Chewing vs Swallowing
Oh, and also, there’s a big difference between chewing vs swallowing.
Compared to taking supplements orally, which faces the risk of getting degraded by bile and stomach acid, chewing is much more direct and allows the ingredients to pass through the tissues in the mouth (aka sublingual administration), which enters the bloodstream much more directly and quicker.
Via Wikipedia: Sublingual administration has certain advantages over oral administration. Being more direct, it is often faster, and it ensures that the substance will risk degradation only by salivary enzymes before entering the bloodstream, whereas orally administered drugs must survive passage through the hostile environment of the gastrointestinal tract, which risks degrading them, either by stomach acid or bile, or by the many enzymes therein, such as monoamine oxidase (MAO). [Source]
TL;DR: In general, Sublingual administration tends to be better absorbed than oral administration.
That may be why sipping tea or coffee is more enjoyable than gulping either one down.
For instance, swallowing a caffeine pill will not procure the desired cognitive benefit. Rather, one must let it dissolve slowly in the mouth or under the tongue. Although I must say that they taste horrible.
