Tea, tea and MORE Tea (and a tiny bit of coffee for us late nighters)

[misskitty]

I was finishing my chamomile tea...which was very yummy . As I finished the last swallow, I wondered if chamomile has any health benefits to it. Ironically I was wondering the same thing about green tea (also very yummy... ). How is that tea has some components in it that provide health benfits? Are there any other herbal teas which provide some kind of health benefit? Conversely...does coffee have any health benefits associated with it? And if anybody makes any cracks about how tiny it made me they are going to get it! Just kidding. i get picked on for that...I don't think its very funny... .

Just some food for thought...well drink actually.

 

[DocToxyn]

There is a large body of literature based on the potential health benefits of drinking tea, specifically tea derived from the actual tea plant, Camellia sinensis. This plant gives rise to white, green and black teas and various others depending on fermentation/curing procedures, ie, oolong. Tea made from this plant is rather high in antioxidants and one group family of these compounds, the catechins, are being examined for their potential as beneficial plant-derived chemicals. Typically considered the most active of the catechins, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG is widely touted as having anti-aging, anti-cancer, pro-health benefits. A search on PubMed for this compound alone brings up over 800 articles and for green tea over 1700.

Green tea is generally the most studied of the group, partly because of its popularity, but also because it contains more of the antioxidants that the other, more processed teas, such as black or oolong (white tea, the least processed of them all, may have the most antioxidants, but it isn't as well known/used). As far as herbal teas go, there seems to be less scientific info/research going on involving them, probably because they are so varied in composition. They are usually associated with a specific endpoint associated with the herb in question, chamomile is generally regarded as a relaxant used to induce sleep.

As a side note I found this article on the health benefits of beer on PubMed, very interesting .

 

[iansmith]

As a side note I found this article on the health benefits of beer on PubMed, very interesting .

Stupid university does not have access

 

[Ouabache]

The chamomile marketed as tea is typically made from German chamomile Matricaria recutita .
see --> http://www.deserttropicals.com/Plants/Asteraceae/Matricaria_recutita.html

In North America we have a wild chamomile also called pineapple weed Matricaria matricarioides. It is common over much of the continent and if you know what it looks like, is very easy to find in the summer months in wild and cultivated places. Look especially along the edges of meadows and open fields. They look like this --> http://www.wheeler.ca/level1/level2/level3/gallery_d/flower40.htm
The No American variety does smell similar to pineapple and also makes a tasty tea

Although the health benefits of many herbals have not be scientifically documented,
one source lists chamomile’s benefits as:
* Soothes and relaxes at bedtime
* Relieves restlessness, teething problems and colic in children
* Relieves allergies, much as an antihistamine would
* Aids digestion when taken as a tea after meals
* Relieves morning sickness during pregnancy
* Speeds healing of skin ulcers, wounds, or burns
* Treats gastritis and ulcerative colitis
ref: --> http://www.gardenguides.com/herbs/chamomil.htm

For health benefits of coffee;
the British Coffee Association , an unbiased scientific organization
point to research that suggests several healthy benefits to drinking coffee.
* protects liver from cirrhosis
* cuts risk for Type II diabetes
* potentially reduces the onset of Alzheimer's
* major source of antioxidants (reducing risk of cancer)
* reduces driver fatigue
ref: ---> http://www.britishcoffeeassociation.org/id39.htm

 

[misskitty]

Wow, I didn't know there were so many applications for chamomile tea. Is it alright to sweeten the tea with sugar?

 

[misskitty]

Are there any teas that will help ease pain...like say back pain? How about muscle pain?

 

[Ouabache]

Wow, I didn't know there were so many applications for chamomile tea. Is it alright to sweeten the tea with sugar?

If you like your tea sweet, go for it..
I stopped using any sweeteners in all teas years ago..
The herbals tend to me milder, so you may find you like it without sugar..

For muscle pain and back pain, I would do a search on your favorite search engine with key words "herbal tea" "pain" or "muscle pain" or "back pain"

I don't know of any herbal teas that have gone through any rigorous scientific investigations.. You are on your own, whether to believe them or not.

 

[misskitty]

I'll see is if I can run a search and see what comes up. Are there any teas that are recommended for colds or flus?

Sidenote: Does anyone here have a favorite kind of tea? If so what is it?

 

[Kerrie]

i haven't read much about any health benefits of coffee, although i absolutely adore coffee (i am from the Northwest though)...i love chamomile tea. i drink a lot when i am feeling nauseated. my favorite is peppermint/clover ice tea, but clover isn't easy to find. the white and green teas i indulge in daily since my coffee intake has greatly decreased since i am pregant. i had an ultrasound done at 9am in the morning several weeks ago, and i saw the baby nearly doing flips on the screen after i had just ingested a cup of coffee30 minutes prior. my midwife says a cup a day is fine however.

