Hormone Healthy Chai Latte

There’s nothing better than a warm & spicy chai latte on a cold day, but a lot of the chai blends that you find at cafes or grocery stores can be loaded with sugar (hello inflammation), and they don’t contain a high enough concentration of those delicious spices to really reap their benefits. That’s why we teamed up with Elix TCM advisor and food therapist Zoey Gong to bring you a simple & easy homemade Chai Latte Recipe that’s packed with hormone healthy ingredients you need to thrive on your period—Starbucks could never. 

Traditionally, Chai or Masala Chai is black tea that’s infused with fragrant spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and cardamom. In addition to adding depth of flavor to your tea, these spices are particularly beneficial to have during the menstrual phase of our cycle. Ginger & cinnamon, for example, are naturally anti-inflammatory and can significantly reduce period cramps, nausea, and bloating. These spices are also naturally warming, meaning that they can help with pain, discomfort, and fatigue during the most yin/cold part of your cycle. 

For this recipe, Zoey uses Elix Ginger Aide to get a higher concentration of ginger, and drops in her personalized Cycle Balance formula for even more hormone balancing benefits.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Benefits:

1. Balances mood
2. Replenishes Qi and Blood
3. Gently warms the body

Hormone Healthy Chai Latte Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups soy milk (or milk of choice)
• 2 black tea bags*
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 squeezes of Elix Ginger Aide
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup, or sweetener of choice
• 5 squeezes of Elix Cycle Balance

Method:

1. In a saucepan, heat up the milk over medium-high heat, until it begins to bubble a little. Turn off the heat, and add the 2 tea bags. Steep for 5 minutes. Remove the bags.
2. In the same saucepan, add in the cinnamon, Elix Ginger Aide, cloves, and maple syrup. Whisk to combine. Turn on heat to low and bring everything to a boil. 
3. Adjust any seasoning to your taste and serve immediately with your Elix Cycle Balance. 

Mix & match your favorite Elix formulas to suit your health & wellness needs. Try a combination of Ginger Aide and Cycle Balance if you are struggling with painful cramps and bloating, or a combination of Cycle Balance and Stay Well if you tend to feel under the weather on your period. Click here to shop our formulas.

This article was reviewed by Zoey Gong.

Zoey Gong is a Traditional Chinese Medicine nutritionist, food therapist, and chef. Her recipes have been featured in various publications, including the cover of Food & Wine magazine in the February 2023 issue. She’s the author of The Five Elements Cookbook: A Guide to Traditional Chinese Medicine with Recipes for Everyday Healing, where she guides readers in the basics of TCM through encyclopedic entries on common ingredients and 50 nourishing recipes.