Nothing works better than a nice cup of steaming, hot tea to kill the morning snooze. Unfortunately, science has acknowledged this habit with a disapproving nod, leaving us tea-lovers in a huge fix.
Tea and coffee (even the decaffeinated variety) – the two most common beverages that people like to indulge in the moment they wake up, contain a compound called caffeine.1
Research shows that caffeine triggers the release of hydrochloric acid in the stomach – a chemical compound that plays a huge role in the digestion of food.2
When this happens in the absence of food, it can slowly erode the inner protective lining of our stomach over time. This can cause a series of complications like heart burn and acid reflux, not to mention the frequent shakes, jitters, and mood swings that come with consuming caffeine in excess.
Fortunately, there is a caffeine-less option for morning tea-lovers. This tea not only gives you that energy boost you need in the morning but also detoxifies our body to flush out all those toxins that accumulate in our system.
Before you skip to the recipe, take a moment to understand how each of the ingredients in this tea benefits our body.
Morning Detox Tea: Ingredients And Benefits
Every day, we subject ourselves to hundreds of toxins and environmental pollutants. Our body does a great job in cleansing itself throughout the day, but this process slows down as the day comes to a close and we fall asleep.
Over the years, this can lead to a toxin buildup in our systems, which can impair the body’s immunity and give rise to various ailments.
The ingredients in this morning detox tea offers our body a much-needed gentle, yet effective push to flush out the toxins in a timely manner after a long night’s rest.
1. Ginger
Ginger contains volatile oils called gingerols that warm the body and push it to sweat out its toxins faster. This warming effect of ginger also helps soothe tired muscles which further helps our organs to function better and relieve symptoms of sleepiness and fatigue.3
Additionally, ginger is also anti-inflammatory in nature – which means it can aid our body’s immunity and fight infection and inflammation-causing microbes and ailments.45
Because ginger is also rich in essential minerals like chromium, magnesium, and zinc, it can help boost our blood circulation and fuel the body’s natural detoxification process.
2. Cinnamon
Our liver is put under a great deal of stress every day because it is literally our body’s main dumping ground. All our organs end up flushing out their waste into the liver, which ultimately works for long, hard hours at filtering this waste and sending it out of our body through the urine, excreta, and sweat.
Thus, over time, our liver can end up being susceptible to a variety of health conditions like fatty liver – a disease which is triggered by insulin resistance where the body stores excess fat in the liver.
Cinnamon helps our body produce and regulate insulin, the main hormone that is responsible for stabilizing blood sugar and keeping our appetites steady.6
By fighting insulin resistance, cinnamon offers potent protective benefits to the liver, keeping it healthy so it can continue functioning smoothly.7
Furthermore, cinnamon contains cannabinoids that play an important role in regulating sleep patterns and keeping our moods steady – which makes this tea a great morning drink!
3. Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, a compound that can neutralize certain neuropeptides that trigger inflammation to hamper our body’s natural functions.8
By stimulating blood circulation and promoting vascular and metabolic health, cayenne pepper also helps speed up the process of emptying out toxins from the cells.9
This spice is also synonymous with feelings of heat, which incidentally helps our organs release their waste faster!
4. Turmeric
Turmeric contains curcumin, a powerful phytochemical that lends the turmeric root its vibrant yellow color.10 By stimulating the production of bile by the gallbladder, an alkaline fluid that is used by the liver to eliminate toxins, curcumin helps in toxin elimination.11
Bile also helps rejuvenate the tired liver cells and thus, helps prevent our liver from aging. This is why regular consumption of turmeric is beneficial in staving off digestion and liver disorders.
Additionally, curcumin has been recognized worldwide for its anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous, and antioxidative effects.12 Thus, it can help your body fight inflammation and oxidative damage – two main factors that contribute to a majority of illnesses and diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, chronic pancreatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, hyperlipidemia, and even cancer.
5. Honey
Honey helps regulate the calcium-potassium exchange within the cells of the body which has a huge positive impact on our immunity. The fatty acids and essential amino acids in honey also stimulate our organs which further helps our body eliminate its waste secretions.1314
Honey boasts of having powerful antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, both of which protect our body from the onslaught of harmful infection-causing free radicals and microbes.15
Honey is also a natural sweetener, which means it can give the body a huge burst of energy to help us start the day without the harmful fatty calories!
6. Lemon Oil
Lemons are one of the best foods when it comes to stimulating our body’s natural detox system. By releasing beneficial enzymes to fuel the metabolic process, lemon oil helps our body absorb nutrients better while eliminating toxic wastes from our system.16
This property of lemon oil is especially helpful for those concerned about their body weight. Lemon oil is also loaded with vitamin C, an antioxidant that fights inflammation and cancer-causing free radicals, thus giving our immunity a powerful boost and regulating our blood pressure in the process.1718
Also, lemon oil has an anti-stress effect on our body, which makes it the perfect ingredient to add in this morning beverage!19
Morning Detox Tea Recipe
Ingredients:
- Water: 1 ¾ cup
- Ginger root: 1 (peeled and sliced)
- Turmeric: 1 teaspoon
- Cinnamon: 1⁄3 teaspoon
- Cayenne pepper: ½ teaspoon
- Raw honey: 1 teaspoon
- Lemon oil: 2 drops
How To Prepare:
- Pour the water in a saucepan and set it over a stove. Bring the water to a boil.
- Pour out the boiled water in a teacup.
- Add in the sliced ginger and let it steep for 10–15 minutes.
- Now add in turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and honey.
- Stir well.
For best results, drink this tea on an empty stomach first thing in the morning every day. This will clear your system of all the toxins that have accumulated in your body throughout the previous night.
References
