In tour current age of sugary drinks and frappuccinos, it is important that we search for and consume more healthy and tasty alternative beverages. When we speak about beverages that are better for our health, as well as flavorful, herbal tea is a wonderful option.
Herbal teas are just as easy to find as any other drink. There are a myriad of herbal teas available at your local grocery store that provide delicious refreshment as well as health benefits.
Why drink herbal tea? If you are looking for a natural way to improve your health, herbal teas are easy to incorporate into your day. By tasting great and lowering your sugar intake, they are an excellent jump-start on your journey to wellness.
Balanced Care provides holistic, natural remedies to improve your overall health and treat both chronic and intermittent illnesses. Using herbs medicinally has been around for centuries, and we continue the tradition with herbal supplements, teas, and tinctures as part of our holistic treatments. Teas are a great way to begin using herbs for wellness.
What Exactly is Herbal Tea?
True teas such as black, green, white, or oolong tea come from the dried leaves of a specific plant, Camellia Sinensis, commonly known as the tea plant. Herbal teas, however, are not made from the tea plant at all.
Instead, herbal teas are composed of a blend of roots, bark, flowers, fruits, and leaves. Like traditional tea, these herbs are infused with hot water, making a pleasing drink. The liquid infusion retains the health benefits of the herbs and is easy to digest.
There are many benefits of drinking herbal teas, including relaxation, soothing an upset stomach, and decreased inflammation. After being steeped in hot water, you can drink herbal tea either warm or cold, according to your preference.
There is such an enormous variety of herbal teas that you can find one for almost any ailment. Some of the most commonly used herbal teas are lemongrass, cinnamon, chamomile, eucalyptus, peppermint, hibiscus, ginger, and ginseng. Each one of these can aid your health in one way or another.
Cold Anyone?
No matter where you live, cold and flu season exists. And some of you know all-too-well that when it hits, it takes a significant toll on your body.
Many people use eucalyptus tea as a cold remedy due to its medicinal properties as a respiratory aid. Not only does eucalyptus tea help clear nasal passages and boost the immune system, but it also helps prevent your cold from turning into a secondary respiratory infection.
The antibacterial properties of eucalyptus help fight phlegm and help control coughing. Plus you’ll enjoy the cool and minty taste.
Less Stress, More Relaxation
With our growing workloads and endless to-do lists, it’s no wonder so many Americans report feeling frequently stressed. Some of the herbal teas known for helping to relax and soothe are chamomile, peppermint and lemon balm tea.
Chamomile tea is responsible for calming down a person’s parasympathetic nervous system. If your parasympathetic nervous system is regularly active due to external stressors such as work or conflict, then you experience general anxiety.
Drinking chamomile helps calm your parasympathetic nervous system, giving you relief and letting you unwind. It is an aesthetically beautiful plant as well, and many people grow it in their backyards!
Peppermint tea contains menthol, which acts as a natural muscle relaxant. Think about how tense you can get when you are anxious or stressed. Peppermint tea contains no caffeine and is an excellent tea to drink before bed to give you a restful and sound sleep.
Lemon balm tea reduces the hormone cortisol in your body which, in turn, relaxes you without making you tired. This is an excellent tea to drink if you are at work and need to de-stress a bit.
An Improved Digestive System
Having an improved digestive system not only helps with weight and energy but can also help combat anxiety and stress, as well as provide an overall feeling of wellness.
Ginseng and ginger are known for their ability to aid, as well as soothe, the gastrointestinal system. Ginseng can help with obesity as it helps to keep your sugar levels stable and it is an appetite suppressant.
Ginger, on the other hand, is an intestinal relaxant that eases irritable bowel syndrome and helps prevent heartburn by keeping the esophageal sphincter closed.
Slow Down the Aging Process
We have all heard that blueberries have tons of antioxidants to help you looking and feeling young, but we don’t always remember that many herbal teas also have anti-aging properties.
Many people are not aware that herbal teas can be applied topically as well as ingested. Some of the best antioxidant-rich herbal teas include chamomile, rooibos, and green tea.
Green tea has become the face of the anti-aging properties of tea. While green tea has a large number of antioxidants, it also has the compound EGCG. This compound fights off free-radicals and thus slows down the formation of wrinkles.
Chamomile tea has many antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. When used topically, it can help reduce acne breakouts, sun spots, and puffy under-eye bags.
If either of those teas is not your … cup of tea, then rooibos (also known as red tea) is also known for its anti-aging properties. It is a great caffeine-free alternative to green tea, containing as many antioxidants. Rooibos tea, which hails from South Africa, is used in many facial cleansers and cosmetic products.
We’ve Got a Tea for That
Whether you have a specific ailment, or you want to get an overall grasp on your health in a more natural way, the naturopathic doctors of Balanced Care are ready to help you on your journey to wellness.
From more discussion on herbal tea benefits, hydrotherapy, or consultations on diet and nutrition, we can create a plan to optimize your health. Call us at 612-564-2218 or email us at [email protected], and let’s get started on your health journey.