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Tea Health Benefits

5 Teas to Lower Your Blood Pressure

January 4, 2022

The use of tea for medicinal purposes is nearly as old as time. For many, tea served as a common cure for a variety of physical symptoms and conditions, ranging from anxiety to chronic inflammation, to hypertension. Nearly 47% of United States adults struggle with chronic or acute hypertension, which may or may not be controlled through medication or lifestyle changes. Tea can be a powerful aid to those who need to lower their blood pressure and cannot tolerate medication. In this article, we explore 5 teas that you can enjoy to lower your blood pressure.

How Can Teas Lower Your Blood Pressure? 

Tea can lower your blood pressure by negating any negative environmental influences, such as stress, or other contributors to hypertension.  You can enjoy these teas and tonics in any form, either hot and freshly brewed, or cooled in the fridge as you would drink an iced tea. While these are designed to be used for medicinal purposes, you can choose to dress up your drink with healing raw honey or other fruity additions for taste enhancement. 

1. Hibiscus Tea 

This fruity and fun blend can help you lower your blood pressure with consistent use. You won’t find it difficult to enjoy this delicious tea, giving you exotic, light, and floral flavors with each sip. This is complemented nicely with the tartness that comes into play with the aftertaste, making each drink a new, well-rounded experience. You can enjoy this tea any time of day without ill effect, reaping the benefits of the powerhouse antioxidants and anti-cancer polyphenols. For best enjoyment and benefit, consume one to two cups daily.

2. Greek Mountain Tea 

This tea may be lesser-known, but gives some of the most potent benefits of any blend. One of the biggest benefits of Greek Mountain Tea is its ability to cause vasodilation, reducing the muscular strain on the heart and helping drinkers to enjoy lower blood pressure. While it does have earthen undertones, the main flavor highlights are floral, sweet, and mild compared to other, more aggressive tasting teas. 

3. Turmeric Tea 

Turmeric is one of the most well-known herbs thanks to its prevalence in Eastern medicine and traditions. Tea drinkers in the US are welcoming the familiar golden blend and enjoying a variety of benefits. Beyond reducing your blood pressure, Tumeric offers the extra preventative benefit of arterial protection and regulation, helping you to maintain healthy blood pressure levels into the future. This tea has a full-bodied, rich flavor that can be herbaceous and spicy with just a hint of sweetness in the afternotes. The spice is not overpowering and pairs well with other common additions of lemon or ginger. 

4. Chamomile Tea 

That’s right — chamomile tea isn’t just known for its soothing benefits and anti-anxiety properties. This tea can have a direct effect on your blood pressure and health, working preventatively to support your other symptoms. If hypertension is commonly caused due to anxiety, stress, or other related mental health difficulties, chamomile blends can work to soothe and comfort, directly lowering your blood pressure and helping you to build resiliency to stress. The soft, sweet, vanilla-like notes of the tea make this a favorite around the world and is especially delicious before bed or in times of stress. You can pair this tea well with honey or lemon and enjoy it in a whole new way. 

5. Rooibos Tea 

Also known as bush tea or red bush tea, rooibos tea has been incorporated into blends for centuries for its variety of health benefits. This tea won’t help to just soothe you — it actually goes to work on a molecular level. Your blood vessels constrict under stress or due to other factors via the ACE enzyme. This causes your heart to pump harder and your symptoms to appear. Rooibos breaks down and actively stops these enzymes from binding to their reactionary sites, helping to support your body’s natural processes. Bush tea has a milder flavor and has a sweet and savory profile. Some have likened the taste to a light, nutty, and spiced flavor as you would expect from a holiday blend. You can enjoy rooibos as a standalone tea or blended with other elements such as vanilla or citrus. 

What To Know Before Using Blood-Pressure Lowering Tea Blends 

Natural ways of addressing common medical ailments are becoming mainstream thanks to the rise of complementary and alternative medical practices. While teas are a great resource to help your body support itself naturally and through low-risk methods, it is important to consult your physician or pharmacist before incorporating them into your daily routine. 

Teas are a low-risk way to help support your body but may interact with other medications or treatment options. Always speak with your provider to ensure that you can enjoy these blends safely.

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The Health Benefits of Green Tea

August 20, 2021

Among health aficionados, green tea is becoming more and more popular as it boasts health benefits and other soothing properties and effects. Green tea is far more than just a drink. It is actually considered a superfood because of the amounts of antioxidants and healthy properties it contains. These antioxidants and other healthy properties can have a positive effect on your body and overall health.

Green tea can be associated with many benefits, but today we are going to focus on these 7 benefits that should convince you to start drinking green tea.

