First, let me be clear. I love my coffee and everything about it. When it comes to substituting my coffee, it must really be worth it. Sorry, tea is just not cutting it.
I’ve tried many. Here are the 2 coffee substitutes I’ve come to love and why. Both are caffeine-free and gluten-free.
This is the winner. It has the smoothness and texture of real coffee. Easy to make as an instant coffee. I can enjoy hot or cold.
Dandy Blend Organic contains roasted barley, rye, chicory root and dandelion root extract. It is gluten-free because it contains the water extract of barley and rye, not the barley and rye itself.
While the FDA doesn’t allow the enumeration of health benefits of each ingredient on the label, I am going to elaborate one of the dandelion roots here.
Dandelion root is primarily a liver detoxifying herb. It cleanses the liver and gallbladder and promotes bile flow.
Dandelion root helps the body detoxify from an overconsumption of meat, fatty and fried food.
Isn’t it nice to know that you are drinking something good for your liver daily?
Close second….
It doesn’t look and taste like coffee as does Dandy Blend. It tastes earthy and a bit medicine-like.
I particularly like Vaidya’s cup for its medicinal benefits.
It’s best to brew Vaidya’s cup with a coffee mesh strainer, similar preparation to a drip coffee.
As labeled, vaidya’s cup increases oxygenation to the brain and lungs and reduces stress.
I personally believe it does so much more.
Kapikacchu (aka Cowhage or Mucuna pruriens), as its main ingredient among wild date seeds, chicory and haritaki, is an esteemed herb for the reproductive and nervous system.
It is considered to be one of the ultimate Ayurvedic reproductive tonics for both men and women.
Kapikacchu contains l-DOPA (Levodopha), an essential precursor of dopamine which is a chemical messenger (or neurotransmitter) between nerve cells.
l-DOPA is the most commonly prescribed medicine for Parkinson’s disease. It is used to improve the quality of life in patients with PD and control the symptoms of the condition, such as slow movements and stiffness.
This is how it works.
Parkinson’s disease results from a degeneration of dopamine producing cells in the basal ganglia portion of the brain stem.
A person with basal ganglia dysfunction has a problem with coordinating muscle movements..
Unlike dopamine, the l-DOPA can cross the protective blood-brain barrier (BBB) and convert to dopamine.
The resulting increase in brain dopamine concentration is believed to improve nerve condition and assist the movement disorders in Parkinson’s disease.
Wow… now I am drinking something good for my brain daily.
I hope all my coffee drinker friends give it a try.
EAT | LIVE | LOVE AYURVEDA
Reference:
SV Ayurveda
California College of Ayurveda
Ayurvedic Medicine, Sebastian Pole
The Yoga of Herbs, Dr. David Frawley and Dr. Vasant Lad
