Oolong Tea May Contribute To Healthier Cholesterol Levels
Have you always opted for green tea? Consider giving its cousin oolong a try. Oolong tea is a partially oxidized tea, in between black and green tea, and its concentration of polyphenols offers many health benefits, says Rahaf Al Bochi, RDN, the Atlanta-based owner of Olive Tree Nutrition and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Take, for example, oolongs potential heart health perks. One study found that drinking more than 2.5 cups of oolong tea daily was associated with lower LDL cholesterol levels, as well as a reduced risk of dyslipidemia . Other research supports oolongs impact on the heart, suggesting that drinking oolong or green tea regularly was linked to a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
Drinking oolong also shows promise in helping people maintain or achieve a healthy weight. Another small study suggested that oolong tea extract could help reduce body fat and may help prevent obesity. However, more studies on the connection between oolong tea and weight are needed.
The research in the journal Aging shows a link between oolong tea and brain health.
If green tea is a little too mild for you, consider giving oolong a try because of the extra oxidization, it has a more robust flavor.
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Licorice Root Tea For Healthy Digestion
Many researchers class licorice root as a digestive herb that relieves stomach upset and bloating.
Studies into the gastro-protective effect of licorice root have found that licorice root is a good tea for constipation. Licorice is known to have a laxative effect and stimulates bile secretions.
A 2015 review of the medicinal properties of licorice root found that licorice root tea can help with treating gastritis. Consuming licorice root tea can help prevent the H. pylori bacteria causing damage to the stomach lining. Using licorice tea as an herbal tea for digestion could help prevent gastric ulcers from developing.
Licorice root is an excellent digestive tea that has many more health benefits. You can find out how to use licorice root to prevent tooth decay, improve your heart health, and lose weight.
To make licorice root tea, chop the root into small chunks. Simmer the root in a covered pan for about 15 minutes. Take off the heat and leave to stand for 20 minutes.
Cinnamon Tea Promotes Good Gastrointestinal Health
The anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity of cinnamon means that consuming a warm cup of cinnamon tea is an excellent way to help improve your digestive health.
A study from 2017 found that phenolic compounds in cinnamon help to kill off certain types of harmful bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal upset.
Regularly consuming cinnamon-spiced tea can also help reduce inflammation in your gastrointestinal system. For example, cinnamon can help to alleviate inflammation associated with inflammatory bowel disorder .
Other studies have shown that the anti-inflammatory effect of cinnamaldehyde from cinnamon helps to resolve many digestive complaints such as heartburn, excess gas, vomiting, and diarrhea.
To get the many health benefits of cinnamon, you can put a 3-inch long piece of Ceylon cinnamon stick in a pan of water. Bring the water to the boil, cover the pan, and simmer for 15 minutes. Take off the heat and leave to stand for 20 minutes.
Another option is to mix 1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder in a glass of hot water. Let it infuse for a few minutes and drink to enjoy the medicinal health benefits of cinnamon.
Learn more about the health benefits of cinnamon in my article about the science based benefits of cinnamon .
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Boost Your Digestion Today By Drinking 2
Now we know green tea provides incredible benefits to a number of the bodys systems. But when it comes to green tea for digestion, how much tea do you need to drink to see improvements?
Though green tea can positively affect your digestive system, if you drink it in excess, it can lead to undesirable effects. With two or three cups of green tea a day, youll absorb between 100 and 320 mg of polyphenols every day.
As you work to improve your digestive system, it is important to note that green tea contains caffeine. While the polyphenols can positively affect your body, the caffeine can negatively affect your digestive health.
Certain people that experience caffeine sensitivity tend to suffer from diarrhea, nausea, or an upset stomach. If youre particularly sensitive to caffeine, you can try caffeine-free green tea. Without the added caffeine, this green tea option can still provide you with the same desired health benefits.
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Side Effects Of Herbal Teas
Some laxative ingredients in teas, such as senna, can cause side effects and increase the risk of additional issues, including diarrhea.
The active ingredients in teas can also interact with some medications.
Before taking a tea to relieve constipation, ask a doctor or pharmacist whether the ingredients will interact with any current medications.
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Latin Botanical Name: Mentha X Piperita
Peppermint is another wonderful time-tested herb valued and used around the world for thousands of years for multiple reasons. Digestive health and breath-freshening are among the most well-known uses of peppermint! The fresh, clean, naturally minty flavor and uplifting, cooling experience of peppermint leaves are added bonuses if you ask me.
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Botanical Latin Name: Plantago Major
Although these plant names are very similar to a lot of popular foods, it seems Ive got lots of clarifying to do in this article!
As an FYI: when I mention plantain, Im NOT talking about the same plant as the delicious tropical fruit which looks a lot like bananas. But I do love those too .
Plantago major, or plantain weed, is actually a common weed which grows in abundance all over the world. Ive seen it in the springtime all over the place here in central Texas, and Ive also noticed it while visiting my homeland in Massachusetts over the summertime these last few years!