1- Promotes Brain Function

Green tea can be linked to promoting healthy cognitive function which can provide clarity and improve your focus. It combines both caffeine and l-theanine which makes for a potent combo to boost your energy levels and brain power. By boosting your brainpower, green tea can boost the function of your memory which has been linked to aiding in diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. A strong trend of improvement in memory has been linked with green tea consumption in these memory-affected diseases. The antioxidants in green tea can also help alleviate stress which can leave you with more clarity and the opportunity to use your brain in better ways. Green tea pairs with our working memory to boost the connectivity between our frontal and parietal cortex which can lead to improved brain performance.

2- Aid in Weight Loss

We all know there is no magic pill to help you lose weight. However, green tea can aid in weight loss as it increases fat burning, boosts your metabolism, and suppresses your appetite. The flavonoids and caffeine found in green tea can help elevate your metabolic rate which results in more calories being burned even if you are not working out. When you burn more calories, you are burning more fat which can lead to weight loss. We aren’t saying that green tea is the end all be all to weight loss, but we are saying it can help! Green tea can also help suppress your appetite which means you are less likely to add extra calories to your day. Caffeine is a well-known appetite suppressant that is found in green tea. According to a study discussed by WebMD, the International Journal of Obesity found that extract from green tea may increase calorie and fat burning that can lead to lose weight.

3- Promote Cardiovascular Health

Green tea can help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. According to an article posted on WebMD, “one large study in Japan followed 40,000 adult participants over 11 years, and found that daily green tea consumption was linked to lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease.” (Read more of the article here.) The anti-inflammatory compounds and antioxidants found in green tea have been linked to lowering your cholesterol. Lowering your cholesterol means lowering your risk of heart disease and/or stroke. If consumed consciously and consistently, green tea can improve your cardiovascular health and leave you with fewer red flags such as high cholesterol.

4- Benefits Oral Health

Another benefit of green tea is that it can boost your dental health. Regularly consuming green tea can protect against bad breath, gum disease, and even cavities as it reduces oral bacteria. The bacteria-killing properties found in green tea can assist in lowering the acidity of your saliva which can protect your teeth from decaying.

5- Helps to Fight Certain Cancers

The consumption of green tea and cancer prevention have been linked as the predominant polyphenols found in green tea have been proven to activate enzymes that can detoxify your cells and prevent tumor development. Preventing tumor development can reduce the risk of cancer. Green tea can also benefit those battling cancer as it provides healthy nutrients to support their immune system and body. As found by the National Cancer Institute, the polyphenols found in tea can help protect in things such as tumor development and damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

6- May Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Green Tea consumption can reduce insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels. This allows your cells to better metabolize sugar. Sugar is a known enemy when it comes to Type 2 Diabetes. High sugar consumption leads to high levels of blood glucose. With Type 2 Diabetes, high blood glucose affects your body because your body does not react correctly to insulin therefore the blood glucose is not stored for energy in your cells. Green Tea can help your metabolic system serve your body properly and avoid some of these issues associated with Type 2 Diabetes. In a medically reviewed article by Everyday Health, it was suggested that green tea is a great beverage to add to a diabetic’s diet.

7- Protects Vision

Green tea can protect our eyes from UV damage, eye disease, and more with its powerful antioxidant properties. The tissues in our eyes are very vulnerable which means even the slightest bit of damage can impact our vision. The antioxidants and flavonoids found in green tea can promote healthy eyes and protect our eyes from being damaged. Gallocatechin, zeaxanthin, and lutein are 3 flavonoids found in green tea that promote healthy eyes. Gallocatechin is absorbed in the retina and can protect our retina from harmful blue light.

The bottom line is that Green Tea has a variety of different health benefits you may not know of. Learn about the health benefits that can impact your life, and start drinking green tea today. Browse our vast collection of loose-leaf teas on our website to kickstart your tea obsession today.

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Tea Health Benefits

Why You Should Start Drinking Tea Now

May 22, 2017

The ceremony of tea evokes a grey-haired British grandmother with Victorian fine silver teapots; porcelain cups hand-painted with violets; Emily Post place settings on rustic William and Mary style antique chestnut dining tables; doilies on every available surface; dusty heirlooms and curio cabinets – you get the picture. And, certainly, the British have owned the domain of tea—originally discovered by China—since the 1600s and the advent of the East India Company.

And yet tea is not just for elderly grandmothers or the British. The beverage appeals to all generations and cultures. What’s more, the beverage provides certain health benefits as we age. These can only be fully taken advantage of by creating your tea drinking habit sooner rather than later. Here’s our guide to getting the most from your tea. The fountain of youth may very well be flowing with tea.

