Introduction
Herbal tea became popular recently because of its enormous health benefits for all. Yes, herbal teas are beneficial to both men and women.
Herbal teas are made from herbs, hence the name herbal tea. Most if not all of the herbs used in making herbal teas are medicinal.
Different herbs are used in producing herbal teas. We therefore have different kinds of herbal teas out there in the market.
The health benefits of a particular herbal tea is totally dependent on the type of herb or herbs it is made of.
For instance, a herbal tea that is made from a plant called Artemisia annua will have antimalarial property as its health benefits for both men and women including children.
Now, let us itemize the health benefits of herbal teas
1. Herbal teas have antidiabetic effect
Herbal tea made from herbs that have antidiabetic property will by extension have antidiabetic effect.
Note that herbal teas with antidiabetic effect should not automatically replace your antidiabetic drugs.
Do not even think about it. With your doctor’s approval, you can use any of them as supplements but not as a replacement of your antidiabetic drugs.
This is still applicable to other herbal teas with various benefits. Yes, they are to be used as supplements not as a replacement for standard medical treatment.
Examples of herbal teas with antidiabetic benefits
The following are herbal teas with antidiabetic effects:
- Bitter leaf tea
- Abere tea
- Artemisia pallens tea
- Bidens pilosa tea
- Bixa orellana tea
- Teramnus labialis tea
- Aloe barbadensis tea
- Annona squamosa tea
- Averrhoa bilimbi tea
- Azadirachta indica tea
- Beta vulgaris tea
- Camellia sinensis tea
- Cassia alata tea
- Eclipta alba tea
- Eucalyptus globulus tea
- Euphrasia officinale tea
- Ficus carica tea
- Gymnema sylvestre tea
- Gynura procumbens tea
- Ipomoea aquatica tea
- Mangifera indica tea
- Myrtus communis tea
- Memecylon umbellatum tea
- Morus indica tea
- Ocimum sanctum tea
- Abies pindrow tea
- Achyranthus aspera tea
- Ajauga iva tea
- Aloe vera tea
- Anacardium occidentale tea
- Andrographis paniculata tea
- Capsicum frutescens tea
- Cryptolepis sanguinolenta tea
- Enicostemma littorale tea
- Ficus religiosa tea
2. Herbal teas have antihypertensive effect
Some herbal teas are used to help in the treatment of hypertension as they have antihypertensive effect.
Herbal teas in these category are all made from herbs with antihypertensive properties.
Examples of herbal teas with antihypertensive benefits
The following are herbal teas with antihypertensive benefits:
- Guan Mu Tong tea
- Celery tea
- Garlic tea
- Prickly Custard apple tea
- Buchu tea
- Tea (Camellia sinensis) tea
- Indian plantago tea
- Green Oat tea
- Breadfruit tea
- Karpurvali tea
- Black bean tea
- Coffee weed tea
- Ajwain tea
- Chaksu tea
- Swamp Lily tea
- Chinese Hawthorn tea
- Virginia day green tea
- Lasaf tea
- Pima cotton tea
- Soybean tea
- Hardy Fuchsia tea
- Osbeck tea
- Carrot tea
- Black Mangrove tea
- Linseed or Flaxseed tea
- Rompepiedra tea
- French Lavender tea
- Roselle tea
- Umbrella tree tea
- Murungai or moringa tea
- Tomato tea
- Pomegranate tea
- Kudzu tea
- Maritime Pine tea
- Nela nelli tea
- Harmal tea
- Mistletoe tea
- Cat’s Claw herb tea
- Sticky Nightshade or Wild Tomato tea
- Rauwolfia tea
- Black plum tea
3. Herbal teas are beneficial in Cancer prevention
Remember what we said about herbal teas and how their beneficial come about.
For emphasis, remember that the health benefits of an individual herbal tea is solely dependent on the type of herb or herbs used in formulating it.
Herbal teas that help in cancer prevention are made from herbs that have anticancer properties.
Most of these herbs have strong antioxidant properties as they mop up free radicals from those who use them.
