I am often asked about the potential health benefits of the spices I use in my blends or why I selected the ones that I did for my blends.  

Please click here for a PDF copy of our information sheet about the ORAC values and potential healing properties of spices we choose to use in our products. 

You may also scroll down to read more about my intentions for each blend and why I combine the spices that I do into our innovative products.   You can also review our spice list at the bottom.  While spices alone will not heal you, healthy living is all about making smart choices.  If you can flavor your daily beverages and foods with our amazing blends without sugar (in the case of our Catalyst Tea Enhancers) and without salt (as with our Creative Curries) but packed with antioxidants, the question is, why not?

The story behind my spice journey and benefits of Catalyst Tea Enhancers?

I believe our health and wellness can be improved by being conscious of what we eat and drink   At age 40 I was a first time birth mom with very poor overall health due to ongoing issues and the added impact from medications taken during IVF cycles which left me overweight with low energy and constant concerns about health risks like high blood pressure and diabetes as both we're present during pregnancy and we have a family history of strokes, kidney failure and other health issues.  I am grateful for our miracle son not only because he transformed our lives with joy but because his birth made me passionate about wellness.  

My journey led me to current science and Ayurvedic solutions as well as into my past and my east Indian roots.  I was excited to learn that what my mother taught me when I was young about using spices, such as fresh or ground ginger in hot water for colds, rubbing turmeric and other ingredients to heal wounds, using "magical mixes" of ground spices in hot beverages to soothe a variety of ailments and more was also supported by wellness experts and modern science.  I was even more excited when I learned that the same spices in my kitchen cabinet that I use in various savory dishes to create Indian meals and other international cuisines were some of the most powerful antioxidant rich spices based on ORAC values. I was surprised during my research to learn that many of the spices I wanted to include in my blends had higher ORAC values than much publicized antioxidant levels of Tea for example.   I like so many of you had started paying attention to media news about ACAI berry, pomegrante juice, green tea and more and decided that I would start by finding ways to integrate healing spices into my daily regimen beyond food and into my new daily beverage of choice that I discovered for the first time during pregnancy: Green Tea.

Each one of my blends is an intentional combination of spices for specific potential healing properties in the hope that through regular use of the blends in tea and daily meals that you begin to enjoy them not only for the aroma and flavor but in the knowledge that every sip or gourmet taste may be potentially good for you too based on data that is available on the various spices and their healing qualities. 

My goal in sharing my blends is to change the way you look at "spices" because I myself now look at my "curry cabinet" with a sense of joy and curiosity in a way that I didn't many years ago.  In my personal quest to understand options for getting and staying healthy over the long run I discovered as many of you probably have or now will, the truly amazing healing power of spices like Cardamom, Cinnamon, Fennel, Ginger, Black Pepper, Cloves, Nutmeg, Star Anise and even Saffron and so many other spices too.  The added bonus, there are no calories in most spices or in the one's that I use and as a mom who is always having to watch her weight after pregnancy, that was a big motivator in chosing just natural spices for my product blends.  Clearly it's hard to envision taking bites of whole raw cardamom or spooning down quarter teaspoons of ground cloves or star anise on their own and enjoying the experience, but incorporating it as a custom ground spice into a gourmet blend like ours and using it to infuse flavor, especially in beverages, makes it easy (and delicious) to incorporate them into a daily routine of tea or other ordinary favorites like coffee, cereals, yogurt, baked goods and more.

So why call did I call the blends Catalyst Tea Enhancers instead of Catalyst Gourmet Enhancers?   When I first had my "aha" moment it was while drinking green tea and I wanted to be able to drink several cups of day but I knew that I would need the experience to be fun and tasty or I wouldn't stick to it and would go back to several cups of diet cola, sweet chai or juices a day. I also wanted to encourage others who may not consume tea frequently to try to do so now that there's a wonderful enhancer available to make the experience fun. 

I'm fussy about flavor and believe that eating and drinking are one of life's simple daily pleasures and should be exciting to our senses, not bland.   So when I started this process, I blended and created each product version to work well in beverages, especially in green tea, so that you could include the healing spices several times a day in a daily routine. And, because the blends were originally crafted to work in delicate teas, they work beautifully in almost everything else since they integrate and infuse easily into other things you love.  

I encourage you to start with incorporating our blends into your beverages first and foremost because you drink 4-8 cups of liquid daily and what a simple and wonderful way to include healthful spices into a daily routine vs. waiting to have them in a meal or gourmet curry.   If not in tea, coffee or hot water, you can also add it to milk, juices or smoothies for younger members of your household.  

Here's some insight into my intention for each unique Catalyst Tea Enhancer blend. 

