CCF Tea: An Ayurvedic Digestive Tea

In Ayurveda, digestion is the most important part of health. It is no surprise that Ayurveda has many solutions & in this article, we talk about one of the best digestive solutions! 

In Ayurveda, seeds such as cumin, caraway, black seeds, etc are revered for their health benefits and highly recommended. This is one reason why seeds are a regular part of Indian cuisine and why teas made out of these savory seeds are taken as part of one's daily health regimen. 

Many seeds like cumin seeds, fennel seeds, flax seeds and caraway seeds add digestive power to our food - a critical component as the modern day lifestyle habits wreck havoc on our digestive health and from there, we start seeing the rise of many more health issues. Epidemics are rising - from obesity to cancer to digestive disorders like ibs/ibd, Crohn's plus the unnecessary aches and pains like arthritis, and such, but irrespective of what we call the disease, we know that all ailments start in the gut - that is, the digestive tract.

In this article, we talk about one powerful, yet very affordable, easy recipe that can create wonders for your digestive health and in turn, go on to improve lot of your other symptoms related to your poor health.

What is CCF Tea?

CCF tea stands for cumin, coriander and fennel seeds tea. It is an Ayurvedic recipe for digestion, bloating, gas, distended stomach, constipation, heartburn, acidity, etc. It has been used in India since centuries and it also helps in detoxifying the body of toxins (ama).

What doshas does CCF Tea serve best?

CCF tea is great for all three dosha types - Kappa, Vata and Pitta. This is due to the fact that all the three seeds used in this tea balance each other very well - cumin seeds are warm while coriander and fennel seeds are cooling to the body. Hence, the overall properties of this tea are both cooling and warming - thus working for all types of body constituents. 

Benefits of CCF Tea?

CCF Tea helps digestive issues - CCF Tea is known to help all digestive issues such as bloating, gastritis, ibs/ibd symptoms, indigestion, leaky gut, inflammation, and even stomach ache. Thus, if you are experiencing an of these digestive issues, you must start on this amazing tea!

CCF Tea increases the digestive fire! - CCF Tea increases and stimulates the agni - the digestive fire needed for better assimilation and absorption of nutrients. The presence of cumin seeds in this tea is enough to stimulate digestive juices and create the good type of heat - agni, the fire in the tummy. Cumin seeds are warming seeds - hence, they are a crucial component of this miraculous healing tea.

CCF Tea helps the metabolism & detoxifies the body - By increasing the digestive juices, CCF  tea helps to stimulate the metabolism in the body. It also makes detoxification work more optimally since when the body's digestive system picks up speed, the detoxification follows naturally.

CCF Tea increases gastric juices - CCF Tea is taken in the morning and for good reason - it set the digestion in motion and helps increase the production of gastric juices in the digestive tract. This intestinal mucus is needed by all of us but especially people who have ibs/ibd type of conditions.

CCF Tea helps in weight loss & flushing out excess water - CCF Tea helps in weight loss by detoxifying the body and since this tea blend increases the metabolism, it is often used to shed excess weight. It is also a gentle diuretic - it helps flush out excess water in the body. 

Best way of making it?

Many sites, bloggers, and even Ayurvedic doctors will simply tell you to mix equal quantity of each seed in warm water, infuse for 15 mins and take the water! This method is nothing but wastage and non-sense in my books! It wastes the seeds and does not tap into their true healing power. 

Here is what I recommend and this is exactly what I teach in my coaching - Take equal quantity of the three seeds, grind them into fine powder and store in an airtight jar. Make enough for 2 weeks at a time.

Now, take some warm water, mix 1 teaspoon of this powder in the warm water and let it steep overnight on counter. Make sure to cover the pot. In morning, warm this mix for few mins, and drink this entire mixture along with the powder. Don't waste the powder. NO strainer required! Also, remember to use stove - NOT microwave!

The benefits of this method is that the tea has steeped really well and all the nutrients are in the water now. This will be evident by its dark yellow to brown color. Also, the powder is far better absorbed by the digestive tract than if you were to chew the seeds. And last but not least, we did NOT waste the seeds - we used our money wisely and really tapped into all the amazing benefits these sacred seeds have to offer us! 

If anyone tells you that the grounded powder will lose its potency, then, ask them, "what do you think spices are made of?!" After all, spices are nothing more than a mix of grounded seeds and grounded whole spices like cloves, nutmeg, etc! Goodness! 

What should I do with left-over seeds after the tea?

In a lazy and wasteful method, you will have seeds left and will need to discard them (and waste your money). In my method, as listed above, you will not be wasting them, getting ALL the benefits and enjoying the grounded seed mixture for optimum health. 

Best time to take it?

This recipe is best taken on an empty stomach in the morning - this stimulates your digestion and helps in releasing digestive juices. Also, make sure you take it slightly warm as that is when it is most beneficial. Do NOT put it in fridge and then drink it. Make sure to keep minimum of 1-hr gap between your tea and breakfast (or any other meals if taking throughout the day). 

Can I mix it with other seeds?

You can add some ginger (if needing more warmth in the body), cardamom (elaichi) powder and caraway (ajwain) seeds. All these will help you even more in digestion and in healing your gut issues. When the water has cooled down, you can add some fresh organic lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to enhance the health properties of this wonderful drink and flush out excess weight. 

Can I take it with other herbal preparations?

Yes! You can take this with Trikatu or Triphala or Shilajit and even Chyawanprash! Just make sure to NOT over-do it and keep track on how you feel for a week. Then, depending on that, you can adjust the dosage and frequency of the tea and the other additions of your choice. Keeping track diligently is the answer to good self-health management!

What else will help me feel better more?

Another thing I advice is that you brush on my following articles as it will help you even more! 

1. Cumin Seeds Tea Benefits

2. Caraway Seeds Tea Benefits

3. Trikatu: An Ayurvedic 3-Spice Blend for Digestion & Health

4. Chyawanprash: An Ayurvedic 'Miracle' Jam

This is it! So simple yet so powerful! Start with this remedy right away and reap the benefits. Another small, do-able change for you but one that will yield huge benefits to your health and well-being...:)

Help Your Loved Ones! - Share! Share! Share! Post it on your FB page! Send in e-mail to all your loved ones! Invite them to join TGR so they can get such detailed articles too! And of course, invite them to eat some Garden Recipes with you!
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Questions & Comments? - If you have any questions, plz. do NOT e-mail me; post your questions/comments in the comment section and I will reply there only.
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​To amazing CCF Tea! - till next article.
-Somyata.