Examples of herbal teas with anticancer properties
The following are herbal teas with cancer prevention effects:
- Allspice tea
- Cinnamon tea
- Basil tea
- Cardamom tea
- Caraway or meridian fennel tea
- Rosemary tea
- Dill tea
- Cumin tea
- Coriander tea
- Thyme tea
4. Herbal teas help in Alzheimer’s disease
Herbal teas made from herbs that help in the treatment or prevention of Alzheimer’s disease have these benefits too.
The following are examples of herbal teas that are beneficial in Alzheimer’s disease:
- Common sage tea
- Serrate clubmoss tea
- Ginkgo biloba tea
- Lion’s mane tea
- Gotu Kola tea
- Cat’s claw tea
- Brahmi tea
- Ashwagandha tea
- Convolvulus pluricaulis tea
- Lion’s mane tea
5. Herbal teas Lower cholesterol
There are herbal teas that lower cholesterol in humans.
These are made from herbs that have blood cholesterol lowering properties.
Examples of them include the following:
- Artichoke tea
- Fenugreek tea
- Guggul tea
6. Herbal teas help in Weight loss
Some herbal teas are used as adjunct in weight loss plan. Remember that weight loss plan involves a whole lot. So, herbal teas should complement and support diet and exercise interventions.
Read more about weight loss plans here.
Examples of herbal teas used in weight loss plan include the following:
- Ephedra tea
- Bitter orange tea
- Guarana tea
- Cayenne pepper tea
- Mate tea
- Ginger tea
- Guar Gum tea
- Glucomannan tea
- Cascara tea
- St. John’s wort tea
- Dandelion tea
- Garcinia cambogia tea
- Camellia sinensis tea
- Hoodia gordonii tea
- Citrus aurantium tea
- Coleus forskohlii tea
7. Herbal teas calm people who are anxious
Herbal teas with anxiolytic property calms people who are anxious and help them sleep too.
Herbal teas with this benefit should be used at bed time. Note that bed time can be in the morning, afternoon or night.
Yes, any time one wants to sleep is their bed time. One is not expected to operate machinery after taking herbal teas with anxiolytic and sedating
Examples of herbal teas with anxiolytic and sedating properties include the following:
- Hops tea
- Lemon Balm tea
- Skullcap tea
- Passion flower tea
- Rosenroot tea
- Chamomile tea
- kava tea
- St John’s wort tea
- Lavender tea
- Valerian tea
- Golden Thryallis tea
- Ginkgo biloba tea
- Astragalus membranaceus tea
- Gotu Kola tea
- Waterhyssop tea
- Ashwagandha tea
8. Herbal teas help in mental alertness
9. Herbal teas are beneficial to the heart
10. Herbal teas are beneficial to the brain
11. Herbal teas help in skin care
Disclaimers:
Even though we know that herbal teas have got the above stated health benefits, do not use any of them without the approval of your healthcare provider especially for the treatment of ailments.
Some benefits of herbal teas will not be enough to help you solve the health challenges you may be facing.
For instance, a herbal tea with antihypertensive effect may not be enough to normalise your blood pressure.
So, in this case, you will still be required to continue with your normal prescription antihypertensive drugs.
Never use any health care product without your healthcare provider’s recommendation or approval.
References
- Patel DK, Prasad SK, Kumar R, Hemalatha S. An overview on antidiabetic medicinal plants having insulin mimetic property. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2012;2(4):320-330. doi:10.1016/S2221-1691(12)60032-X
- Tabassum N, Ahmad F. Role of natural herbs in the treatment of hypertension. Pharmacogn Rev. 2011;5(9):30-40. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.79097
- Kaefer CM, Milner JA. Herbs and Spices in Cancer Prevention and Treatment. In: Benzie IFF, Wachtel-Galor S, editors. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press/Taylor & Francis; 2011. Chapter 17
- Tian, J., Shi, J., Zhang, X. et al. Herbal therapy: a new pathway for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Alz Res Therapy 2, 30 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1186/alzrt54
- Thompson Coon JS, Ernst E. Herbs for serum cholesterol reduction: a systematic review. 2003. In: Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE): Quality-assessed Reviews [Internet]. York (UK): Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (UK); 1995-.
- Lakhan, S.E., Vieira, K.F. Nutritional and herbal supplements for anxiety and anxiety-related disorders: systematic review. Nutr J 9, 42 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-9-42
One comment