Our Enchanting Chai Tea Enhancer is borne from a love of all types of beverages marketed as "chai" that are on the market but my desire to find a way to replicate and improve upon the flavor profile and health attributes (ie. no sugar, no added syrups, powders, preservatives etc.) while still being able to create my own gourmet "chai" style teas and lattes and more at home.  This is my most complex blend with 8 of the original 9 core spices.   It is intentionally very aromatic and I use the highest quality Saigon cinnamon and star anise to help add a natural "sweetness" profile without any sugar added.  Plus the high proportion of Cinnamon is intended to help lower blood pressure and provide other healing properties.  It's a wonderful alternative way to incorporate cinnamon into your daily diet if you are following a daily regimen of 1/4 teaspoon or more as part of the recommended dosage for healing purposes. This blend is terrific even in just hot milk as a soothing beverage any time of day.  My mom used to make a hot spiced milk for me as a child and every time I sip I remember wonderful and happy moments and I hope you will feel a little relaxing bliss as you sip our truly Enchanting Chai blend in your favorite drinks as well and create your own family memories.

Our Gourmet Ginger Tea Enhancer was created to because of my own personal battle with frequent colds, congestion and seasonal allergy related issues and cravings for a "spicy" tea that is still easy enough on the taste buds to be consumed daily.  I grew up loving almost anything ginger flavored so I knew that if I could create a blend with a ginger note to it that I would likely drink it both for healing and for joy.  The combination of ingredients like black pepper and cloves added into the blend along with ginger, cardamom and fennel support the goal to help soothe and comfort.   Cloves are also a natural antibiotic and consumers are always surprised that there is black pepper in our blend for beverages, but when you taste it you'll see how it integrates nicely with the other ingredients to help alleviate ailments. Most importantly, gourmet ginger is just so truly delicious that you'll forgot that it's great for the cold season as it's yummy year round and our consumers agree as it's our second most popular blend.

Our Fennel Fusion Tea Enhancer is designed to help aid digestion and detoxification efforts as in India it is quite common for one to be given raw fennel after meals and after pregnancy or whenever one wants to manage digestive issues fennel is soaked and consumed to aid in reducing bloating and other ailments.  The combination of ingredients which include cardamom and star anise can help support overall digestion and tissue management while giving this blend a unique flavor note that is actually refreshing on it's own as a hot water infusion and terrific with the addition of fresh mint leaves too.  The specific spices also have very high antioxidant qualities that make it a double bonus when sipping it frequently as a digestive aid before or after meals. This blend does have a "licorice" type undertone to it so it can be an acquired taste but many consumers actually rate this one as their favorite blend.

Our Sensational Saffron Tea Enhancer.  Where do I start? I have always been fascinated by saffron.  Mom used to use it sparingly due to it's expense, in cherished Indian desserts and sweets for special occasions.  I originally didn't have this ingredient on my wish list when doing recipe development of the first three blends but then as I did my research I quickly discovered that the world's most expensive spice was actually being used for helping to reduce cancer tumor growth and for preventing cancer by the medical community and that moved it to the top of my list for ingredients to experiment with for our Catalyst Tea Enhancer line.  As an IVF mom I am concerned about the mixed reviews on potential cancerous effects of IVF drugs so I became intrigued by what I learned about it's potential to help fight cancer risks.  Turns out that Saffron is also used in therapy to aid with depression as an antidepressant and that the aroma (which is like smelling a bouquet of flowers) has a positive uplifting characteristic.  As a stressed out mom with a preemie when I first came up with the idea for the line, saffron quickly became my favorite recipe experiment and I blended and blended and finally came up with a perfect mix of 6 ingredients for my now favorite of all four original blends.  We use a very large amount of saffron in our blends and so with recent price increases,with this core ingredient tripling in costs since our first tests we've finally decided to take the price up to be able to keep it in the line due to the rave reviews by consumers too and will be donating a portion of our direct online Sensational Saffron sales to support Cancer charities and research.  It's exciting to see the promise of potential solutions in mother nature's own gifts and to include it in our line up for more than just fabulous flavor. 

A clue into my next creation?  If you've read the health press and news about Turmeric in the past few years you know that it's being touted for so many healing benefits it's hard to list them all but I know you'll love our newest Tantalizing Turmeric based Catalyst Tea Enhancer.   I'm constantly on the search for fabulous spices that fit my criteria of gourmet that's good for you too so the spice journey has just begun.  Join me as I travel through the curry and spice cabinets of the world creating new and unique ways for you to enjoy ordinary spices in extraordinary ways.  

I've included some highlights of the specific health properties or supportive healing benefits of the various spices included in our blends based on publicly available medical research, clinical studies, news articles and more below. 

In good health.

Kaushika

Have more questions?  email us and we will be happy to try and answer your specific questions about our blends.  info@catalysttea.com