Best Teas To Drink For Improved Health
As a shrub known as Camellia sinensis, the humble tea plant has been a long-time remedy for ailments. There's no one-size-fits-all type of tea that's the best, considering dozens of brands and flavors are filling your supermarket shelves. Thankfully, with some research, you can choose a type of tea that suits your health needs. Listed below are several popular teas, along with an explanation of their health benefits.
- Best For General Health: Green Tea
Green tea receives the gold star when it comes to fantastic health benefits, covering plenty of territories when it comes to health ailments. The consumption of green tea is linked to the following:
- Cancer prevention
- Defense against heart disease
- Lowered blood pressure
- Anti-inflammatory management
- Weight loss
- Lowered cholesterol
The antioxidant catechin is the healing power in tea leaves that helps safeguard your cells against damage due to free radicals reacting with your body's other molecules.
- Best For Digestive Health: Ginger Tea
Studies have proven ginger is naturally effective against nausea and an excellent go-to treatment for morning sickness during pregnancy. Ginger also helps regulate your digestive system by moving food from your stomach through the rest of the digestive tract.
This process also works to calm indigestion and soothe stomach distress effectively. If you're not a fan of ginger tea, peppermint tea can also treat indigestion. However, it's best for easing issues in your lower gut and can aggravate problems in your upper digestive tract, such as acid reflux.
- Best For Lung Health: Herbal Tea
Anti-inflammatory properties in herbal tea can help relax airways tightened by respiratory conditions such as asthma. In addition, herbal teas made with turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger are excellent for optimal lung health.
Consuming a hot cup of herbal tea effectively clears congestion by loosening mucus.
- Best For Sickness: Peppermint Tea
Menthol, one of the essential compounds in peppermint tea, is significantly beneficial when it comes to treating a cold by kicking your immune system into high gear. Peppermint tea is also an effective throat muscle relaxer, relieves nasal congestion, and lowers fevers.
For an additional health boost, peppermint tea contains antibacterial and antiviral properties. Other teas to try when you're feeling under the weather are:
- Echinacea
- Hibiscus
- Elderberry
- Best For Sleep: Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is beneficial for a restful night's sleep, thanks to the antioxidant compound apigenin, which helps induce sleep. It reduces anxiety by attaching itself to your brain receptors, establishing a calm state of mind that leads to drowsiness.
Valerian root tea is an excellent alternative to catch up on shut eye.
What About Black Tea?
Benefits-wise, black and green tea offers many of the same benefits since they're derived from the same plant leaves. However, leaves used to make black tea are aged and oxidized, whereas green tea leaves are processed earlier.
As a result, black tea has a higher caffeine content than green tea, which is important to consider if you're limiting caffeine intake.