The Urge for Herbal…Tea

During the month of January, the media swarms us with healthy tips and tricks to help us start on the right foot with our New Years resolutions. One tip I tried, was adding herbal tea into my health regimen. I have found the benefits to be surprisingly positive and wanted to share a few of my findings.

One of the first questions on my mind, once I saw the price difference between herbal and regular tea was, what’s the difference? After doing some research I found that there was a large difference between the two. The first being, that herbal and regular teas do not share the same basic ingredients. Regular tea is made from a tea bush (also known as Camellia sinensis) while; herbal tea is a mixture of flowers, seeds, fruit, herbs, roots and leaves. It is because of this difference that herbal and regular teas provide different health benefits. Regular tea is packed with antioxidants and caffeine, while herbal tea lacks caffeine and is often times full of vitamins and extracts that can be used to target certain conditions.

If you are looking to use herbal tea as a home remedy, below are a few conditions paired with the proper herbal tea that should help you to find relief.

Chamomile

Looking to de-stress or get a better night’s sleep? Chamomile tea may be just the ticket to help you relax. This type of tea incorporates extracts from the chamomile flower, which is commonly used for its soothing properties. In addition to being used in herbal tea, chamomile is used in lotions, healing oils and ointments.

Fennel

This seed was thought to have magical powers in the ancient world because of its ability to speed up the metabolism and detox the body. Fennel is such a powerful herb because of its high levels of calcium, magnesium, Vitamin B3, Vitamin C and fiber. If you are looking for a tea to assist with weight loss, fennel is one of the first herbal teas that is recommended.

Peppermint

If something just doesn’t sit right and you find your self home with an upset stomach, peppermint tea is the herbal remedy to turn to. Peppermint has natural characteristics that aid digestion and relieve muscle spasms.

Rosehip

Rosehips tea is a great aid to help boost your immune system. Rosehips contain high levels of vitamin C and are a great natural alternative to help fight off a cold.

Lavender

Lavender tea can help you shoo away the winter blues. This herb’s natural ability to soothe the mind and body and uplift your spirits makes it the perfect remedy for depression, healing and to reduce a fever.

These are only a few of the many herbal teas that are used in the world today. Personally I have tried chamomile and lavender. These two teas are great to enjoy at the end of a long workday and definitely helped me to relax.

Are there any health tips you have tried this year? Share them in the comment box, we would love to hear about them!