Although its wonderful to harvest your own plantain leaves, I dont cover plant identification here and so if youre interested in fast-tracking your way to plantain leaf tea I encourage you to purchase your own organic dried plantain leaves from Starwest Botanicals, Mountain Rose Herbs, or Frontier.
If youve read this entire article up to this point, youll notice theres a lot of overlap among herbs that have similar health uses/benefits:
- Like marshmallow and licorice root, plantain leaves are nourishing and mucilaginous. This makes plantain leaves nourishing and soothing to an inflamed gut!
- Like calendula and marshmallow root, plantain leaves are used by herbalists both topically and internally .
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Best Teas For Digestion 2022
Gas, bloating, constipation and irritable bowel are just a few problems one can experience when the digestive system isnt working properly.
If the symptoms are mild, then a tea might help you calm that rumbly in your tumbly and get your digestive system back on track.
Which, however, is the best tea for digestion?
The answer varies from person to person, because some teas should be avoided due to certain health conditions or pregnancy, so well share our list of ten of the most popular teas so you can compare them and see which is safest for you.
Sip On This Herbal Tea Before During Or After Your Meals To Aid Digestion
Some people may drink tea to help them relax before bed or enjoy it as an alternative to coffee, but digestive aid is probably not what immediately comes to mind. Although the tradition of drinking tea has been a long-standing practice in other cultures, we tend to underestimate tea as just another hot-beverage option. I personally have never thought to incorporate herbal tea into my everyday for digestive purposes, but after attending a class on gut health at Prep School, a wellness cooking club based in San Francisco, I’m fully convinced to pair all my meals with this recipe ahead.
Lila Volkas, a certified holistic nutrition consultant, led the lesson and had everyone sample a calming herbal blend before diving into all things digestion. She shared that tea is particularly fantastic for digestion because its warmth helps “build our digestive fire before we eat.” On the other hand, drinking ice water may have the opposite effect and cool your digestive tract, according to Lila. She tells her clients to save cold water for in between meals and to opt for warm water or tea before, during, or after meals. This can help you “balance the energetic-temperature qualities of food” and allow you to enjoy raw foods, such as a veggie-packed salad, much more easily.
Before we go into the recipe itself, let’s go over the digestive benefits of each ingredient, as provided by Lila:
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Latin Botanical Name: Viola Tricolor
Although violet is the last on my list of herbal teas for digestion, it certain is not the least of my favorites!
Growing up in Massachusetts, every spring/summer my backyard was covered with these beautiful, delicate purple flowers . Little did I know I was surrounded by so much wonderful plant medicine!
Mild To Serious Headaches
While green tea is considered a safe beverage for migraine patients, it might still be off the diet chart for people with chronic daily headaches. Population-based research studies have shown that caffeine is a risk factor for chronic daily headache onset, and though green tea contains much less caffeine than coffee or other kinds of tea, it is best avoided by such people.5
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Which Tea Is Best For Me And My Digestive Tract
There are many types of herbal teas that have been used throughout history to aid in digestion. Some of these include chamomile, peppermint, ginger and fennel seeds. Most importantly, you should choose the right tea based on your needs and preferences as well as how it tastes when brewed up properly.
Black Tea Green Tea Or Coffee
Stimulating teas and coffee also have a laxative effect.
Black tea, green tea, and coffee naturally contain caffeine, a stimulant that speeds up bowel movements in many people.
People often drink these beverages in the morning to wake themselves up and encourage a bowel movement.
Caffeine can have negative side effects in people who are sensitive to it, however.
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Which Are The Best Teas For Digestive Health
Drinking tea does seem to provide benefits for the digestive system. So, what do the experts suggest on a practical level?
According to Gutierezz, teas that are good for digestion include:
While tea has been shown to help digestion, Petrucci suggests another beverage. “I suggest drinking bone broth,” she says, “This is a similar experience to drinking tea. Bone Broth is rich in flavor and contains glutamine, the key nutrient shown to repair the holes in the gut lining. It’s also very important to populate the gut with good or beneficial bacteria to out-crowd the bad or pathogenic bacteria which is why I suggest replacing high sugar and high processed snacks with bone broth to further benefit the health of the gut.”
Teas To Drink For A Healthier Body And Mind
From black and green to hibiscus and chamomile, tea may help you stave off disease, manage a healthy weight, ease physical discomfort, and more.
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Do you love sipping an energizing cup of green tea when you rise or a calming cup of chamomile before bedtime? Youre in luck: Tea is not just a refreshing drink it may offer a host of health benefits.
Tea is a plant-based beverage that has been shown to have many nourishing properties, says Vicki Shanta Retelny, RDN, the Chicago-based author of The Essential Guide to Healthy Healing Foods. As a soothing warm or cold beverage, tea contains plant compounds called polyphenols, which are antioxidants that give tea its medicinal benefits.
For example, phytochemicals the plant-based polyphenols in tea may play a role in preventing or delaying cell damage and in protecting cells from cancer-causing substances, according to the Mayo Clinic.
