Preparing the Calendula Tulsi Chai recipe.
The following Calendula Tulsi Chai recipe is a special excerpt from my book, The Healing Garden: Cultivating and Handcrafting Herbal Remedies—a detailed herbal reference, decadent cookbook, and garden manual all in one. It’s written for home gardeners and anyone looking to bring the healing benefits of herbs into their garden, kitchen, and apothecary. Copies can be purchased wherever books are sold. You can find more details on the book and its accompanying bonuses at the Healing Garden Gateway.
This calendula tulsi chai recipe is wonderfully spicy, warming, and immune-boosting.
Few beverages are as warming to the body and heart as chai, a spiced tea blend that originated in the Assam region of India at least 5,000 years ago. The blend traditionally features cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, star anise, black pepper, and cloves. My herbal take on classic chai is loaded with immune support and tastes fantastic with the additions of semi-sweet astragalus, earthy calendula, and enlivening tulsi.
A jar of processed astragalus root.
Astragalus, calendula, and tulsi are herbal tonics for the lymphatic, nervous, and immune systems. The Calendula Tulsi Chai recipe will help ward off colds and flu during winter months. The aromatic botanicals in this chai—cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, and ginger—keep the blood and lymph moving and are especially helpful for those who feel cold or sluggish. These pungent spices may be too heating and drying for those who run hot and have the potential to aggravate heartburn, peptic ulcers, and gastrointestinal heat. During warmer weather, dilute the concentrate with ice and your choice of milk for a refreshing summertime beverage.
To learn more about the medicinal uses of the herbs in my Calendula Tulsi Chai recipe, visit our articles on:
