Reasons to Choose Herbal Tea over Black Tea

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Tabloids are speaking about it, magazines are listing down its recipes and nutritionists bet on its healthiness - herbal tea seems to be getting popular with each passing day. And why not, with the many medicinal and therapeutic properties they are packed with, herbal teas are an absolute must-have today.

For the past thousands of years, tea has been considered a key to good health, wisdom and happiness in the East, and now, the West too, are discovering the health benefits that tea offers.

“There doesn’t seem to be a downside to tea,” the spokesperson from the American Dietetic Association, Katherine Tallmadge, quoted. “I think it’s a great alternative to coffee drinking. First, tea has less caffeine. It’s pretty well established that the compounds in tea – their flavonoids – are good for the heart and may reduce cancer.”

Tea, in general, has less caffeine content than your cup of coffee, making it the much better option. What’s more, herbal teas are even more powerful, packed with flavonoids and other substances that help prevent many potentially deadly diseases.

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It may not be easy to replace your cup of black tea with herbal tea, However, we’ve listed down some of the many benefits herbal teas offer, to tempt you in. Read on…

Boosts mental health- Thanks to the caffeine and theanine content literally ALL the herbal teas contain, they promote brain health and increase mental alertness. Chamomile tea with its calming and soothing properties is an excellent natural remedy for curbing anxiety, stress and depression. Herbal teas are also thought to reduce the risk of neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease and counteract the oxidative stress on the brain.

Contains powerful substances- Herbal teas are packed with powerful antioxidants that fight free radical damage and help promote anti-aging. The antioxidants, particularly those in green tea, can work as a great anti-cancer agent by interfering with the growth of cancerous tumors of the breast, lung, bladder, pancreas, stomach and the colon. Antioxidants from Oolong tea are thought to be associated with lowered levels of bad cholesterol.

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Promotes skin health- Craving for younger, youthful skin? Herbal teas may help. Rooibos tea is believed to have high vitamin C content coupled with powerful antioxidants which help promote skin health and prevent common skin problems including eczema.

Excellent for weight loss- Though science doesn’t have a valid proof on this one, some herbal teas stimulate weight loss, and are marketed worldwide as natural weight-loss supplements.

Promotes digestive relief- Not surprisingly, herbal teas are good for the digestive system too! Ginger tea, in particular, has been used to curb vomiting, nausea, motion sickness and stomach upset. Peppermint tea too can be used as an effective natural remedy for indigestion, heartburn, bloating and abdominal gas.

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Boosts immunity- Herbal teas are good sources of important vitamins, especially vitamin C, which helps strengthen immunity and prevent many infectious seasonal diseases like a cough, cold and flu.

Other benefits- Herbal teas provide many other health benefits- they protect the lungs from damage caused by exposure to cigarette smoke, reduce blood cholesterol levels, lift up spirits and keep away depression, cleanse the liver and stimulate bile production, prevent complications arising from diabetes and lower high blood pressure.