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Also, a small study published in June 2019 in the journal Aging found that, compared with those who didnt drink tea, older adults who regularly drank tea had better organized brain regions, which is associated with healthier cognitive function.
Keep in mind, though, that not all studies look at tea in liquid form some research uses capsules or tablets, which may provide study participants with a more potent dose.
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Holy Basil Tea To Help With Digestive Problems
Holy basil is another good tea for digestion because its compounds help heal damage to the stomach lining that can result in stomach upset.
Researchers have found that holy basil promotes healing in the gastrointestinal tract. Consuming holy basil extracts also increases mucus secretion that protects stomach tissue for damage caused by toxins.
Anise Seed Tea For Constipation
Anise is a carminative herb which has been traditionally used to relieve a wide range of digestive issues such as excess gas and bloating.
A study published on 2012 in the journal ISRN Pharmaceutics reviewed scientific studies about the benefits of anise. The researchers found that anise can be used effectively to relieve nausea, gastric ulcers, and constipation.
The laxative effect of compounds in anise was studied on patients who suffered from chronic constipation. The results of the study revealed significant laxative effects of anise when compared with placebo. There was a decrease in colonic transit time as well as an increase in the number of daily bowel movements.
To make anise seed tea, simmer a teaspoon of lightly crushed anise seeds per cup of water in a covered pan for about 15 minutes. Take off the heat and leave to stand for 20 minutes.
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Benefits Of Lavender Tea
Lavender tea is a delicious, fragrant beverage that has a variety of benefits for your health. Its especially beneficial for people who are struggling with insomnia, anxiety or stress because it promotes relaxation and calmness. Additionally, lavender tea is a natural detoxifier and can help cleanse your body of harmful toxins.
Lavender Tea has the following benefits:
With its calming, soothing effects lavender can be used to help relieve digestive issues from diarrhea and nausea all the way up through stomach cramps. The anti-inflammatory properties of this herb also make it great for soothing irritated stomach muscles which will eliminate pain associated with indigestion or bloating!
How to Drink Lavender Tea
Making your own lavender tea is fairly easy, but you have to be careful not let it steep too long or else the flavor will become unpleasant. To avoid this just make sure that there are fresh buds in every cup!
Step into an enchanting world of tea with this inviting loose leaf chamomile-infused blend. The brew steeps a floral cup, delicate yet robust at once perfect for those evening moments when you need something soothing but not too strong!
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The Best Types Of Tea For Digestion
Posted by Morgan Cornell on June 26, 2020
There are several great types of tea that can help improve your digestion and health of your digestive system. Find out more about these beneficial teas below!
Sipping on a cup of tea allows you to destress with deliciousness. And, depending on the type of herb ingredients that make up the tea, certain high-quality herbal teas carry wonderful benefits and healing potential such as improving your digestive health.
These herbal teas can aid in digestion and help optimize the nutrition and absorption of your food so that you feel extra good. Tea for digestion may feel like a guilty pleasure, but it is a healthy choice that elicits no shame.
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Stash Chamomile Herbal Tea
Good ole chamomile tea! It does wonders for the stomach and may help relieve diarrhea, stomach cramps, colic, gas, indigestion and relieve IBS symptoms. It is also said to soothe stomach ulcers, so if you have been suffering from those, chamomile might offer you some relief.
We love chamomile and all of its benefits, but Stash does not offer the highest quality teas out there.
This tea seemed to be a little weak, and while it is affordable, we had to use two bags to get a little more flavor in the water. The cup was rather larger, however, so that made sense.
If lemon, ginger, chamomile, and peppermint dont do the trick for you , then give one of the other seven teas on our list a try.
Health Benefits Of Tea For Digestion
Besides known as a soothing drink to calm our mind, tea is also famous for its benefit for our digestive system. So, here are the top 5 health benefits of tea for digestion!
Tea has always been famous for its benefits for our body. One of the most well-known is the health benefit of tea for digestion.
As we know, several teas have been revealed for its merit to help people with their stomach issues. Such as helping you to treat nausea, indigestion, and many more. Fortunately, those teas are easy to find, even more, they are easy to make at home.
So, here are our top 5 teas that can help you with your digestive system.
Peppermint Tea
First, we have peppermint tea. Peppermint is a famous green herb. It is always known for its soothing and refreshing sensation. But, do you know that peppermint is also good for your digestive system?
Human studies revealed that peppermint contains menthol. This content can help to improve your digestive system.
Meanwhile, other studies also revealed that peppermint can improve IBS , which is an inflammatory condition. As an effect, it can cause stomach ache, bloating, and other uncomfortable stomach issues. So, they use peppermint to treat it.
Black Tea
Second, we have black tea. Black tea is one of the Camellia sinensis plant family. Usually, black tea is brewed with another kind of tea. Such as Earl Gray and English Breakfast.
Dandelions Tea
Ginger Tea
Senna Tea
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