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Time for Tea? The Many Health Benefits of Tea

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October 9, 2014

With the cool weather starting, warming up with a cup of tea not only feels good, but has many health benefits. Shopping for teas can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you are a new tea drinker. What do you buy? Black, white or green tea? Oolong? One the dozens of flavors of herbal teas?

Here’s a mini guide to some popular teas and a few of their benefits.

Green Tea

Widely regarded as a healthy antioxidant tea, green tea helps everything from gums and teeth to metabolism and possibly lowering cholesterol. This tea has a big concentration of EGCG which is a widely studied antioxidant called a flavonoid. Other potential benefits include counteracting stress, reducing risks of neurological disorders and reducing risk of depression. Green tea does contain caffeine but less than coffee.

Black Tea

This is the most common tea in the U.S and the U.K and it has the highest caffeine level. Black tea helps inhibit plaque growth in the mouth, aids digestive health and possibly prevents certain cancers. As with many teas, research has shown black tea’s antioxidants help destroy free radicals. It’s also been shown to lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease and to possibly lower blood pressure. How’s that for a powerhouse?

White Tea

This tea has a high polyphenol level and is sometimes called the anti-aging tea since it can help the elastin and collagen in your skin. It’s said to have powerful anti cancer benefits and it can lower blood pressure. White tea is becoming more popular the last few years.

Oolong Tea

This a traditional Chinese tea, is a darker red tea with antioxidants and has very similar benefits to green tea.

Herbal Teas

Herbal teas come in a wide variety of flavors and blends.They have many different benefits ranging from calming you down to perking you up to dealing with stomach issues or battling viruses and sore throats. A few popular herbal teas include:

  • Peppermint Tea. A powerful tea known to help relieve constipation,bloating, sluggish digestion and stomach ailments.
  • Ginger Tea. High on the list also for intestinal discomfort and may also help relieve migraines.
  • Passionflower Tea. Can calm your mind and help ease anxiety so it’s perfect for bedtime after a stressful day.
  • Chamomile Tea. Another popular bedtime tea because it’s extremely relaxing. Many people say it has an almost instantaneous de-stressing effect and also helps with insomnia, as well as sore throats, fevers and inflammation in the mouth.

Not everyone loves tea and not every tea tastes the same so you may have to experiment to find one you like, but with health benefits like these, it’s a great idea to consider adding tea to your daily beverages, or at the very least, when you are feeling stressed or ill.

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