Teas for Health Benefits

Whether it's natural tea made from real tea leaves or 'herbal teas' that aren't really teas at all but we frequently call them teas, there are many health benefits these brewed and steeped beverage concoctions have. I've long been a hot tea drinker, from hibiscus to black tea and from chamomile to cinnamon, I've tried nearly every type of tea and herbal tea brews there are, both for health properties and flavor.

Recently, having been in the hospital multiple times for acute massive multiple bilateral pulmonary embolisms, I have been put on blood thinners, namely: Coumadin (warfarin). Because of this, I've been instructed not to drink large quantities of green tea, because green tea contains vitamin K, which works to help blood clot, and that's the opposite of what I'm wanting for my health treatment. However, for someone without a clotting disorder or who is not taking anticoagulants, vitamin K is a tough vitamin to find in a lot of foods, and green tea might be one readily available and delicious choice for getting this crucial vitamin.

Let's look at some of my favorite teas and what their health properties are purported to be:

White Tea Health Benefits - Might Help Prevent Colon Cancer

According to Dr. Oz's website, white tea is not as processed as other types of teas, and because of this, white tea retains a stronger amount of certain types of antioxidants called polyphenols that can help when ingested to prevent a certain type of colon cancer.

My favorite white tea is the silver needle tea. This silver needle tea has long stem-like leaves that are rounded and slightly pointed and they looks similar to thick, round blades of grass. They are the most frequently used teas for blooming teas (teas that are hand-tied to flower or bloom into the shape of a flower or design when water is added) for a beautiful effect and a nice, golden light tea with a mild flavor.

Ginger Tea Health Benefits - Anti-nausea and Stomach Ache Prevention

If you've ever had ginger ale or even sucked on ginger or ginger candy, you know that it can help stop or lessen a stomach ache. In fact, ginger ale and saltines is a common 'cure' for upset tummies or even for stomach problems related to over eating, colds and flus and certain medications that upset the stomach. Ginger tea, which can be purchased processed and ready to brew or you can make your own, can be drank cold or hot (though I find the hot tea seems to work faster and better than cold when drinking for nausea). If you don't have any prepared ginger tea, take whatever your favorite tea is, preferably a milder, lighter tea, and shave a few pieces of ginger root into the tea before adding the water to steep the tea. This will work almost as good. Ginger is a pungent spice and root, so it doesn't take much to get the desired health benefit from it.

Black Tea Health Benefits - Soothe and Calm Burns and Sunburns

Okay, so here's a tea health benefit that you can get without drinking the tea. My son was a very light-skinned kid and he sunburned easily as a child. After a particularly bad sunburn when he was visiting his grandmother, I was trying to help relieve his pain, and nothing was working. A friend of mine who is into holistic healing suggested I wet black tea bags and put them on his sunburn where it was the worst. Sure enough, within minutes, the itching and burning subsided and my son was able to actually relax and get some sleep.

We kept the teabags wet while they were on, and he said they were very soothing. I have since used the same thing when any of us burn ourselves in the kitchen. The teabag when wetted and applied to the skin seems to pull the burn right out of it.

Tea Vs. Soda and Juice for Health

When tea is consumed in place of soda or juices, especially when the tea is lightly sweetened, unsweetened or when a non-sugar sweetener is used (such as honey, lemon, milk, cream, etc), there are many additional health benefits. For example, drinking tea instead of soda increased fluid/water intake while decreasing sugar intake. This in turn decreases calories and can help with weight loss and maintenance. Additionally, tea contains small amounts of caffeine that can help with a stimulating effect, but not as much as a can of soda and in a more natural way, so it increases metabolism without increasing appetite.

There are many other health benefits to drinking teas and you can find more information about each individual tea usually just be reading the boxes at the grocery store. Find a local tea shop or organic tea retailer and speak to the staff there about the health properties. We are scheduled to take a tea tasting class at a local shop in the Houston area soon, and I know I'll be writing more about the wonderful aromas, flavors, styles and health benefits of traditional and herbal teas.