Everyone talks about it, so what exactly are the health benefits of herbal tea? Herbal teas are some of the healthiest things you can drink. The vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants found in many herbs have shown to provide many short and long-term health benefits.

These teas can be a great alternative to your daily sugary and caffeinated drinks, while still providing great taste and a natural boost to your day. In this blog, we’ll explain what herbal tea is, provide a list of the health benefits of herbal tea, and suggest the best herbal teas to drink.

What is Herbal Tea?

Despite the name, herbal teas are not actually made from the tea plant or tea leaves. Instead, they are made by steeping herbs, flowers, or roots. The origins of herbal tea date back to Ancient Egypt and Ancient China, used for thousands of years for its great taste and medicinal properties. Hence why there are so many health benefits of herbal tea.

There are hundreds of different herbal teas you can drink, all with varying tastes and benefits. These benefits can range from treating a cold to relieving stress, to anti-aging properties. In addition, unlike other teas, herbal teas do not contain any caffeine. So, they are good to drink at any time of the day.

Health Benefits of Herbal Tea

  1. Fights the Cold

Herbal teas are great for treating a cold. The elder tree herb is one of the best for fighting a cold as it has properties that clear the nasal passages and stops heavy coughs. It can also reduce the symptoms of asthma.

  1. Improves Digestion

One of the great health benefits of herbal tea is that they help with the breakdown of fats and speed up the emptying of the stomach. Doing so, they can reduce symptoms of indigestion, bloating, and vomiting. Some of the best teas for these symptoms are dandelion, chamomile, cinnamon, peppermint, and ginger tea.

  1. Boosts Immune System

The antioxidants and vitamins found in herbal teas are great for helping fight disease and infections. They can protect against oxidative stress and lower the risk of chronic disease. Some of the best herbal teas for boosting your immune system are elderberry, echinacea, ginger, and liquorice root tea.

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4. Reduces Inflammation

Daily drinking of herbal tea can greatly help those that suffer from arthritis. Herbal tea can reduce pain, swelling, and tiredness in joints. Ginger is actually one of the best herbs to relieve inflammation, due to its main component, gingerol. This makes the tea an ideal treatment for joint and muscle pain.

5. Anti-ageing

Doesn’t everyone wish they could look and feel younger? Well, the antioxidants found in herbal teas have shown to aid in slowing down the ageing process. They prevent free radical damage and reduce the ageing of cells in the body. This makes your skin and hair look and feel younger.

6. Relieve Stress and Anxiety

Herbal teas calm and relax the mind, relieving stress and anxiety. Since it calms the mind, drinking herbal tea before going to sleep also helps people who suffer from insomnia.

Chamomile tea is one of the best teas for stress relief and difficulty sleeping. The comforting effect may also act as a mild anti-depressant for some as it stimulates the brain to reduce feelings of depression.

7. Lower Blood Pressure

Instead of taking pills, try drinking herbal tea to lower your blood pressure instead. Herbal teas such as Hibiscus can decrease blood pressure without any negative side effects due to the chemicals it contains.

High blood pressure can negatively affect the heart and kidney, so if you’re looking for a natural treatment, Hibiscus tea is the way to go.

8. Great for Skin Health

Herbal tea is a useful treatment for acne, without the side effects that some medications cause. The tea can either be ingested normally or by directly applying the tea onto the skin.

Rooibos and chamomile tea are some of the best teas for treating the skin due to their antioxidants and antibacterial properties. Spearmint tea may also work as it reduces the breakout of acne.

So now that you know what the health benefits of herbal teas are. But how do you know which teas are best for each desired benefit?

Best Herbal Teas for Specific Health Benefits

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile Tea is most commonly consumed for its calming effects, used as a sleep aid and to relieve anxiety. Studies have shown that drinking chamomile tea twice a day can help those suffering from insomnia, reducing the time to fall asleep and staying asleep. It also helped improve the general quality of sleep.

In addition to its calming effects, chamomile tea is also believed to treat inflammation and soothe the stomach from pain. Try our Lemongrass Chamomile Tea here!

Rooibos Tea

Rooibos tea has a whole bunch of health benefits. It is great for skin care as it relieves acne and eczema. It also hides the signs of ageing by reducing wrinkles thanks to all the antioxidants.

In addition, the calcium and fluoride in rooibos tea make it great for bone health. These minerals reduce the chances of developing arthritis and joint pain. Other benefits include treating headaches, asthma, and allergies. Try our various Rooibos Teas here!

Peppermint Tea

If you’re experiencing problems with your digestive health, then you should try drinking some Peppermint Tea. This tea helps relieve symptoms of bloating and abdominal gas, as well as relieving muscle spasms.

Peppermint can also help treat colds and nausea. However, it should not be consumed for indigestion or heartburn problems. Check out our Organic Peppermint Tea here.

Ginger Tea

Ginger tea is also best for your digestive health. It helps relieve nausea and vomiting like peppermint, however, ginger does treat indigestion, heartburn, and stomach pains.

Drinking ginger tea is one of the best natural methods for treating inflammation, due to the gingerol found in the root. Ginger tea is also good for reducing menstrual discomfort, weight loss, and enhances brain function. Try some of our ginger teas here.

Echinacea Tea

Echinacea tea is most commonly used to prevent the common cold. Studies have shown that drinking it boosts the immune system which in turn, helps the body fight off viruses and infections. It is also great for treating a stuffy nose and sore throat.

Rosehip Tea

Made from rose plants, rosehip is high in vitamin C, which is great for skin and tissue health, and the immune system. It also has antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.

As you’ve seen, there are many herbal tea benefits when consumed. They’re arguably the most favoured type of tea because they’re healthy, great tasting, and contain no caffeine. If you haven’t already, give some of these herbal teas a try. We’re sure you won’t regret it. Check out our variety of herbal teas that we offer here.

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