Journal · 12 entries
Notes from the kitchen shelf.
Short, honest pieces on herbs, labels and brewing. No miracle claims.
Herbal tea and cholesterol: what a cup can and cannot do
An honest guide to where herbal infusions fit in a cholesterol-conscious routine, what the research on cinnamon and fenugreek actually says, and what no tea can replace.
How to read a herbal tea label in India
FSSAI licence numbers, ingredient order, what 'organic' legally means, and the claims a food product is not allowed to make. A short field guide to the back of the pack.
Cinnamon, fenugreek and the after-meal cup
Why Indian kitchens kept dalchini, methi and saunf next to the stove, and how those habits became the two Vanmool blends.
The five-minute steep: time, temperature and whole herbs
Why whole-herb infusions need longer than tea leaves, what water temperature does to cinnamon and ginger, and how to brew a cup that tastes the same every time.
Gurmar: the leaf that switches off sweet
Why chewing a gurmar leaf makes sugar taste like sand, where the plant grows, what Ayurveda used it for, and what modern studies have and have not shown.
What 'FSSAI licensed' actually means (and what it doesn't)
The licence number on every Indian food pack: who issues it, what inspections it involves, how to verify one online, and the limits of what it promises.
Cardamom, from the Cardamom Hills
Where green cardamom grows, why Idukki's shade-grown pods are different, what the pod is protecting, and why we never grind it.
The after-dinner walk, and the after-dinner cup
A short, well-evidenced habit that pairs with a cup of tea: ten minutes of walking after a meal, what it does for blood sugar and digestion, and how to make it stick.
Fenugreek two ways: soaked and roasted
Methi dana is India's most-used home remedy. The difference between soaking it overnight and roasting it, and why the blend uses the roasted seed.
Why our teas have no 'natural flavouring'
The two words that let a herbal tea taste of something that is not in it. What the term means in law, why it is everywhere, and why we would rather have a plainer cup.
How to store whole herbs so they last
Light, air, heat and moisture are the four things that spoil a herbal blend. How to keep a 100 g pouch at its best for the full three months.
How to read a herbal tea lab report
Heavy metals, pesticide residue, microbial counts, moisture: what each line on a batch certificate means, what the FSSAI limits are, and the one number to look at first.