Issue #2 of the Chai Bhai newsletter. If you haven't already, you can read Issue #1 in the archive.
The Spice Cabinet as Pharmacy
Masala chai contains, in a standard recipe: ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper. These are not flavourings. Each has been used as medicine in the Indian subcontinent for at least 3,000 years, documented in the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita — the foundational texts of Ayurveda.
Modern pharmacology is systematically validating these prescriptions, one compound at a time.
Ginger: [6]-Gingerol
The primary active compound in fresh ginger is [6]-gingerol — a phenolic compound that inhibits the COX-2 enzyme responsible for inflammation, in a mechanism similar to ibuprofen but without the gastrointestinal side effects. A 2015 review in the journal Food & Function confirmed ginger's anti-nausea effects across 12 randomised trials. Your grandmother's chai for an upset stomach was evidence-based medicine.
Cardamom: 1,8-Cineole
The dominant volatile compound in green cardamom is 1,8-cineole (also called eucalyptol), which is also the primary active ingredient in many pharmaceutical expectorants and respiratory treatments. When cardamom in chai is smelled, you are inhaling dilute concentrations of a compound that clears respiratory passages, reduces mucus viscosity, and exhibits mild bronchodilator effects.
This explains the Indian practice of drinking cardamom chai when a cold arrives.
Cinnamon: Cinnamaldehyde
Cinnamaldehyde is responsible for cinnamon's taste and also for its documented effect on blood glucose regulation. A 2003 study in Diabetes Care found that as little as 1g of cinnamon daily reduced fasting blood glucose by 18–29% in Type 2 diabetics. A cinnamon stick in your chai contains approximately 0.5–1g of cinnamon.
What This Means For Your Daily Cup
Your two cups of masala chai per day deliver:
- ~500mg gingerols (anti-inflammatory)
- ~100mg cineole (respiratory support)
- ~500mg cinnamaldehyde (metabolic support)
- ~100mg eugenol from cloves (antimicrobial, analgesic)
None of these is a therapeutic dose on its own. But consumed consistently, daily, across years — the cumulative effect is what Ayurveda always called rasayana: slow, sustained rejuvenation.
Until next month — may your chai be strong and your mornings slow.
— Chai Bhai