Is Chai Tea Good For You?

Posted on 06/09/2013 by sbonham

So many people’s favourite tea is the “chai latte” from Starbucks, but is chai tea really good for you? Well, obviously not the latté syrup but regular chai tea (from a tea bag) IS VERY GOOD FOR YOU!

Chai tea is essentially black tea but with additional spices/ herbs and milk. What many do not know though, is that black tea is very good for you… and with the added benefits of the spices in chai tea, it makes for a very healthy tea! If you want to read more about the health benefits of black tea, refer to our earlier article here.

Black Tea Benefits

black tea benefits

Overall, black tea is rich in antioxidants, after all, it’s a cousin of green tea- specifically catechins and polyphenols. Antioxidants prevent free radical formation and cellular damage. If you read Eco-Savy’s article on Black Tea Health Benefits, we even referenced study that correlated women drinking black tea to a lower risks of ovarian cancer. Furthermore, black tea lowers cholesterol and is thus good for the heart.

Chai Tea Health Benefits

On top of the black tea ingredients in Chai tea, there are a series of series of spices, which are also very good for you. These spices include ginger, cloves, fennel seeds, allspice, cardamom and black pepper. Overall these spices help stimulate and support digestion, calm the stomach and combat nausea and diarrhea. Chai tea’s herbs also help with reducing inflammation in the body (i.e. the ginger does this). Also, an added bonus is that chai tea has less caffeine than coffee! Having chai instead of coffee provides health benefits and satisfies the taste buds.

Below you will find an infographic of the benefits of chai tea’s spices for your health.

Organic Labelling – What Does It Really Mean?

Posted on 15/08/2013 by sbonham

We have all seen that “USDA Organic” label on our food products, but what does it really mean anyways? If you look for one thing on an organic product, LOOK FOR THIS LABEL! Indeed, this is the MAIN “organic” label you should be looking for when buying organic products because a lot of the other ones don’t follow as strict of standards and can even sometimes be fake (i.e made “by the company” themselves) and are used just as a marketing tool but not follow any sort of regulations or guidelines.

Below you will find an info-graphic on what it means to be “USDA Organic” certified.

Key pointers here are to watch for the “wording.“ For example, “100% organic,” “organic,” “ingredient panel only,” and “made with organic ingredients” all mean different things. Additionally, when you see fruits and vegetables that are organic, this means they have been grown without (1) pesticides (2) synthetic fertilizers (3) sewage sludge (4) genetic modifications and (5) ionizing radiation. Furthermore, farm animals (i.e. organic meat) are raised without (1) antibiotics (2) growth hormones and (3) non-organic feed.

Natural Pain Killers

Posted on 13/08/2013 by sbonham

We are just passing mid-way through the year and are all probably feeling a bit sluggish, tired and have the odd aching joint.

If you don’t want to try Ultra Slender Tea’s “teatox” (mentioned in the last post) to rid the unwanted toxins out of your body, why not try a few more natural remedies like the ones listed below for pain relief.

All Natural Remedy For Hiccups

Posted on 10/08/2013 by sbonham

Let’s face it, we all get the “hiccups” and doesn’t it seem like everyone has a different solution to make them go away?

What many do not know is that the all-natural herb “cardamom” is actually an anti-spasmodic and can help get rid of hiccups. This also applies to other involuntary muscle spasms, like stomach and intestinal cramps.

So next time you get a dose of the “hiccups,” try this all-natural remedy. Whether you try crushing some cardamom up and putting it in water or other ways, Eco-Savy highly recommends it! Better, yet try this yummy “rose meringue” recipe.

Herbal Remedies For Acne and Sunburned Skin

Posted on 26/07/2013 by sbonham

There are sooo many products out there for your skin, but sometimes you have to wonder what else exists in the marketplace today that is more “natural” and “organic”.

What many do not know is that some ingredients found in your “everyday” herbal teas and are very good for your skin. Two in particular are called “dandelion” and “burdock root”.

Dandelion

Dandelion is one of the best detoxifying herbs. It will remove waste from your body, specifically that found in the liver and gallbladder.

With regards to keeping your skin healthy, a dandelion herbal tea or “tincture” is perfect. IT has been known to alleviate such conditions as eczema, psoriasis and nettle rash, as well as acne and boils. It is recommended that a tincture should be made from the root for eczema and should involve 0.5tsp diluted with scant ½ cup water, 3 times a day.

Burdock

Burdock is one of my favorite herbs, just because of all of its incredible uses/properties. It is also one of the foremost detoxifying herbs in both Western and Chinese herbal medicine. The root helps the body eliminate waste products in chronic skin and arthritic conditions.

In particular, burdock’s diuretic, antibiotic, and mildly bitter action makes it helpful for skin disorders, especially where toxicity is a key factor, for example in acne, boils, abscesses, localized skin infections, eczema, psoriasis.

Best Way To Extract The Goodness From These Herbs: Tincture Technique

The best way to extract the properties from these herbs is to make a tincture.

How To Make A Tincture:

Recommended Amounts (VERY SMALL QUANTITIES GO A LONG WAY)

SUNBURN AND HERBAL REMEDIES:

Skin rashes and sunburns usually clear up without any assistance, but herbal treatments can speed recovery.

CAUTION: If there are any signs of infection seek professional advice.

Internal Method – Natural Relief from Skin Burn

0.25 oz of each root (burdock and dandelion) into three cups of water
Drink 2 cups of this dilution a day
Repeat for at least one week

External Method – Natural Relief from Skin Burn

Apply aloe vera gel
Apply neat lavender essential oils to the affected area as need to sooth the minor burn or sunburn

ACNE, BOILS AND HERBAL REMEDIES:

The result of local infection, hormonal imbalance or internal toxicity, acne and boils should be treated on the surface of the skin and internally.

CAUTION: Do not squeeze or burst boils or acne spots as the infection may spread.

Internal Method – Natural Way To Clear Up Acne

Pour 0.25 oz of each root into three cups of water
Drink 2 cups of this dilution a day (note: this is just a recommendation)

External Method – Natural Way To Clear Up Acne

Make a decotion using 0.25 oz of burdock root and 0.5 oz of dandelion root
Dilute the strong solution with 3 cups of water

Even more exciting is that Eco-Savy will have a product just like this, soon for purchase <3

Can’t wait!