When you’re presented with a choice of coffee or tea, which would you go for? Most people we’ve seen would go for coffee, with tea as a “sometimes” or backup option. For the coffee lovers, it’s no coffee, no life. Nevertheless, teas are pretty great as well, and they bring a whole host of benefits with them! To steer you into choosing tea just a little bit more often, here are 8 types of tea and why you should drink them!
1) Green Tea
Starting off with a common tea we all know well, green tea is special due to its drying process. Instead of roasting and drying the leaves, green tea leaves are steam-dried. Green tea leaves are derived from Camellia sinensis leaves which are more oxidised than white tea leaves, but less than black tea. There are a few things green tea can do for you, including controlling free radicals, reducing cancer risk, preventing heart disease and helping with weight loss. Its antioxidant component can also prevent brain damage due to oxidative stress.
2) Rooibos Tea
Rooibos tea originated from South Africa, and is made from the rooibos or red bush plant leaves. Gaining more and more popularity nowadays, rooibos tea has a string of health benefits as well. Rooibos tea is useful for allergies and kidney stones, and it benefits bone health as well. Together with green and black teas, rooibos tea potentially stimulates the cells involved in bone growth and density. Besides that, it can also lower markers of inflammation and cell toxicity, and help prevent heart disease.
3) Uva Ursi Tea
Now here’s a tea not commonly seen in our local F&B scene: uva ursi. Otherwise known as the bearberry tea, uva ursi has been used as an herbal medicine for centuries past. It’s known as “bearberry” as the fruit is popular with wild animals as food, especially bears. As for its benefits, its purpose mainly is as an antibacterial treatment for bladder and kidney problems, such as UTI, infections and inflammation. It can also help the body with bloating and water retention, and help boost the immune system. Fun fact: uva ursi means “bear’s grape” in Latin!
4) Lemongrass Tea
Lemongrass is rather popular as a remedy for colds/the flu with the whole stalk boiled with other ingredients. If you want a more convenient method, opt for lemongrass tea instead. Lemongrass tea can lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and help the body get rid of toxins, fat and uric acid. It can also help alleviate fluid retention, and is known to be soothing. Last but not least, it’s also excellent for skin and hair health!
5) Chamomile Tea
Mild in taste, chamomile tea is best known as a sleep aid. It has calming effects, and besides aiding sleep, it can also improve sleep quality. In fact, it may also lessen or reduce symptoms of depression! In addition, chamomile has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and liver-protecting effects (which could be good for frequent alcohol-drinkers?). For the ladies, good news! Drinking chamomile tea could also potentially reduce symptoms or premenstrual syndrome, making for an easier transition during that time of month.
6) Eucalyptus Tea
Eucalyptus provides with a slew of benefits, and eucalyptus essential oil has been around and popular for quite some time. While a little less known, eucalyptus tea does plenty as well, especially for our respiratory system. Eucalyptus tea helps improve respiratory circulation, and fights against respiratory infections. Overall, eucalyptus tea boosts the immune system too, and can also alleviate stiffness and swelling caused by arthritis and rheumatism.
7) Puerh Tea
A kind of Chinese black tea, puerh is both oxidised and fermented, which gives it a unique chemical composition. Puerh tea has the ability to cleanse the bloodstream of fat and toxins, which detoxifies the body and aids digestion. Besides digestive properties, it also has strong antibacterial and warming properties. In fact, it is consumed as a hangover cure, as it can also lower alcohol levels in the bloodstream. All in all, puerh tea is enjoyed as a detox, beauty and dieting tea!
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8) Peppermint Tea
Befitting its name, peppermint tea has a minty, cooling effect. Mainly, it helps with our digestive tract health by relieving digestive discomfort, including cramping, nausea and indigestion. On top of that, peppermint tea also has excellent antioxidant, anticancer, antibacterial and antiviral properties. Doesn’t that sound like an all-around health tea that can ward off a bundle of conditions at once?
What are your other favourite teas, and what do they do for you? Share them with us in the comments below!
