Advertisement
Teas Are A Superfood, Too. Try These 14 Mood-Boosting Flavors
Teas don’t just have profound effects on our mind, they are also deeply nourishing and strengthening for the body. We usually only hear about the benefits of caffeinated teas like green tea. What we don’t know is that herbal teas are often even more effective in their healing impacts on body and mind.
Slip them in your handbag, have a stash handy in your car—herbal teas are your best friend no matter how you are feeling.
Teas for frustration, anxiety, or insomnia
When you feel angry or frustrated easily or you’re wound up and anxious, these herbal teas are your greatest ally.
- Chamomile tea helps calm the child, is loaded with electrolytes, and research shows it is also antimicrobial and healing for the blood.
- Calendula tea is also calming and soothing. Physiologically, it helps clean the lymph and is great for the excretory organs, the colon and kidneys. It’s also great for the skin if you’re seeing some red spots, eczema, or inflammation.
- Chrysanthemum tea: Well-known in Chinese medicine, chrysanthemum is cooling to an easily frustrated person. It also boosts the immune system.
Teas for burnout
Many of us are stressed, always running around and exhausted. We need support to help calm and soothe the adrenal glands and strengthen our body to help counterbalance this go-go-go lifestyle. Thankfully, these herbs are terrific for just that.
- Lemonbalm is a powerful antiviral, research shows, which is why it helps fight the strep virus, shingles virus, smallpox viruses, and Epstein-Barr. It may even help against high blood sugar.
- Nettle helps strengthen your blood because it’s full of Vitamin K and iron but also calcium. It’s even been shown to help fight cancer.
- Licorice root tea: Naturally sweet, this tea helps support your adrenal glands too. It also supports the endocrine system and generally help the glands function properly.
- Red-raspberry leaf tea is not only soothing and balancing, it's also filled with iron, magnesium, calcium, and manganese, and helps boost the thymus, which is our immune system.
Teas for feeling lazy and lethargic
This is when we usually reach for caffeine, giving our body an artificial boost that inevitably leads to a crash—not to mention strains our adrenals and activates our fight-or-flight response. Here’s a better, non-addictive way to get invigorated.
Peppermint and spearmint teas are invigorating. Peppermint is stimulating to the liver and healing to the blood. Research shows it helps sooth IBS symptoms.
Teas for when you're under the weather, or the weather is cold
Winter is coming and you know what that means: Sniffles and sneezing everywhere. Couple that with holiday travel and we often end up sick. Here are some great choices for those days.
- Echinacea boosts our immune function and can cut the chance of catching a cold by more than half, a study says.
- Peppermint and spearmint are great for staving off colds and symptoms like nausea.
- Ginger tea is also warming and antiviral for cold weather, reduces inflammation, and can lower cancer risk.
- Turmeric tea—long honored in Ayurveda as a “holy powder"—is warming and a powerful antioxidant. It also boosts memory and suppresses fat tissue growth and helps prevent rheumatoid arthritis and bone loss.
Teas for detox
Anti-chlorine/fluoride tea: Chlorine is great for cleaning pools and keeping our tap water safe and fluoride may be helpful in preventing cavities and is found in drinking water and toothpaste, but these chemicals unfortunately also have some toxic side effects in large doses. Over time, they can take a toll on the body. This wonderful tea can help counter the effect of chlorine and fluoride in our environment:
- Steep in hot water equal parts nettle, burdock, hawthorn and rose hips.
- Make a tea from the mixture by steeping 1 tablespoon per cup of hot water. Drink as much as you can.
Anti-radiation tea: X-rays, cell phone radiation, wifi, airplanes, smart meters in our homes—we can’t escape radiation in our environment these days. Here’s a great tea to drink when you’ve been exposed or are feeling weak:
- Steep in hot water equal parts dulse, yellow dock, milk thistle and ashwaganda.
- Make a tea from the mixture by steeping 1 tablespoon per cup of hot water. Drink as much as you can.
For more on how to stay fresh during the cold season and holiday travel, see my last article. Don’t like the taste of these teas? No problem, add raw honey, lime, or peppermint to mask the taste!
Watch Next
Enjoy some of our favorite clips from classes
Enjoy some of our favorite clips from classes
What Is Meditation?
Mindfulness/Spirituality | Light Watkins
Box Breathing
Mindfulness/Spirituality | Gwen Dittmar
What Breathwork Can Address
Mindfulness/Spirituality | Gwen Dittmar
The 8 Limbs of Yoga - What is Asana?
Yoga | Caley Alyssa
Two Standing Postures to Open Up Tight Hips
Yoga | Caley Alyssa
How Plants Can Optimize Athletic Performance
Nutrition | Rich Roll
What to Eat Before a Workout
Nutrition | Rich Roll
How Ayurveda Helps Us Navigate Modern Life
Nutrition | Sahara Rose
Messages About Love & Relationships
Love & Relationships | Esther Perel
Love Languages
Love & Relationships | Esther Perel
What Is Meditation?
Box Breathing
What Breathwork Can Address
The 8 Limbs of Yoga - What is Asana?
Two Standing Postures to Open Up Tight Hips
How Plants Can Optimize Athletic Performance
What to Eat Before a Workout
How Ayurveda Helps Us Navigate Modern Life
Messages About Love & Relationships
Love Languages
Advertisement
These Peanut Butter Cup Protein Bites Make The Perfect On-The-Go Snack
Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN
