The popularity of coffee is undisputed but if you’re looking for additional health benefits with your morning cup, a powerful herbal tea can provide countless.
Here in Australia we have an astounding love for coffee – anytime, anywhere, coffee is in demand. We drink it by the many cups full, guzzling it down like water. And whilst it’s great for waking us up in the morning and again when the 3pm slump hits, it doesn’t offer nearly as many benefits as another, often overlooked hot beverage.
The humble cup of tea can offer a plethora of health and wellbeing benefits, varying from one variety to another. From calming frustration and alleviating nausea, to making skin glow and relieving allergies, tea can be a health powerhouse.
GREEN TEA
Considering all the noise around green tea, it should come as no surprise that it’s an M.V.P., providing countless benefits in both the long and short term.
A boosted metabolism is one of those many touted benefits. The thermogenic properties in green tea help speed up fat oxidation too, making it beneficial to maintaining a healthy weight.
Green tea is also an excellent source of sustenance for your skin, with studies finding that a powerful polyphenol in green tea reactivates dying skin cells. This is particularly beneficial for skin conditions like psoriasis and rosascea, for healing wounds and for inhibiting the formation of wrinkles.
SPEARMINT TEA
If you’re struggling with persistent cysts, incorporating spearmint tea into your diet may be just what your skin needs to heal. Research has pointed to this tea being somewhat of a miracle cure for hormonal acne in women. By decreasing androgen levels, a male hormone contributing to acne in women, spearmint tea can help regulate and balance hormones in the body.
LEMON & GINGER TEA
This zesty and warming tea is yet another multi-tasker, with one of its best qualities being the ability to provide relief from various ailments.
Perhaps one of lemon and ginger tea’s most well known traits is its ability to help the digestive system work optimally. A saviour for indigestion, the tea settles overactive stomach acids and soothes quickly and effectively.
Thanks to the potent power of ginger, lemon and ginger tea is also fantastic for when you’re feeling unwell, making it helpful in alleviating nausea (including seasickness and morning sickness) and vomiting.
ROOIBOS TEA
Spring is the perfect time of year to brew a cup of this sweet, floral tea. Why? Because the high flavanoid content of Rooibos tea makes it a natural antihistamine that’s great for relieving seasonal allergies like the dreaded springtime hayfever.
CHRYSANTHEMUM TEA
Well-known in Chinese medicine, chrysanthemum tea is cooling for easily frustrated people. If you’re feeling stressed or anxious a cup of this exotic tea will help calm your nerves so you can get back to whatever you’re doing, minus the worry. Bonus, chrysanthemum tea doesn’t only cool your mood – it’s cooling overall for the body making it a great choice come the sweltering summer.
PEPPERMINT TEA
Similarly to the way coffee perks us up when we hit peak procrastination, peppermint tea provides a natural boost when you’re feeling lazy and lethargic. Improve your alertness and retain productivity in the afternoon despite the daily grind by opting for a cup of this energising tea over your usual coffee.
CHAMOMILE TEA
A cup chamomile tea can do wonders to ensure a restful nights sleep. This tea, consisting largely of chamomile flowers, is a mild sedative widely recognised for aiding restful slumber. Add a cup to your bedtime routine and become a champion sleeper.
Whilst the list of tea’s with health and wellbeing benefits don’t end here, perhaps learning about the many things you can gain, heal and ward off with tea might just spike your curiosity enough to substitute a cup for one of your daily coffees. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, give this humble ancient drink a chance and who knows, you might just discover a new daily favourite.
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