What Are The Health Benefits of Tea?

People all over the world have been drinking tea for thousands of centuries, and for good reason. Numerous studies have shown that a variety of teas may boost your immune system, fight off inflammation, and even ward off cancer and heart disease.

While some brews provide more health advantages than others, there’s plenty of evidence that regularly drinking tea can have a lasting impact on your wellness.

Put the kettle on, because we’re sharing some of the biggest benefits hidden in the world’s most popular teas.

Green Tea Benefits

Green tea originates from China, where the leaves are processed with heat using a pan-firing or roasting method and Japan, where the leaves are more commonly steamed.

Green tea is exceptionally high in flavonoids that can help boost your heart health by lowering bad cholesterol and reducing blood clotting. Studies show this type of tea can also help lower blood pressure, triglycerides and total cholesterol.

Other research has found that green tea has a possible impact on liver, breast, prostate and colorectal cancers. This tea variety has also shown to be anti-inflammatory, which helps keep your skin clear and glowing.

In recent years, matcha – a form of green tea – has grown in popularity. Matcha is a very fine, high-quality green tea powder made from the entire leaves of tea bushes grown in the shade. Since it is the only form of tea in which the leaves are ingested, matcha contains even more antioxidants that regular green tea. In fact, some have suggested that one cup of matcha is the equivalent to 10 cups of regular green tea.

Black Tea Benefits

Black tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, the same plant that’s used to make green tea. However, the leaves are dried and fermented, giving black tea a darker color and richer flavor.

Unlike many other varieties, black tea is caffeinated, so it’s important to monitor your intake. When you do pour yourself a cup of black tea, you benefit from flavonoids that combat inflammation and support healthy immune function.

However, you don’t have to merely drink black tea to benefit from its healthy properties. It can be steamed, cooled and then pressed on minor cuts, scrapes and bruises to relieve pain and reduce swelling. A black tea bath can also ease inflammation caused by skin rashes and conditions such as poison ivy.

Puerh Tea Benefits 

Puerh benefits the body because it has a vast number of healthy compounds.  It is rich in antioxidants that reduce inflammation in the body.  By dampening inflammation, it may reduce all chronic diseases.

Pu Erh tea contains many antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, including:

• Gallic acid
• Quercetin
• Flavonoids
• Catechins
• Epicatechins
• Gallocatechin gallate

These antioxidant compounds help protect the body from pollution, toxins, and more.

Like other antioxidant-rich foods, Puerh may help reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes too. 

Luckily, Puerh also has many compounds that help the digestive tract, including probiotics, prebiotics, antibacterial compounds, and healthy fungi.

Teas To Avoid 

While a majority of teas are beneficial for your health, you may want to steer clear of these varieties:

• Detox teas made for fad diets that suggest you will quickly lose weight. These teas often come laced with laxatives that can be harmful to your health.
• Fancy tea lattes and drinks from your favorite chain store. While some of these drinks, such as a green tea latte, may appear healthy, they are loaded with sugar.
• Trendy bubble teas that are also loaded with sugar, calories and carbs, and have little to no nutritional value.
• Herbal teas that may potentially trigger allergies. Many herbal teas contain different types of fruits, herbs, spices and flowers that some people are allergic to. If you have allergies, always read the ingredients on the package before you consume a new herbal tea.