You've heard of green tea, white tea, and the like, but have you heard of CCF tea? It's becoming more and more popular and has its roots in Ayurveda, considered the world's oldest medical system originating in India. Ayurveda translates from Sanskrit to 'the knowledge of life' and is a way of eating and living that keeps your body, mind, and spirit in harmony and balance. While I personally don't eat strictly according its principles, as someone who was raised surrounded by Indian food I do follow the guidelines. It's what our cuisine traditionally is based upon. I never believe in giving up your day job so-to-speak to follow a practice and instead tend to fold in guidelines that make sense to me into my daily routine. Like this tea. It's an easy and incredibly affordable routine that you can incorporate into your busy day and it's something that can truly make a difference.
CCF tea is a brew made from the simple combination of C - Cumin seeds, C - Coriander Seeds, and F - Fennel seeds. I started to hear more about this tea a few years back when an Indian friend told me she was working with an Indian nutritionist to get healthier, get rid of inflammation, and hopefully lose a few pounds. She was told to drink this tea daily because it helps with digestion and stimulates the lymphatic system. It also soothes the stomach's mucous membranes and reduces gas. It makes sense. All of the spices used are known to fight inflammation. I always used boiled fennel water for our girls when they were babies and gassy. I started to incorporate this tea into my day, especially on evenings when my stomach was out of sorts. And, it worked! It's one of the few things that actually gets rid of stomach cramps and gets my digestive system moving.
While some recipes recommend brewing this tea with the spices whole, I prefer to grind them down in a mortar & pestle first. It is recommended to drink it warm, because the warmth better helps with digestion and soothing the lining of your stomach. So, if I make a large batch of it, I will store it in a glass jar in the fridge and then warm it up before drinking. For the months of February and March - we will include a sample of spices to make one batch of this tea for every purchase from our website!
Stovetop: CCF Tea, Miracle Tea to Ease Digestion & Bloat
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
5 cups water
1. Grind the seeds together in a mortar and pestle or in a coffee grinder reserved for spices.
2. Boil in water and simmer 5-10 minutes. Strain and drink hot or warm. If you have extra, strain and keep in the fridge. Just warm it up again to drink to benefit fully. Some recipes recommend keeping the boiled spices and using them in your cooking. You can, but I just don't know a ton of dishes that use this combination of spices with fennel, which is a unique taste profile. If you have idea, please add them in the comment section below.
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