Soothe your belly with a warm cup of digestive tea after dinner. Learn how to make your own at home with the delicious flavors of ginger, fennel, anise, cinnamon, and orange peel. Perfect for calming and comforting.
Now that the holidays are behind us, I’d venture to guess that most of us could stand to give our bellies a little extra loving care these days. Whether you indulged more than you anticipated or just ate a few too many things that didn’t quite agree with you, the ensuing post-meal discomfort and bloat is never much fun; that’s when a tummy-soothing cup of digestion tea can really come to the rescue.
Not just any kind of tea, but a caffeine-free, herbal one that’s loaded with digestion friendly ingredients like ginger, fennel, and anise along with cinnamon and orange peel for a sweet and spicy flavor that can help comfort an unsettled stomach.
Even if you haven’t crossed the line into the belly blues, brewing up a cup of tea after a meal makes for a soothing ritual that can also support healthy digestion. And yes there are a number of after dinner digestion-type teas you can buy at the store but making your own is always so much fresher, more flavorful and practically effortless, so why not make it at home? Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredient Notes:
(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Ginger – We’re using fresh ginger root for this tea which is found in the produce section of most grocery stores.
- Fennel – You’ll need whole dried fennel seeds, not ground.
- Anise – You’ll need whole anise seeds, not ground.
- Cinnamon – You’ll need a cinnamon stick, not ground.
- Orange – We’re using the zest but you can also use some of the juice for extra flavor if you’d like.
- Sweetener – Use your sweetener of choice to taste.
How to Make Digestive Tea:
(Here are the basic steps and some helpful tips on how to make the recipe. Find the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
You start by adding the freshly grated ginger to a pot of water, followed by the crushed anise and fennel seed (which are traditionally used to ease digestive troubles). Crushing the seeds lightly before adding them to the water allows the oils to release and makes for a more potent and flavorful brew.
To that you’ll add a cinnamon stick and a few strips of orange peel. Next bring the water to a simmer, reduce the heat and let everything infuse for about 10 minutes, then strain, sweeten and serve.
The result is a zesty tea with just enough spice to warm and sooth. It’s cozy, cinnamony and just right for curling up with after dinner.
I’ll also make a big batch of tea then store it in the fridge and re-heat it after a meal or whenever I need a cup. So make your belly happy and treat yourself to a cup of homemade after- dinner digestion tea.
More Caffeine-Free Teas:
After Dinner Tea for Digestion
Make your belly happy and cozy up to a big mug of digestion tea after dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 cups/ 500ml filtered water
- 1 teaspoon anise seed, lightly crushed using a mortar and pestle
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed using a mortar and pestle
- ½ a cinnamon stick
- Strips of zest from ½ a small orange
- 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
- Sweetener of choice to taste
- orange slices and cinnamon stick for serving if desired
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer, lower heat and keep warm (just a couple bubbles around the sides of the pan) for 10 minutes.
- Strain tea through a fine mesh strainer, sweeten to taste and serve hot with orange slice and cinnamon stick if desired.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 11Sodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 2g
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
[…] Such a good idea: After dinner digestion tea. […]