Health benefits of herbal teas
Herbal teas are a great way to increase your hydration, and they come with added health benefits too, so win win! This post follows on from my previous posts on the importance of hydration for your health and my top tips to increase your hydration.
Herbal teas are actually not tea (like black tea or green tea), but they are made from dried fruits, flowers, spices, and of course, herbs. This means that there is a huge variety of herbal teas, so something for everyone!
Herbals teas have been around for centuries, and some have health-promoting properties that have underpinned their use as natural remedies for hundreds of years, many of which are now being backed up with scientific studies.
Here are health benefits of some popular herbal teas that you might like to try…
Peppermint tea
One of the most commonly used herbs in the world, peppermint made into tea has been shown to relieve a wide range of digestive discomforts including indigestion, nausea, stomach pain and IBS symptoms (1, 2).
Peppermint also has antioxidant, anticancer, antibacterial and antiviral properties (3).
And what’s more, you can easily grow your own fresh mint, and brew your tea with fresh leaves!
Chamomile tea
Well known for its soothing properties, chamomile tea has been shown to assist with falling asleep and to improve sleep quality (4, 5).
But that is not where the story ends, chamomile may also have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and liver-protecting properties, could help stomach ulcers heal and could help resolve diarrhoea (6, 7). What’s more chamomile has been shown to reduce PMS symptoms (8) as well as improve blood sugar regulation in type 2 diabetics (9).
It seems like there is a reason for almost anyone to sip on chamomile tea!
Ginger tea
My all time favourite tea has to be ginger tea, which you can easily make by seeping sliced fresh ginger in boiling water (even better, add a squeeze of lemon).
Ginger contains antioxidants that can help protect your body against free radicals, is anti-inflammatory and stimulating to the immune system (10, 11). It is also a well known remedy for nausea (12). Ginger ground into capsules has been shown to relieve period pain even as effectively as ibuprofen (13), and may also help improve blood sugar control (14), relieve indigestion and prevent stomach ulcers (15).
Sage tea
As the name actually suggests, Sage has been shown to be beneficial to cognitive function in both healthy adults and those with Alzheimer’s disease (16).
Sage has been shown to improve mood, mental function and memory in healthy adults (17, 18).
Sage has been shown to be anti-inflammatory and antibacterial (19) which may account for its traditional use as a topical skin treatment. Sage may also support hearth health by improving blood lipid levels (20) and sage may protect against colon cancer (21).
Another very specific use for sage is in treatment of the hot flashes often experienced during menopause (22). Long used as a remedy for hot flashes, if you suffer from hot flashes induced by the menopause, sage tea could really help you.
These are just four examples of herbal teas with some of their therapeutic benefits. As you can see, herbal teas have a wide range of therapeutic properties, and science is backing up many traditional uses of herbal teas all of the time. Yet another reason to sip on herbal teas..
Fabia :)
References
1. Balakrishnan, A.. (2015). Therapeutic uses of peppermint –A review. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research. 7. 474-476.
2. Khanna R, MacDonald JK, Levesque BG. Peppermint oil for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2014 Jul;48(6):505-12. doi: 10.1097/MCG.0b013e3182a88357. PMID: 24100754.
3. McKay DL, Blumberg JB. A review of the bioactivity and potential health benefits of peppermint tea (Mentha piperita L.). Phytother Res. 2006 Aug;20(8):619-33. doi: 10.1002/ptr.1936. PMID: 16767798.
4. Chang SM, Chen CH. Effects of an intervention with drinking chamomile tea on sleep quality and depression in sleep disturbed postnatal women: a randomized controlled trial. J Adv Nurs. 2016 Feb;72(2):306-15. doi: 10.1111/jan.12836. Epub 2015 Oct 20. PMID: 26483209.
5. Zick SM, Wright BD, Sen A, Arnedt JT. Preliminary examination of the efficacy and safety of a standardized chamomile extract for chronic primary insomnia: a randomized placebo-controlled pilot study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2011;11:78. Published 2011 Sep 22. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-11-78
6. Miraj S, Alesaeidi S. A systematic review study of therapeutic effects of Matricaria recuitta chamomile (chamomile). Electron Physician. 2016 Sep 20;8(9):3024-3031. doi: 10.19082/3024. PMID: 27790360; PMCID: PMC5074766.
