It’s officially the time of year where colds are rife and we’re on the constant hunt for anything and everything that might make us feel better. Herbal teas have been used as natural remedies for hundreds of years since they offer many great health benefits. But how do you know which are the best herbal teas for you?
Herbal Teas for Better Sleep
Selecting the best herbal tea to help you sleep will be entirely useless if you drink it too close to sleeping. It’s best to drink your ‘sleepy tea’ around 2 hours before bedtime for two main reasons. Firstly, so that your body has time to digest it, and reap the benefits of the healing herbs. And secondly, so that you’re not waking up during the night to go to the bathroom. That’s definitely one way to ruin your sleep.
Now that we have that covered, two of the best herbal teas for a dreamy sleep are those containing chamomile and passionflower. Chamomile is commonly known for its calming effects, but not many know why. In a nutshell, it contains an antioxidant called Apigenin, which relaxes the nerves and promotes sleep.
Passionflower tea, although less well-known, also aids better sleep thanks to its mild sedative properties. Passionflower tea, which is brewed from the leaves, flowers and stems of the Passiflora plant, and is said to reduce symptoms of anxiety, and therefore improve sleep quality.
Drinking a mug of Chamomile or Passionflower tea as part of your evening routine should promote relaxation, and help you unwind to a peaceful slumber after a difficult day.
The Best Herbal Teas for Digestion & Gut Health
There are a plethora of herbal teas that promote a healthy gut, since herbs naturally aid digestion. Herbal teas have been used for thousands of years to treat digestive issues, from bloating to nausea. I don’t know about you, but every time I’m hit with a tummy ache, I go straight for herbal tea – it’s simply magical.
My personal go-to is peppermint. It’s one of the most popular and undoubtedly (in my humble opinion) one of the best herbal teas. As well as its delightfully refreshing taste, it’s also proven to soothe stomach pain and help relieve indigestion and nausea.
Thanks to its disease-fighting antioxidants, ginger tea is also one of the best herbal teas for fighting such issues. The healing compounds in ginger, known as Gingerols and Shogaols, essentially stimulate stomach movement and contractions. In other words, they give you a gentle helping hand in the digestive process.
So, if you’re feeling nauseous, whether it be pregnancy, hangover, or you’ve eaten something a little off, peppermint and ginger will be the best herbal teas to help you on your way.
The Best Teas for Boosting the Immune System
No herbal tea can magically cure illness and give you an immune system of steel. However, they can help to give your body the extra vitamins that it needs during the cold winter months.
Echinacea is one of the best herbal teas to turn to when you’re run down with a cold. Coughs and colds are an unavoidable part of life, especially during the winter months. However, echinacea herbal tea may be able to improve our recovery time by 1-2 days. Hence why so many people turn to it when they start to feel under the weather. Many compounds in echinacea tea are antimicrobial. This is why it’s so often used in herbal medicine to fight off colds, and other illnesses. So, the boost that echinacea gives our immune systems can help us avoid getting a cold in the first place. Then, if we get sick, taking this herb might help us recover more quickly.
Hibiscus tea contains antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, meaning that like echinacea, it’s also one of the best herbal teas to ward off illness and promote overall health. Due to its high levels of iron, antioxidants, and Vitamin C, it has a wealth of health benefits. Vitamin C, also helps to lower high cholesterol, converts amino acids to serotonin to help boost your mood and helps to lessen the symptoms of allergic reactions. Not to mention, it’s absolutely delicious.
So, That’s the Tea
Adding herbal tea into your diet is both a simple and delicious way to aid better sleep, improve your digestion and boost your mood and immune system. Who knew it had so many wonderful benefits?