5 Herbal Teas for Good Health

5 Herbal Teas for Good Health
Ginger tea is a natural remedy for fighting various ailments, and you can make it at home. (Cat Rooney/Epoch Times)
8/13/2013
Updated:
8/23/2013

In the heat of the summer, nothing is better than a cup of iced tea to cool the body off.

However, choosing the right tea is crucial, since different teas have different functions and properties.

Peppermint Tea

Mint tea is a favorite among many tea drinkers, notably for its refreshing properties. However, that’s not all it can do. It can soften the skin, relieve abdominal bloating, cool off the body, cure colds, and alleviate pain, even including toothaches.

You can make fresh peppermint tea at home by grinding fresh peppermint leaves and adding hot water.

Lemon Tea

The lemon tea we are talking about is not the fountain drink you get at fast food chains. You can make this version of the lemon tea through either squeezing lemon juice or cutting a lemon into slices into a cup of water, adding honey or sugar to taste.

Lemon can bring back luster and elasticity to the skin and even out skin tone. You can think of it as a natural spot treatment. It is worth noting that only the lemon itself has this effect, while its peel works the opposite way to increase pigmentation. Therefore some tea drinkers choose to remove the peel before slicing the lemon.

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is a popular choice among tea drinkers around the world. Chamomile is effective in calming the mind to allow relaxation and stress relief. Unlike coffee and caffeinated teas, chamomile tea is naturally caffeine-free tea and in fact helps the drinker fall asleep. It is also effective for combating long-term insomnia through relaxing the mind and the body.

Ginger Tea

While not a personal favorite for its taste, ginger tea is a natural remedy for fighting various ailments. Full of minerals and antioxidants, ginger relieves stress with its relaxing scent, fights respiratory sicknesses such as cold and cough, boosts immunity, and has anti-inflammatory properties that could be helpful for those who suffer from arthritis.

You can make ginger tea at home by peeling (optional if it is well washed) and slicing the ginger into small pieces, pouring boiled water into ginger slices, and add honey or sugar to taste.

Chinese Chrysanthemum Tea

This is a favorite of mine for a long time. As long as you can find it, the natural coolant eases the symptoms of cold, detoxifies the liver, lowers cholesterol levels, and soothes dark spot in the eye area and redness in the eyes.

Chrysanthemum tea is usually made from adding hot water to dried chrysanthemum flowers, which you could obtain from herbal tea shops or Chinatown.

It is good to note that even though it is tempting to make the tea with cold water, hot water brings out the properties of the tea much better, even if you cool the tea with ice afterward.

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