 

[misskitty]

Aw, that's cute. I bet it felt wonderful! . I didn't even know there was such a thing as clover tea. Peppermint is good. I enjoy chamomile as well. It works well for cramps too.

 

[Kerrie]

i haven't seen clover marketed, i just make the tea by boiling 2 parts dried peppermint to 1 part clover that is found at an herbal store.

 

[gravenewworld]

Isn't tea also supposed to be a free-radical scavenger, i.e. it prevents cancer?

I like strong teas, like black english tea.
Chamomile is pretty good too though.

 

[misskitty]

Yes, herbal tea acts as a cleanser, if you will. Purging your system of as many free radicals as it can.

 

[Evo]

When I was growing up my mother always made us vervain tea to settle our stomachs, it always worked.

Chamomile was to relax and to lighten hair

 

[Moonbear]

i haven't read much about any health benefits of coffee, although i absolutely adore coffee (i am from the Northwest though)...i love chamomile tea. i drink a lot when i am feeling nauseated. my favorite is peppermint/clover ice tea, but clover isn't easy to find. the white and green teas i indulge in daily since my coffee intake has greatly decreased since i am pregant. i had an ultrasound done at 9am in the morning several weeks ago, and i saw the baby nearly doing flips on the screen after i had just ingested a cup of coffee30 minutes prior. my midwife says a cup a day is fine however.

Sometimes if the fetus is sleeping and they need it to wake up for the ultrasound (to get it into a better position, for example, or just to be sure it's okay), they'll give the mom a can of Coke to drink. Caffeine just perks the little bugger right up (well, within about a half hour)!

 

[misskitty]

Whoa, I bet the baby loves the caffine high! Please don't think I'm stupid for asking this, but I don't know much about fetus' (especially since I haven't had any children yet.); Doesn't caffine cause birth defects in a fetus though? How and why does it happen?

Evo, I didn't know you could use chamomile tea to lighten your hair. Doesn't it damage it or is it actually good for your hair? I've never heard of vervian tea; would you find that at a local natural foods store? Dare I ask how it tastes?

 

[DocToxyn]

Doesn't caffine cause birth defects in a fetus though? How and why does it happen?

You can check out a number of articles on PubMed dealing with the subject of caffeine-induced developmental defects. Overall the consensus seems to be that moderate caffeine use, ie regular coffee, tea consumption, does not pose a significant risk to the developing fetus. However, the mother/fetus pair is considered an "at risk" group for potential toxic effects of many agents including caffeine, so if you can avoid it, you and the baby are probably better off.

Sometimes if the fetus is sleeping and they need it to wake up for the ultrasound (to get it into a better position, for example, or just to be sure it's okay), they'll give the mom a can of Coke to drink.

In our Ob's office they regularly use a small buzzer placed against the abdomen to wake up the baby during fetal heart monitoring. Thinking to try this at home, I gave my wife's belly a razzberry (swift exhalation through pursed lips placed on her belly). I was then rather forcefully "punched" by my son as he reacted to the startling noise. I was rather funny .

 

[misskitty]

Oh that's cute! It is pretty funny. I'm still waiting for Evo to get back to me about the chamomile tea thing.

 

[Ouabache]

I'll see is if I can run a search and see what comes up. Are there any teas that are recommended for colds or flus?

Sidenote: Does anyone here have a favorite kind of tea? If so what is it?

Using Herbal teas as a therapy for ailments is part of the world of herbal or folk medicine which encompasses more than teas. Herbal medicine is an area of great interest to those in pharmacognosy. Researchers realize there are many useful drugs, already discovered and handed down, by herbalists, folkdoctors (granny ), shamans (native americans), and practioners of traditional medicine in China, India, Japan and Pakistan.

A medical doctor published an informative article on this called "The Lost Glory of Folk Medicine"
---> http://www.siu.edu/~ebl/leaflets/glory.htm By isolating and characterizing the active components of plants used in herbal medicine, researchers are able to find useful drugs that can be synthesized and concentrated using bioengineering methods. These synthesized drugs (not the herbals) will go through rigorous FDA testing before prescribed to the public.

Here are several herbal infusions for flu, I think you may enjoy reading. They have some for colds too.
ref: ---> http://www.holistic-online.com/Remedies/Flu/Flu_herbal-medicine.htm

My favorite herbal tea? that is a tough one because i like so many..probably spearmint Mentha spicata L. I was given some spearmint by a farmer in No Judson, IN and have propagated them ever since. They grow so much mint there, they actually hold a mint festival every June. They are not as aggressive (fast-spreading) as wild mints and need more care to getting them established. I just take a few spearmint leaves, crush them, steep in hot (not boiling) water. If you mind leaves in your cup, you can infuse using a tea-ball or pour through a strainer. Mmmm the flavour & aroma of this tea takes me back to those fields in Indiana. Can you imagine the scent of several hundred acres of fresh cut spearmint??