Why Should I Mix Herbs into My Coffee?
If you love coffee but hate the jitters that come with it, are craving more natural boosts, or just want to pump up your body’s health, then you’re going to want to shake up your morning coffee with herbs! Yes… herbs!
Over 55% of Americans over the age of 18 drink coffee every day. Just here in the U.S. alone, we have over 150 million daily coffee drinkers and around 7,000 Starbucks outlets. Whether it’s for the hit of energy and vibrancy, the ritual, or that sweetly bitter flavor, it seems we’re kind of obsessed with coffee. It is clearly a beverage that many people can’t see themselves living without.
There are some incredible benefits of drinking coffee!
Besides the fact that the wondrous coffee flavor and aroma alone give us a spring in our step and a shot of joy to begin our workday, there are many other benefits to the massive amounts of coffee we drink on the regular. Did you know that by drinking coffee, you’re improving both your cognitive and athletic performance? And coffee is one of the best natural sources of antioxidants - even better than that of blueberries and cacao, two well-known antioxidant superstars.
Research has identified around 1,000 antioxidants in unprocessed coffee beans and hundreds more during the light roasting process. Pretty cool, right?
As you probably already know, coffee is packed full of caffeine - but this doesn’t just make it a great energy pick-me-up. Coffee is an amazing pre-workout drink that'll both enhance and prolong exercise performance and is also a mood enhancer that can support focus and help people stay alert.
When you drink caffeine, it raises your levels of epinephrine or adrenaline (the hormone responsible for the “fight or flight” response) in your blood. Adrenaline releases a shot of energy, which causes a noticeable increase in quicker response times and heightened strength during physical activity.
Research has shown that consuming coffee an hour before physical exertion can increase physical performance by around 12% on average and help to maintain energy during periods of sustained activity.
Additionally, caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant, improving mood and helping you feel more alert and energetic.
Caffeine is believed by researchers to work by acting as an adenosine receptor antagonist. When adenosine binds to its receptors, it slows down nerve cell activity along neural pathways. Moreover, caffeine binds to the same receptors without reducing neural activity and increasing excitability in the brain.
Coffee is also an excellent source of several important naturally occurring nutrients, including riboflavin (vitamin B-2), niacin (vitamin B-3), pantothenic acid, manganese, potassium, and magnesium.
These nutrients are essential to life and health, providing us with energy, and can benefit the human body in various ways.
Some pieces of observational research have found that drinking coffee every day can help in preventing various health conditions such as liver disease:
"Coffee drinkers were 21% less likely to develop chronic liver disease, 20% less likely to develop chronic or fatty liver disease, and 49% less likely to die from chronic liver disease than non-coffee drinkers." Source: CNN paraphrasing BMC Public Health.
Are there negative effects of coffee?
Most of you might know this already but coffee comes with jittery caffeine side effects that might be rough for some people if they suffer from conditions like caffeine sensitivity, high blood pressure, anxiety, insomnia, or chronic stress.
Yes, we know, this doesn’t sound so great… but fear not! There is a way to counteract some of the harmful effects of coffee’s caffeine side effects while also boosting the rich health benefits of your java.
At Wise Ape, we’re mixing the right combination of herbs into our coffee blends to provide a spark of energy without making you anxious. By sipping on herbal coffee, you’re not only going to receive calm energy but also a whole heap of health benefits from incredible natural herbs and spices.
Here are some examples of the spices and herbs we’re mixing into coffee for amazing health benefits and flavor.
Turmeric & Black Pepper
Today you probably know turmeric as that beautifully golden-colored trendy spice that you can find in everything from ice creams and lattes to tea. However, did you know that turmeric has a powerful ability to control inflammation?
Turmeric contains 3-6% polyphenolic, crucial chemical compounds that are collectively known as curcuminoids. Curcumin induces anti-inflammatory effects that can relieve and reduce symptoms from several health conditions, including arthritis.
Additionally, these powerful anti-inflammatory properties can also help you fight the effects of stress. This is perfect for keeping you nice and balanced and calm when you consume caffeine from coffee.
We like to mix our turmeric with black pepper because black pepper greatly benefits curcumin absorption. Studies have shown that consuming just 20b mg of piperine (an alkaloid present in black pepper) per 2g of turmeric may increase the bioavailability of curcumin by up to 2000%.
If you want to learn more about the health benefits of turmeric, and how you can put it to work for your everyday wellness and incorporate it into your everyday life – click here.
You may be concerned about how your taste buds will react to turmeric? Well, we can assure you that turmeric tastes delicious and is a fantastic way to give your food or drink a cozy pop. Turmeric has smooth, earthy-sweet, peppery, and bitter, which can add wonderful rich depth to any cup of joe.
Pau d' Arco
Pau D’ Arco (Tabebuia impetiginosa) is a towering deciduous tree native to the Amazon and Latin America that is rich in certain compounds such as flavonoids, benzenoids, minerals, and antioxidants. It has also been shown to aid in healthy weight management and detoxify the body by removing heavy metals and other chemicals.
If you want to learn more about this incredible plant, check out: The Power of Pau D’ Arco.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is an especially great addition to coffee because of its ability to stabilize blood sugar, which you’ll need to prevent any jitters or caffeine crashes.
Packed with antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties, cinnamon is so powerful that it has more antioxidants than garlic. It's rich in natural immunity guardians - antioxidant polyphenols and proanthocyanidins. This spice also acts as a regulator in your body, drying dampness, improving blood circulation, and stimulating sluggish digestion.
Start Mixing Herbs Into Your Coffee
Combining coffee with herbs and spices may sound crazy but you'd be crazy not to try it. Coffee brews with herbs taste like flavorful magic and will make your body feel amazing.
Boost the flavor of your coffee with these natural herbs!
There's something incredibly soothing about sipping on a hot cuppa coffee. But imagine drinking how amazing it will feel when it’s packed with flavor-enhancing and body safeguarding herbs and spices? Yep, it’ll be one incredible cup of java.
And if you’ve been tired of all those coffee crashes, rather than having to give up coffee and going cold turkey, introducing herbal coffee will fix all your problems while keeping coffee in your life.
Where do you find the best herbal coffee?
If you’re ready to jump into a cup of herbal coffee, we have the best option for you. Our herbal coffee blends are some of the best you’ll ever sip on. We’re constantly doing herbal coffee blends so you can keep on sipping.
Right now, our Wise Ape’s Mixtape Vol. 1: Coconut Turmeric Coffee blend is almost ready for a limited-time-only release. This blend is a mix of locally sold organic Colombian coffee, Assam black tea, wildcrafted pau d' arco bark, turmeric, and more.
Wise Ape’s limited edition Mixtape Vol. 1: Coconut Turmeric Coffee is a revitalizing combination of organic Colombian coffee and adaptogenic herbs. The bold flavor of coffee is accented with coconut, turmeric, cinnamon, and other wellness-inspired ingredients. Click here to keep updated with when you grab a bag.
This informative article is written, by Sophia McKenzie. Sophia is head content creator and writer, for several premium websites, where her expertise lies in health, nutrition, and wellness. Her content focuses on providing and sharing doable solutions to help people truly thrive and live their happiest, healthiest, fulfilled lives.
