Table of Contents
That one sip can bring a big smile to our faces, and we Indians love our daily cup of chai more than anything. But do you know chai these days is not just our regular one, and there is much more to it? It has become a luxury experience and a modern-day need of every household. One such tea that has become a part of every chai lover’s wellness routine is lemon tea.
Whether you sip this wonderful chai hot or cold as iced lemon tea, it’s packed with health benefits. Let’s find them out and also learn how to make a cup of this beautiful drink.
Lemon Tea Recipe
Before discussing the benefits, let’s look at how this tea can be made quickly.
Ingredients:
- Lemon – 1 juice extracted
- Ginger – a few pieces
- Water – 1 ½ cup
- Jaggery – 3 tablespoon ( customize to taste)
- Lemon slices – 2 thin for garnish
Method:
- Boil the water in a pan on a high flame.
- Add ginger, lemon juice, and jaggery on low flame.
- Stir until everything is dissolved and you get a fine blend.
- Using a strainer, strain the tea and garnish with lemon slices.
- Enjoy the hot tea.
You can customize your tea by adding honey, salt, or other ingredients that might provide you with essential nutrients and keep you energetic throughout the day!
Health Benefits of Lemon Tea
If you are mindful of your overall digestive health or on the path of managing your weight, you might want to include this excellent tea after checking out its benefits.
#1. Digestive Health
Citrus fruits and lemons might support our overall digestive health with excellent cleansing properties. Adding them to tea can make an herbal drink ready to energize and detoxify you!
Lemon tea may help resolve mild digestion issues, such as gas, constipation, and bloating, and may promote regular digestive movements. Thus, it makes your tummy happy [1].
It may also help treat diarrhoea, chronic gastrointestinal conditions, and dysentery because of its disinfectant and laxative properties.
You may have tea in the morning, which is considered to be more beneficial. However, you can drink it in the evening or any other time of the day. Please try to maintain a gap of a minimum of 30 minutes between your tea and meal intake for adequate iron absorption.
It is recommended to consume caffeinated beverages in moderation because overconsumption may cause gastritis and other digestive issues.
To know more about your digestive health, please take the Digestive Quotient Test by Aashirvaad. Stay healthy!
#2. Loaded with Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and an essential component that supports our overall health and the immune system. Lemon, the main ingredient of this chai, is loaded with vitamin C’s goodness.
It may also help in fighting infections and ailments, such as colds and sore throats.
Moreover, this essential vitamin may also help in improving youthfulness by naturally increasing collagen levels [2].
#3. Skin Health
Lemons have abundant vitamin C, which is associated with improving skin tone and overall skin health. It may also help reduce fine lines by producing collagen.
Besides, this tea has anti-inflammatory properties that may help reduce acne, eczema, and pimples. With the help of the astringent properties of this tea, the dead cells may be removed, and you may have rejuvenating skin [3].
#4. Lemon Tea May Help in Better Sleep
Not being able to sleep is a common problem many face today. If you face the same challenge, you may like to include lemon tea by mixing ginger in your bedtime routine.
Ginger is considered a versatile healing herb, providing you with calming and sleep-inducing properties! [4] You can even include a tinge of honey to make it more helpful.
This tea may soothe and relax you! All of this may help you in getting better sleep, but it is not advisable to have it at bedtime because it acts as a stimulant. Try to maintain a gap of a minimum of two hours between tea and sleep. At bedtime, warm milk might be a better option!
#5. Lemon Tea Aids in Weight Management
Weight management is a common concern, and often, people search for remedies and recipes that can help them lose or maintain weight.
Lemon tea may help you in the weight management journey by quenching your thirst when you feel like drinking a sugary drink.
It may also aid in accelerating metabolism by eliminating toxins from your body. Since this tea is low in calories, it may be an excellent addition to reducing overall body fat [5].
If you are on a weight management journey, please try to avoid adding jaggery, sugar or honey to the lemon tea as they add on to calories.
#6. Hydration
Who would have thought lemon tea to be a hero for hydration? Yes, it is.
This tea is not just refreshing but may also keep you hydrated the entire day.
The acidic nature of lemon may make you drink more water. Thus keeping you hydrated, which is essential for proper body function. It may also help in exercise-induced dehydration.
#7. Loaded with Antioxidants
Lemons contain many essential antioxidants and may protect our bodies from inflammation and cell damage due to oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress occurs when too many free radicals are present in the body. Antioxidants such as ascorbic acid, naringin, citric acid, hesperidin, vitamin C, and ferulic acid are also abundant in lemons.
