots (cut and sifted) offer gentler healing properties and a pleasant, velvety mouthfeel to the tea. Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) has a mild, sweet flavor that smooths out the spices while soothing gut irritation and inflammation and promoting healing.

Marshmallow root

The mucilage has this beneficial effect. It’s my absolute favorite herbal tea to support people with gastritis, reflux, GERD, ulcers, and while weaning off antacid/proton-pump inhibitor drugs (with a doctor’s supervision and guidance). You will notice some benefits immediately, but the real magic happens with long-term use. It extracts best in tea. Meanwhile, the spices stimulate healthy digestion, reduce inflammation, and discourage pathogens.

A Simple Gut Healing Chai Tea

• 1 heaping teaspoon cut and sifted dried marshmallow root
• 2 cinnamons sticks (cinnamon powder will also turn to slime)
• 7 whole cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 star anise pod

Now, brew the tea in one of four ways, using 16 ounces of water. Feel free to play around to find out which method you like best and is most convenient for your lifestyle. It can be drunk hot/reheated, room temperature, or cold.

1. Cover the herbs with cold water in a French press or jar. Let steep overnight on the counter. Strain and drink that day. You’ll get mucilage and milder spice flavor.
2. Cover herbs with hot water in a French press or jar. Let steep overnight on the counter. Strain and drink that day. You’ll get good mucilage and stronger spice flavor.
3. In a well-insulated thermos that keeps tea hot for hours, cover the herbs in boiling hot water. Let steep at least 1 hour (longer is better) before straining to drink. This gets even stronger spice flavor but not as much mucilage.
4. Simmer the herbs for 20 minutes, then strain. This offers the most potent spice flavor but the least amount of mucilage.

You could easily add other ingredients like plantain leaf, ginger, rose petals, fennel seeds, and a pinch of licorice to this tea blend, but the above blend is nice and simple and comes out great. It’s well tolerated by almost anyone and can be enjoyed as a tasty beverage tea even if you don’t have any particular digestive issues. Some people get a bit gassy from the mucilage; this is rare with cut and sifted herb, but if it happens to you, you can swap out the marshmallow root for marshmallow leaf.