Autumn teas as well as being a pleasant habit to warm the body upon the arrival of rain and cold weather, are also very useful in supporting the immune defenses against colds. For this reason, among the ingredients there is no lack of spices, used for thousands of years by traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, with antibacterial and invigorating properties .
Even fruit mixtures or infusions, such as wild berry tea, allow us to savor the first colds with the taste of summer, as they are mainly composed of berries (strawberries, wild rose blueberries), picked in full of their balsamic time and dried in a workmanlike manner, to preserve all the antioxidant properties of summer fruit. In fact, freshly picked, they are rich in vitamins A, vit. B1, vit. B2, vitamin C and minerals, precious for our body, in particular potassium. Fruit infusions are welcomed into our homes during this period, precisely because they help us face the changes in the season, strengthening and improving our defensive system.
Finally, some exotic teas rich in mineral salts make us travel to distant lands with their delicious taste, seductive aroma, and multiple virtues . Among these we remember the red tea, beneficial, extremely versatile and warm, like the sun of the distant lands from which it comes: the rooibos tea gently accompanies the cool autumn afternoons, spreading fragrant notes in the air, scents of distant travels. And bancha tea, rich in antioxidants, iron, calcium and vit. A, excellent alkalizing of the blood (regulates ph), is diuretic, hypoglycemic and purifying . Moreover these tea, being practically free of theine, can also be used by children or by those who cannot take exciting substances.
Recipes to prepare excellent autumn salads
The use of spices in autumn teas
One of the most famous infusions when it comes to spices is yogi tea, a perfect blend of black pepper, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves . This classic recipe is based on a prodigious mythology, thousands of years old, and is deeply rooted in the ancient traditions and spiritual practices of the East. The spices used in the classic blend are:
- Ginger : its stimulating action has been known for years in oriental medicine, especially Chinese, which uses it to combat tiredness, stress and seasonal ills, being a true natural antibiotic . And not only: a ginger herbal tea can also help reduce dysfunctions related to male impotence, as it promotes blood circulation. As if this were not enough, this root contains particular antioxidant enzymes and substances such as gingerol and shogaol which promote digestion, are effective remedies against nausea and stimulate the body's reaction, in convalescence and in fatigue .
- Cinnamon, properties : it is a powerful natural antioxidant, stimulates blood circulation and helps fight cholesterol. Thanks to the presence of essential oil, it has antibacterial properties (exploited in Ancient Egypt for the embalming of the dead), antiseptic, stimulant and digestive . Cinnamon stimulates the immune system and is a good natural remedy for colds, flu, diarrhea, flatulence and dyspepsia due to its antimicrobial and astringent action. In Ayurvedic medicine and in traditional Chinese medicine it is used for disorders related to the cold, since it has a warming effect, and against menstrual pain.
- Cardamom: an excellent cure for disorders of the urinary system, cough and hemorrhoids. Traditional Chinese medicine uses it for stomachache and dysentery . An infusion based on cardamom is a real cure for the cold and immediately frees the respiratory tract while fighting the tiredness that typically accompanies the flu states.
- Cloves: stimulate blood circulation, help to overcome exhaustion, headache and memory loss, are digestive, invigorating and, it would seem, also powerful aphrodisiacs . Sixteenth-century Sienese physicians wrote that the cloves, cooked in a cup of milk, stimulate the " forces of Venus " and "help the defects of the stomach, liver, heart and head" and "corroborate coition". Another virtue of this precious spice is that of being a natural antioxidant : it fights the action of free radicals, keeping the body young.
- Black pepper: piperine, the alkaloid contained in pepper, makes the spice stimulating, tonic and stomachic and, favoring the secretion of gastric juices, facilitates the digestive process and facilitates the absorption of nutrients drawing the maximum benefit from the ingested food. Black pepper also has antiseptic, expectorant and even aphrodisiac properties. This spice would also be valuable for fighting depression, in fact it seems that piperine stimulates the production of endorphins in the brain and acts as a natural antidepressant.