Detoxification

In the article, “Anti-Aging Research Brief” published by the Academy of Anti-Aging, tea is brimming with antioxidant polyphenols called catechins, flavonols, theaflavins and thearubigins. Antioxidants ultimately help prevent cancerous cells from forming, repair damage to cells and to protect blood vessel walls from free radicals. The article cites a study from King’s College in London that compared a group of black tea drinkers with a group of coffee drinkers. Scientists studied the health of both groups after one year, and found “that the tea drinkers’ risk of a heart attack approached half of the non-tea drinkers.” The scientists speculated “that tea’s beneficial cardio effects are due to the beverage’s large amounts of flavonoids.”

So what teas contain the highest levels of antioxidants? Many brands you can purchase at large chain grocery stores contain high levels of antioxidants, including Celestial Seasonings Green Tea, with 217 milligrams (mg) of antioxidants, Lipton Green Tea (201 mg), Bigelow Darjeeling Blend (164 mg). Surprisingly, a few brands of popular teas have absolutely no antioxidant content, including Lipton Lemon Iced Tea and Snapple Peach Iced Tea.

Prevent Cancer

Studies have shown that caffeine and consuming two cups of coffee can “harden a person’s arteries for several hours afterwards. This puts extra pressure on the heart, thus increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke.” Further, “it is evident today that many of our cancers are related to a dominance of estrogen. In a world flooded with estrogen and estrogen-like compounds, it is important for our bodies to have as low of an estrogen load as possible.” So drinking more than two cups of coffee can increase estrogen and lead to breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. Reducing caffeine is integral to cancer prevention, and replacing coffee with tea can easily half caffeine consumption and decrease the risk of cancer.

Blood Sugar Regulation

Teas, especially the variety of green tea known as matcha, can help regulate blood sugar. Matcha is actually powdered green tea leaves prepared with boiled water and a bamboo whisk, and is known to stabilize metabolism for those with hypo- or hyperglycemic maladies. Taking an active role in regulating blood sugar at a younger age can help prevent complications down the road.

Weight Loss

An ingredient in matcha tea, EGCG, boosts metabolism. While matcha has a high level of caffeine and may contribute to higher estrogen levels, which will help you burn fat and lose weight.

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Loose Tea vs. Bagged Tea: Which is Better?

March 8, 2016

Tea connoisseurs will argue avidly about the superiority of whole leaf (or loose leaf) tea to bagged tea. However, when it comes to choosing between loose tea and bagged tea, there are a few key factors to consider: flavor, convenience, health benefits, and price.

FLAVOR

Loose tea is left whole. This allows the leaves to absorb the water and allow it to move through it. This process creates more bold and dynamic flavor patterns. Each leaf expands to its fullest potential releasing more antioxidants, flavors, and aromas.

Bagged tea, however, is made most commonly from low grade tea dust and fannings. This gives bagged tea a one-dimensional flavor profile, and is the reason over-steeped tea bags often become quite bitter. The finely broken leaves used in bagged tea lose many of the essential oils and aromas during processing, which when steeped release more tannins. The reason for the diminished flavor profile is simple: the dust and fannings are what’s left after the whole tea leaves are processed. However, the strong bitter brew handles milk and sugar well.

CONVENIENCE

The misconception is that it’s “harder” to brew loose tea, but it’s about the same number of steps to brew a teabag and loose leaf tea. However, taking the tea with you can be a little cumbersome. Loose teas are often held in tin containers and you’ll have to bring the steeper with you. Some companies are now making whole leaf tea bags, which allow you to reach almost identical results to steeping loose tea.  [Check out directions for brewing here]

Bagged teas, on the other hand, are individually wrapped and easy to transport. They appeal to the on-the-go lifestyle, which has contributed to its success for hundreds of years.

HEALTH BENEFITS

Generally speaking all teas contain some level of antioxidants. It’s because of these antioxidants the following health benefits occur:

Tea contains flavonoids which act as antioxidants. These antioxidants help neutralize cell damaging free-radicals which in return has a positive impact on some chronic diseases including some types of cancer (skin, oral, lung, ovarian cancer, etc.) and cardiovascular disease.

Research studies show that the theanine found in tea is a distinctive amino acid that preps the immune system to help fight infection, bacteria and viruses. This theanine helps the immune system generate higher levels of interferon. Interferon is a protein our bodies produce and one of its main functions is to build up our immune system.

—Libretea.com

The biggest difference between loose teas and bagged teas are the levels of flavonoids that diffuse. Meaning, with a whole leaf tea you get more bang for your buck.

PRICE POINT

When comparing loose tea to bagged tea, the loose tea ends up being cheaper. Even premium loose varieties that retail for about $20 come out to about $0.10 per cup. This doesn’t include the fact that whole leaf tea, because of its more flavorful profile, can be brewed more than once and still make a nice tasting cup.

We’ve given you the pros and cons of each, but at the end of the day, the choice is yours, and its a matter of preference. Whether you’re choosing whole leaf or bagged tea, you’re doing your body good by drinking tea!

Let us know which you prefer, loose or bagged tea, and why in the comments below!

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