Therefore, if you consume the tea made of lemons, you can get antioxidants that may protect your body from many conditions like obesity and diabetes [7].
#8. Heart Health
Your general heart health may benefit from drinking lemon tea as well. Lemon contains diosmin and hesperidin, plant flavonoids that may help reduce cholesterol.
You may include this tea in moderation to keep your heart healthy [8].
#9. Kidney Stones
One of the many benefits of this lemon is preventing kidney stones. Just like any other citric acid, lemon juice is naturally diuretic. [9]
A study conducted the effect of supplementing fresh lemon juice (60 ml) twice daily versus no supplementation, and identified that stone recurrence reduced among people on lemon juice supplement. However, gastrointestinal disorders were frequent. [9]
So, it is advisable to consult a dietician before consuming lemon tea for specific health issues.
#10. Blood Sugar Levels
This tea may offer many benefits, including managing blood sugar levels. It may work as an antioxidant to reduce insulin resistance. [10] However, it is better to avoid mixing honey or jaggery as these ingredients may disturb sugar levels in the body. For more details, you can contact our dieticians for expert advice!
#11. Reduce Stress
Preparing tea with lemons may help you combat stress and feel more relaxed and rejuvenated. This tea contains potassium, flavonoids, magnesium, copper, zinc, and antioxidants that may help you feel calmer [source].
However, there is no strong evidence about how lemon tea works to manage stress. It might provide you with only calming properties.
To combat stress, you may consider yoga, meditation, and exercise along with healthy dietary modifications!
Best Time to Drink Lemon Tea
If you are wondering whether there is an excellent time to consume this drink, the answer is any time of the day. You can drink this chai in the morning for a healthy and refreshing start to your day.
You can even have it as a palette cleanser in the evening or after your meals. However, just ensure the lemon tea base is not made of any caffeine for good results.
Side Effects of Lemon Tea
Although this tea is considered suitable for health, excess of anything can cause concern. Here are a few side effects of drinking this tea in excess.
- Enamel erosion
- Acid reflux
- Tooth Sensitivity
- Digestive discomfort
- Heartburn
Different Kinds of Lemon Teas
Let’s look at the different types of lemon teas that you can make:
- Hot lemon tea – It is made of hot water, lemon juice, any sweetener, and ginger if you like.
- Iced lemon tea – It is the colder version made by blending green or black tea with lemon slices, mint, and ice. It is one of the popular summer drinks to beat the heat.
- Sparkling lemon tea – This can be made by adding lemon juice to sparkling water for a different and unique taste.
- Herbal lemon tea – This tea is made by mixing lemon juice in any herbal tea, such as chamomile.
Final Thoughts
Including lemon tea in your daily routine has several advantages for your overall health and physical well-being.
With its capacity to support digestion, increase hydration, and strengthen the immune system, this cool drink is a straightforward yet effective complement to a healthy way of living.
Lemon tea offers several health advantages and a delicious taste explosion, whether consumed hot or cold.
So enjoy the benefits of lemon tea for your body and mind while sipping on a cup of its delicious taste.
FAQs
Yes, you may have lemon tea every day to strengthen your immune system, promote healthy digestion, and provide many other health benefits.
Drinking lemon tea might help reduce abdominal fat, although weight gain or weight loss entirely does not depend on one particular food, ingredient, or cuisine it involves multiple factors such as Dietary intake, lifestyle patterns, metabolic conditions, genetics, stress, etc.
It is because lemons are rich in antioxidants, pectin fibre, and vitamin C, all of which have been demonstrated to enhance immunity, decrease hunger, and minimize abdominal fat. However, there is no research evidence that lemon tea will solely work on weight management. To achieve desired results, please consult a doctor or dietician.
The astringent qualities of this tea may help to exfoliate dead skin cells and revitalize your complexion. Additionally, it has anti-inflammatory qualities that may help improve the general health of the skin by successfully treating eczema, acne, and pimples. Still, please talk to the dietician & dermatologist if you are allergic to any of its ingredients.
Lemon may help promote regular digestive motions and treat minor digestive pain like gas and bloating. You can try sipping it in the morning to help your digestion.
Our health might be harmed by excessive acidity, which is present in lemons. Additionally, drinking too much lemon tea may cause heartburn or acid reflux, teeth sensitivity, enamel erosion, and digestive pain. Thus, it is advisable to consult a doctor if you are looking to resolve any specific health issue!