7. Gohar AA, Zaki AA. Assessment of some Herbal Drugs for Prophylaxis of Peptic Ulcer. Iran J Pharm Res. 2014;13(3):1081-1086.
8. Sharifi F, Simbar M, Mojab F, Majd HA. Comparison of the effects of Matricaria chamomila (Chamomile) extract and mefenamic acid on the intensity of premenstrual syndrome. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2014 Feb;20(1):81-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2013.09.002. Epub 2013 Oct 9. PMID: 24439651.
9. Rafraf M, Zemestani M, Asghari-Jafarabadi M. Effectiveness of chamomile tea on glycemic control and serum lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes. J Endocrinol Invest. 2015 Feb;38(2):163-70. doi: 10.1007/s40618-014-0170-x. Epub 2014 Sep 7. PMID: 25194428.
10. Mashhadi NS, Ghiasvand R, Askari G, Hariri M, Darvishi L, Mofid MR. Anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of ginger in health and physical activity: review of current evidence. Int J Prev Med. 2013 Apr;4(Suppl 1):S36-42. PMID: 23717767; PMCID: PMC3665023.
11. Sultan MT, Butt MS, Qayyum MM, Suleria HA. Immunity: plants as effective mediators. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2014;54(10):1298-308. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.633249. PMID: 24564587.
12. Marx W, Kiss N, Isenring L. Is ginger beneficial for nausea and vomiting? An update of the literature. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2015 Jun;9(2):189-95. doi: 10.1097/SPC.0000000000000135. PMID: 25872115.
13. Ozgoli G, Goli M, Moattar F. Comparison of effects of ginger, mefenamic acid, and ibuprofen on pain in women with primary dysmenorrhea. J Altern Complement Med. 2009 Feb;15(2):129-32. doi: 10.1089/acm.2008.0311. PMID: 19216660.
14. Khandouzi N, Shidfar F, Rajab A, Rahideh T, Hosseini P, Mir Taheri M. The effects of ginger on fasting blood sugar, hemoglobin a1c, apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein a-I and malondialdehyde in type 2 diabetic patients. Iran J Pharm Res. 2015 Winter;14(1):131-40. PMID: 25561919; PMCID: PMC4277626.
15. Haniadka R, Saldanha E, Sunita V, Palatty PL, Fayad R, Baliga MS. A review of the gastroprotective effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe). Food Funct. 2013 Jun;4(6):845-55. doi: 10.1039/c3fo30337c. Epub 2013 Apr 24. PMID: 23612703.
16. Lopresti AL. Salvia (Sage): A Review of its Potential Cognitive-Enhancing and Protective Effects. Drugs R D. 2017 Mar;17(1):53-64. doi: 10.1007/s40268-016-0157-5. PMID: 27888449; PMCID: PMC5318325.
17. Moss L, Rouse M, Wesnes KA, Moss M. Differential effects of the aromas of Salvia species on memory and mood. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2010 Jul;25(5):388-96. doi: 10.1002/hup.1129. PMID: 20589925.
18. Scholey AB, Tildesley NT, Ballard CG, Wesnes KA, Tasker A, Perry EK, Kennedy DO. An extract of Salvia (sage) with anticholinesterase properties improves memory and attention in healthy older volunteers. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2008 May;198(1):127-39. doi: 10.1007/s00213-008-1101-3. Epub 2008 Mar 19. PMID: 18350281.
19. Miraj, S. and Kiani, S. (2016) A review study of therapeutic effects of Salvia officinalis L. Der Pharmacia Lettre, 8 (6).
20. Sá CM, Ramos AA, Azevedo MF, Lima CF, Fernandes-Ferreira M, Pereira-Wilson C. Sage Tea Drinking Improves Lipid Profile and Antioxidant Defences in Humans. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2009; 10(9):3937-3950. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms10093937
21. Pedro DF, Ramos AA, Lima CF, Baltazar F, Pereira-Wilson C. Colon Cancer Chemoprevention by Sage Tea Drinking: Decreased DNA Damage and Cell Proliferation. Phytother Res. 2016 Feb;30(2):298-305. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5531. Epub 2015 Dec 14. PMID: 26661587.
22. Fuchs, Nan Kathryn. "Cooling down hot flashes." Women's Health Letter, vol. 7, no. 8, Aug. 2001, p. 3+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A80486894/AONE?u=livuni&sid=AONE&xid=51dbf487. Accessed 26 Apr. 2021.
