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Do wellness teas really work?
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Yogi Tea
Many people want to learn more about what they can do for their own health. We all are familiar with the basics - eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, get plenty of exercise, 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night - but what else?
Wellness teas are a great way to enhance your overall health, whether you want to boost your immunity in the wake of the current swine flu epidemic, to have clear skin, or to avoid the runny noses and itchy eyes of allergy season. They are not true teas, in the sense that they are not from the Camellia sinensis plant, but herbal blends. The question is - do they really work?
Yes. Wellness teas are definitely effective - but only if you understand how they work. Medicinal herbal infusions have a cumulative effect. The chemical constituents in herbal teas generally have an extremely mild impact. They heal over time, in a gradual, safe way. If you already have a cold, you can't drink a cup of tea and expect instant results. It is best to start taking wellness teas as a preventative measure, and you are less likely to get the cold in the first place.
Also, choose your teas wisely. Teas with a greater variety in their content tend to work better, as the different herbs support each other. Yogi Tea, for example, tends to make more potent blends than Celestial Seasonings. Both brands can be found in any Whole Foods Market store in the DC area, as well as Yes! Organic Market.
Buy loose leaf before bagged. Loose leaf teas are less preserved, so they retain more of their potency, and flavor. Stop by one of Teaism's three locations in the District, for Kuding, known to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, or Quiet Evening, a calming blend of chamomile, peppermint, and rose hips - or order online. Dreamsweet.com, founded by an herbalist in California, focuses on wellness teas. They carry blends such as 'Serenitea' for stress, 'Luminositea' for clear skin, and Mobilitea for joint pain. You can find chamomile almost anywhere, but it is more difficult to find a mix of nettles, echinacea, dandelion, comfrey, ginger, licorice, peppermint, and horehound like Dreamsweet has in their 'Claritea'.
Another tip for wellness teas; cover the tea while it is brewing either in the teapot, or with a saucer, as some of the active compounds are released in the steam. Unlike true teas, herbal infusions can brew for a longer time - 3 to 10 minutes, as opposed to 1 to 3.
Discover what's out there, and stay well!
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