health benefits

Tea and tisanes (herbal teas) have some of the highest levels of antioxidants found in any food or beverage source.

But you need to drink loose leaf tea rather than tea bags to benefit from tea’s special goodness. Most standard bags only contain ‘dust’, or left-over leaf pieces from processing, but loose leaf tea will provide you with great health benefits and thousands of flavours to choose from! 

Based on recent studies, some of tea’s amazing health benefits may include:

Anti-ageing – white tea is reported to be higher in antioxidants than other tea varieties, meaning it has even more power to attack damaging free radicals that accelerate aging. 

Weight loss – many studies suggest that becoming a regular tea drinker can increase metabolism, therefore aiding in weight loss. Oolong, green and especially pu-erh teas have all received credit for helping to shed those unwanted kilos.

Natural energy boost (without unwanted side effects!)- South American leaves like mate and guayusa contain a unique stimulant called theobromine. Theobromine increases alertness but without the nervous ‘jitters’ sometimes associated with drinking too much caffeine!

De-stress / relaxation– Matcha (a Japanese ‘green tea powder’ that consists of ground tea leaves) contains L theanine, an ingredient which decreases stress while improving mood and cognitive ability – the perfect drink to calm your nerves while finishing off a big project at work or school!

Immunity booster – pretty much regardless of what you drink, becoming a regular loose leaf tea drinker will boost your immune system but some teas have special advantages. South African rooibos and honeybush herbal teas are reported to be loaded with antioxidants. Rooibos has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties while honeybush is high in vitamin C.

Aid digestion – add a cup of black or pu-erh loose leaf tea to a fatty or heavy meal to help with digestion and compliment the taste

Hangover cure – probably one of the world’s oldest hangover cures, pu-erh tea is a blood cleanser that will ease your ‘day-after’ alcohol pains

Cancer prevention – recent studies have suggested a decrease in the risk of certain cancers, including breast cancer and ovarian cancers, among subjects who were regular green tea drinkers

Diabetes prevention – studies have suggested pu-erh, black and green teas can help control blood sugar levels and decrease the risk for diabetes

Anti-inflammatory / anti-allergenic – studies support the anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic properties of green tea and rooibos and my own experience using them to control a bout of hives does too!

Milk stimulation in nursing mums- rich in minerals such as iron and calcium, South African honeybush can reportedly also help stimulate milk production in nursing mums