Ayurvedic Kadha For Your Daily Dose of Immunity

Ayurvedic Kadha For Your Daily Dose of Immunity

Kadha or ‘Karha’ is essentially an Ayurvedic drink made with several herbs and spices that are boiled usually in water to extract their benefits.

During this time of global pandemic when people are fearful and stressed, the immunity levels of the body can go down. Following a healthy lifestyle and some basic kitchen ingredients like turmeric, cinnamon and a range of other spices can be beneficial for strengthening your immune system, which is the natural defense system for your body.

Kadha Recipe: How to make your own immunity-boosting drink at home

 Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp basil leaves
  • 1 tbsp cardamom
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon/whole
  •  ½ inch Fresh ginger/dry ginger powder
  • Some fresh turmeric/turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp peppercorns
  • A few pieces of raisin
  • 2-3 cups water
  • Honey or jaggery to taste (optional)
  • Fresh lemon juice

Procedure:

Fill a pot with filtered water. Crush fresh ginger and turmeric in a mortar and pestle and add to the water. After a boil, add all the other spices and let the water boil for 15-20 minutes. You may add a few pieces of raisins after a while and boil the concoction until it comes down to half

You can also add honey/jaggery and fresh lemon juice to enhance the taste.

Your homemade immunity-booster drink is now ready to be consumed.

  • Cardamom helps in relieving sore throat and is cooling for the body.
  • Cloves can help in boosting the functioning of the immune system.
  • Black peppercorns are also high in antioxidants. They help in better absorption of turmeric. “The addition of black pepper with turmeric increases the absorption of turmeric by 2000 percent when used in a 1:10 ratio of pepper to turmeric. Black pepper aids in combating respiratory conditions and rejuvenating the lungs,”

Point to note

Curcumin is the active ingredient in Turmeric which is responsible for most of the health benefits that Turmeric offers. It is a polyphenol with strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties.

Black pepper contains piperine, which is an alkaloid like capsaicin (the active compound found in chili powder and cayenne pepper). This compound has been shown to help relieve nausea, headaches, and poor digestion. Piperine also has anti-inflammatory properties. But the most significant benefit of piperine is that it improves the absorption of curcumin in turmeric.

                    You can sip on this kadha multiple times a day!