Everyone loves to sip on a hot concoction (that we often call teas), as we are working on something important or as we sit by the window enjoying the rains! If you are having it for good health or in order to boost your immunity, it becomes a tisane. And now you might wonder, what is the difference between ‘tea’ and ‘tisane’? While teas come from a specific plant called ‘Camilia sinesis’ and contains caffeine, tisanes are a water based caffeine-less decoction of herbs, spices, flowers, leaves, etc. Tisanes are more like a herbal drink, which, with every ingredient serves a different purpose. Some teas and tisanes are turmeric drinks, giloy, kashayam and floral tisanes like chamomile and roselle.
Teas and tisanes provide you a wide range of health benefits. It helps with stress-related issues, anxiety and depression, acting as a mood-enhancer and energy booster. Some tisanes with their composition of specific herbs and flowers are protect the body from various bacteria and diseases, making them an excellent immunity building concoction. Some teas also aid increasing the metabolism rate and weight loss while some help treat issues related to digestion and body detox. It is rich in antioxidants and helps fight headaches, migraines and cancer.
History Fact: The origin of a lot of tisanes traces back to Egypt around 1550 B.C. where chamomile and herbs like dill and basil were blended together in order to treat issues related to digestion and heart. By 1070 B.C., tisanes became a common beverage that were used on a very regular basis by even the citizens of Egypt.
The history of teas have been widely documented and we are all aware of the same. However, the same is not the case with tisanes. While some say that the word ‘tisane’ originated from the Greek word ‘ptisanē’, others believe that it originated from the French word ‘ti’ and ‘sans’ which means ‘tea without tea’. There is a Chinese legend that says that a man named Shennog, who was also called ‘the divine farmer’ who lived around 2700 B.C. , had accidentally tasted a mix of herbs and that noticed that it tasted good. By the 16th century, Portugal imported teas and tisanes from China to Western Europe, and this was followed by the Britishers who made a great deal of money from this trade. In Ancient India, Ayurveda promoted the consumption of tisanes in order to deal with different ailments while they used herbs like tulsi, turmeric, pepper, licorice and mint.
Here is a list of 5 Immunity Tisanes that you might want to consider to include for daily consumption –
1. Turmeric Latte (by Taru Naturals): Formulated by Dr. Punam Jain, who is a Naturopath, Turmeric Latte includes ingredients like turmeric, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and coconut milk powder (aka it has been crafted with great care to enhance life quality and immunity!). It acts as a reliever from stress, cold, cough and flu and is the perfect drink for full body detox and weight loss. Each sip of this concoction provides you with energy boosting properties that will help you enhance your day-to-day living. The best way to have this, as recommended by Dr. Punam Jain, is adding ¼ tsp to hot milk or water and adding jaggery/brown sugar for a sweetener.
Taru’s Products – Immunity Vegan Turmeric Latte
2. Giloy Tisane: Called the ‘Ayurvedic Miracle Root of Immunity’, Giloy helps enhance immunity and enhances body metabolism. It is considered to be an anti-septic, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-allergic herb that acts as a blood purifier and helps balance blood sugar levels. The key feature of this herb is that it helps deal with symptoms of Covid, dengue, swine flu and malaria. The ideal way to consume this, according to Dr. Punam Jain, is to cut the giloy sticks into smaller pieces, soak it in water overnight, and have that water, the first thing in the morning.
Taru’s Products – Immunity Giloy Sticks
3. Kashayam: Also popularly known as Kadhas in North India, Kashayam is an Ayurvedic concoction/medicinal tea (tisane) which is a combination of multiple herbs mixed together. It is said that there is no fixed formula for a kashayam as it varies to suit the purpose of its consumption. Commonly, kashayam acts like an immunity booster and helps the body fight ailments like fever, cold and coughs. Some also help with digestive issues, asthma and other respiratory ailments. Ingredients that are commonly used in order to ‘prepare’ a Kashayam includes herbs and spices like turmeric, tulsi, ginger, neem, pepper, cloves, cinnamon and the list continues.
Taru’s Products – Immunity Kashayam
4. Chamomile Tea: Popularly called ‘Night-time tea’, Chamomile Tea is the drink that helps you soothe your nerves and help you relax your body and de-stress after a long, hectic day, helping you to sleep peacefully. While it also acts as an immunity booster, it helps treat symptoms of cold and flu and relieves menstrual cramps. It is said to provide relief to patients dealing with cancer and skin conditions. It helps eliminate a wide range of ailments like arthritis and gastro-intestinal pains by reducing inflammation. In order to make this tisane, the flowers are dried and powdered.
Taru’s Products – Himalayan Chamomile Tea
5. Roselle Flower Tea: Belonging to the family of the ‘hibiscus’, Roselle tea is beneficial to patients suffering from cardiovascular and blood pressure issues. While it aids weight loss, it also boosts your immunity and combats cold, cough and flu. It contains anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties and provides quick relief from constipation. Its maroon colour and berry like flavor makes it all the more enticing! There are various ways in which roselle tea can be consumed – tea bags, directly soaking the flowers in hot water and adding extra spices and flavorings to enhance the flavor!
Taru’s Products – Tribal Roselle (Liver Detox) Tea
Now that you know, how good and useful they are for immunity building and health enhancing, go get them! Shop at www.tarunaturals.com/immunity-teas
- Shruthi Narayan.