How tea could save your life

I’m a big tea fan. I drink tea to make me feel more energised, I drink tea to help me wind down at the end of the day, I drink tea to curb my insatiably sweet tooth, and I drink tea when I’m feeling bloated and gross. I reckon there is a tea for every occasion, every ailment and every feeling.

My favourite way to drink tea is on a lawn chair under the mango tree in our back yard, out of a thermos while playing bocce in the park, or that first morning cup of green tea that helps me greet the day with a smile instead of a primal scream.

140529 tea hero

Oh, and I always have my Urban Nanna tea cup cosy (see pic at top of page) so my wee owly friend keeps my company as I sip.

Also, tea helps me to not drink wine all the time. Wine for breakfast is apparently frowned upon in some cultures. Pfffffft.

So I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite teas and what they’re awesome for.

  • Green: Oh, I don’t know, not much – just some amazeballs antioxidants that will reduce your risk of eleventy billion types of cancer, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, cholesterol, clogging of the arteries and stroke. You might want to try it IF YOU DON’T WANT TO DIE TOMORROW.
  • Black: Some studies have shown black tea can reduce the risk of lung cancer as well as stroke. Oh, and it has the highest caffeine content of all the teas so that’s a win in itself.
  • White (uncured, unfermented tea leaves): apparently has the highest anti-cancer properties of all the teas. And that’s saying something.
  • Licorice: curb a sweet tooth (I hate – I mean HATE the licorice that you buy as a lolly at the supermarket. If you haven’t tried licorice tea, I strongly recommend you do. It’s fab. Thanks to Sarah Wilson for this idea.)
  • Chamomile: great for soothing a dodgy belly, nausea, diarrhoea, menstrual cramps – anything that you don’t talk about at the dinner table, really. Also supposed to be great for mild anxiety.
  • Ginger: pretty much the same as chamomile, so go with the one you prefer the taste of. I’m more of a ginger girl, myself.
  • Cinnamon (one of my faves at night time): good for winter chills or for those that feel the cold, apparently. I just like it because it’s delish and it allows me to fantasise I am drinking a mug of hot apple pie.
  • Fennel: great for indigestion. I just like the taste of this one too.
  • Lavender: great for soothing and calming – and for making you smell like your grandma’s undies drawer.
  • Peppermint: great for digestive issues, clearing a snuffly nose, and for menopause. That is one multi-talented tea!

For a big-arse list of what tea to drink to treat which ailment, check out Body and Soul.

And then there are just the teas that I love to drink because they’re delicious: genmaicha (brown rice tea), Earl Grey and chai – not that pissy chai syrup in a bottle either, I’m talking awesome proper chai tea made with milk. I honestly have a cupboard at home dedicated only to tea. I was going to take a photo of it to show you but it’s so messy and I can’t be arsed tidying it. But you know how some women fantasise about having a walk-in cupboard for their shoes? I’d like one for my tea. T2 sends me into spasms of delight.

140529 tea pot
I also love a good tea pot – but let’s not get into the debate today about tea bags vs loose leaf. Let’s save that for another day.

 

What’s your favourite tea?

Written By

Carolyn is the editorial director of Champagne Cartel and a freelance writer. In her spare time she is a long-distance runner, peanut butter enthusiast, and single mum to three incredible humans.

10 Comments

  • I’m more of a coffee girl, but I do mix it up a bit and drink the odd cup of Earl Grey, with soy milk (lactose intolerant) and one sugar if it’s a particularly crappy day. I do try to drink Green tea, because I know its super good for me, but unfortunately for my body, I can’t stand to drink it.

  • Milky gumboot tea with 8 sugars! Ha ha just kidding. I love English Breakfast with a dash of milk, definitely NO sugar. However, as you will have seen I’m about to start my first ever detox in a bid to get my health and fitness back and I will be trading in coffee for tea. This has to happen because I’m in a bad way healthy wise! GO TEAM TEA!

  • Madam flavour special blend, Lady grey, australian breakfast, Madura premium blend, Darjeeling and the list goes on. Never sugar, splash of milk at home and black at work (if I get busy and forget it I can still drink it cold).

  • I absolutely adore tea and can nearly always be found with a cup in my hand or close by. In summer I do switch to iced tea on occasion, but only on the hottest of days. I also have an entire shelf in a kitchen cupboard dedicated to my teas, although it has overflowed on to the shelf above. There’s black, green, white, rooibos and herbal blends, some in tea bags, but many more in leaf form. And then there’s the 4 teapots, 3 iced tea jugs, and 3 tea infusers that are scattered in other cupboards about the place. So hard to choose a favourite because it depends on the day and my mood. At the moment I’m rotating between Irish Breakfast, Lady Grey and Prince of Wales as my major tea forms. They get interspersed with herbal varieties to keep the caffeine down, mostly peppermint or spearmint, rooibos, and various fruity blends. Chai is awesome for a change, but I’ve also had some really interesting chocolate teas, a really special Granny’s Apple Pie tea from Tea Leaves up in Sassafras, a gorgeous green tea with roses from T2, and a lovely white tea with rose from Madame Flavour.

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