Tea is so common, it’s hard to imagine a time before the popular brew existed. It was first consumed as a medicinal drink, but the health benefits of drinking tea are often overlooked today. Indeed, a simple infusion can boost wellness in several ways, depending on the variety consumed.
Oncologists such as Dr Won Sam Yi encourage all patients to drink tea as its advantages of drinking it are well-recognized. It can be part of a health maintenance diet, and may also help some existing conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
Types of tea and their uses
Black, green, yellow, and white tea come from the plant Camellia Sinensis. The way the plant’s leaves are processed provides the distinct colors and flavors of the different varieties. Herbal infusions may be described as teas also, such as chamomile and ginger. Each contains health properties.
Green
Green tea is popular among people who want to lose weight, as it’s said to improve metabolism. It contains antioxidants and might help reduce cancer, heart disease, and lower cholesterol too. While some people enjoy its unique flavor, others find it an acquired taste, preferring to use it to add zest to savory dishes. If you aren’t keen on its tang, mix it with herbs and sprinkle it on stews, soups, and rice-based meals.
White
The buds and leaves used to make white tea are plucked before fully open and contain plenty of antioxidants. Like green tea, white tea has anti-cancer and anti-cardiovascular disease properties. The American Cancer Society also believes it may reduce the risk of breast cancer reoccurring in survivors of the condition.
Black
When fully oxidized, leaves are picked to make one of the most common teas consumed in the world: black tea. Blends are prepared, and different processes applied, to create various types of tea such as Darjeeling. The tea’s primary antioxidants, theaflavins and thearubigins lower cholesterol and the risk of stroke.
Yellow
Yellow and green tea are comparable, but yellow tastes smoother and goes through a longer oxidization process. It’s said to have similar properties, aiding weight loss, lowering cholesterol, and stopping breast cancer cells from multiplying. It can also help protect the liver from toxicity caused by alcohol consumption.
Chamomile
Infused dried or fresh chamomile flowers are used to create medicinal tea. Its calmative and soothing properties make it useful for insomnia caused by worrying. It can also reduce the risk of cancer and the side effects of diabetes like poor vision and kidney damage.
Ginger
Ginger tea, made from the fresh or dried root of the ginger plant, is helpful when you feel queasy or want to ward off colds and coughs. It aids weight loss, and can reduce the pain of rheumatism and arthritis, and lower cholesterol and stimulate appetite and digestion. People also take it for irritable bowel syndrome and to decrease stomach pain.