Posted on May 5th, 2017

Herbal teas are a great addition to your day and can provide more than just antioxidant benefits. Depending on the herbal teas you drink they can provide other benefits such as; anti-inflammatory properties, improve circulation, reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms, support liver detoxification, improve sleeping patterns and improve cognitive function.

I personally don’t tend to drink a lot of tea, but I do enjoy generally 1 cup a day. These are the teas that I personally love.

Chamomile– calming and relaxing

Chamomile tea has calming and relaxing benefits and can be good to help you sleep at night. It can also assist with digestion after eating due to its relaxant properties. It is also well known for his anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. Chamomile can be great for skin conditions where inflammation is present as well as being dabbed on wounds to help speed up the healing process. Its antiseptic properties also make it ideal when suffering from colds/flus. I purchase an organic brand of chamomile tea from a local health food store or Supermarket. You can also purchase the loose leaf tea from health food shops.

Peppermint – great for digestive problems

Whenever I have an upset stomach or feel extremely bloated I turn to peppermint tea, it is great for digestive problems and can relieve bloating, gas and muscle spasms. It can reduce the feeling of nausea when vomiting is not present and can heat the body up encouraging it to sweat when you are unwell. Peppermint is also seen as an antispasmodic and can help relieve symptoms of colds/flus as it can relax the muscles in the respiratory track thereby reducing the duration of coughs and other cold/flu like symptoms.  I purchase an organic brand of peppermint tea from a local health food store or Supermarket. You can also purchase the loose leaf tea from health food shops.

Ginger – great for digestive problems

Ginger tea is fantastic when you feel sick in the stomach and are experiencing nausea and/or vomiting, diarrhoea, indigestion and cramping. Helps to relieve motion sickness and also good at fighting colds. Ginger is also great for reducing inflammation, aiding circulation and relieving stress, all of which may play a role in weight loss. Best to make ginger tea fresh by grating 1 tbsp of fresh ginger and placing it in a saucepan with 250-300ml of filtered water. Bring to the boil and serve with a little raw honey if it’s too strong for you.

Dandelion – great for the liver

I personally like dandelion tea due to its ability to stimulate digestion, increase bile flow and detoxify the liver. We live in a world now that has lots of processed foods and the quality of our fruits and vegetables are not the same. Our liver needs to work effectively to keep us happy and healthy and drinking dandelion tea can be a great help. It is also high in potassium, and may reduce the severity of acne or eczema due to its liver detoxifying properties. It also had diuretic properties and can be effective if you suffer from bloating. It can have mild laxative properties which may help you if you suffer from constipation regularly.

Warning – some people cannot tolerate dandelion tea as it may cause digestive problems. Please re-frame from drinking it if this is the case.

These teas have many other associated benefits, however I have only focused on the key ones that I find them most useful for.