People have been drinking and cultivating tea, the warm (or hot) beverage, for years. According to experts, the existence of tea has been around since 2750 B.C. in ancient China and has since then been reinvented from being used as a medicine to a beverage to drink daily. Here are the top five teas best to drink for health benefits.
Green Tea
Proven to be the most nutritious type of tea, green tea was cultivated by steaming or roasting the Camellia Sinensis plant’s frail leaves, bringing the taste of true nature. As proven by experts, green tea can act as an antitoxin medicine that can boost your health and has benefits such as lowing the risks of some cancers, preventing type 2 diabetes, and preventing cardiovascular disease. Other health benefits also include increasing your life span, helping you lose weight, encouraging fat burning, and improving brain function.
White Tea
White tea is created from both the petals and buds of the Camellia Sinensis plant. While other teas also originated from this plant, the processing method for white tea is different. It is much easier to prepare! White tea carries a lot of antitoxins that boost the immune system and protect cells from decaying too quickly. It can also reduce the chances of getting heart disease, fight off cancer, reduce the chances of insulin resistance, and protect you from diseases such as osteoporosis, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. Other benefits can include assisting in weight loss, protecting your teeth from bacteria, and preventing skin aging.
Oolong Tea
Oolong tea is also made from the Camellia Sinensis plant, just like green and black tea, but the difference is in how it’s processed. The leaves of the plant are partially oxidized, while green tea is unoxidized and black tea is fully oxidized. Medical benefits include preventing diabetes, protecting you from certain cancers, and helping relieve eczema. Other benefits include improving heart health, helping with weight loss, improving brain function, and promoting tooth and bone strength. Unlike the previous teas, oolong tea contains caffeine, so please attempt to limit the amount of tea consumed.
Black Tea
Black tea, like many others, is made from the Camellia Sinensis plant, however, it is often mixed with other plants such as chai. It also contains a certain amount of caffeine that is just below coffee. Thanks to black tea’s antioxidant properties, the medical benefits include lowering “unhealthy” LDL cholesterol, preventing the risk of stroke, reducing the risk of cancer, improving gut health, reducing blood pressure, raising heart health, and lowering blood sugar levels. Other benefits include improving focus and being easy to make!
Rooibos Tea
Also known as red tea or red bush tea, this tea is made from the fermented leaves of a shrub called, Aspalathus linearis, grown from the Western Coast of South Africa. This tea in particular is an herbal tea, unlike the other tea variants listed above. Rooibos tea is low in tannins and free from caffeine and oxalic acid, which helps with exercise and other bodily functions. As for medical benefits, it boosts heart health, reduces cancer risk, and benefits people with type 2 diabetes. However, there are some potential benefits that have not been scientifically proven, such as increased bone health, improved indigestion, sleep aid, and reduced allergies and headaches. There are some potential side effects of consuming rooibos tea, such as causing liver problems and boosting estrogen for women, and it may not benefit people who have hormone-sensitive conditions such as breast cancer.
Overall, tea is great medicine if you are looking for home remedies or just trying to improve your healthy lifestyle. With that, I hope that any of these different types of teas are your cup of tea.