Health Benefits of Tea - What You Should Know

 
   
   

Tea is one of the world's most popular drinks. Tea tastes great, but it is also very good for you. The Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese, Europeans, and Africans have known about the health benefits of tea for thousands of years, but health conscience Americans are just now starting to understand that drinking tea might be one of the best things you can do for your body. Green tea is sweeping the nation for its many health benefits, but as America learns more about tea more Americans will start to drink other kinds of tea as well. Almost every variety of tea is good for you.

Green tea is widely known for its many health benefits and its ability to even increase the length of someone's life. Green tea contains EGCG, which is very powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants help rid the body of free radicals. Free radicals can damage cells and reduce your lifespan. Essentially, free radicals are partly responsible for aging, and consuming antioxidants can help slow down your body's aging process. Green tea's antioxidants also help you maintain your vitality for longer, and EGCG can help speed up your metabolism. So green tea makes you feel better and live longer. Is there anything else you'd want from a health drink? You'd like a health drink to help prevent and cure illness as well? Okay, green tea does that too. Green tea has been shown to help prevent the growth of cancer cells and even kill existing cancer cells. Green tea can help you lose weight, fight bacteria, fight infection, prevent tooth decay, repair your immune system, and prevent cardiovascular disease.

Green tea comes from the same plant as black tea and Oolong tea, however green tea is not fermented, so the EGCG is not oxidized away. This is why green tea has certain health benefits that black tea and Oolong tea do not. However, black tea and Oolong tea have their own heath benefits. Black tea is fully fermented, and this process creates theaflavin and thearubiegens. These substances are what give black tea its unique flavor and dark color, but they also give black tea some unique health benefits. Black tea helps reduce the bad cholesterol in your blood stream, and help heal blood cells that are not functioning normally. Black tea also helps fight heart disease and improves heart health. Oolong tea is partially fermented, so it has more EGCG intact than black tea but has less theaflavin and thearubiegens. Therefore Oolong tea has some of the health benefits of green tea and some of the health benefits of black tea. A lot of Americans wrongly believe that black tea and Oolong tea are not as good for you as green tea. Sadly, a lot of writers and experts claim the same thing which is why the misinformation is so widely spread. Black tea and Oolong tea may not be quite as good for you as green tea, but they are still great for your health.

Red tea, also called rooibos tea, contains many powerful antioxidants including super oxide dismutase. Red tea is also caffeine free, while green tea is not. The antioxidants in red tea as not as potent as the antioxidants in green tea, however red tea is a great healthy drink to enjoy when you don't want to consume caffeine.

Herbal teas are also very popular. You can enjoy tea with only one herb, or a blend of several herbs. Herbal tea has a very wide variety of health benefits that are both long term and good for curing current illnesses. For example, chamomile tea is good at treating stomach conditions. If you have a sore stomach or irritable bowel syndrome, chamomile tea can help sooth the symptoms right away, as well as helping to cure chronic stomach conditions. Drinking chamomile every morning can help relieve chronic stomach problems and help restore good digestion.

Ginger tea is another popular herbal tea that can help the digestive system because it contains gingerols and shohaols. The gingerols and shohaols in ginger tea help neutralize excess stomach acids, and help keep stomach muscles in good condition. Ginger is also an antiseptic that helps stimulate the circulatory system and keeps it healthy. Ginger can help ease sore throats, nervousness, motion sickness, and even cure headaches.

While almost any tea is good for you it is a good idea to drink many different kinds of tea, and to make tea blends. This allows you to get the most health benefits and treat a wide variety of illnesses and conditions. Green tea is great, but there is no reason to drink nothing but green tea when there are many other teas that are good for you as well and offer their own unique health benefits.
 

copyright 2007 Nicholas Hurd all rights reserved

Notice: Nothing in this article is intended to be medical advise. Consult your physician or health provider for information regarding Your health

   
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