Long before tea became the second most popular drink around the world, it was considered a medicinal drink. Health practitioners used a variety of herbs to make teas that helped heal the body and boost its functioning.
With time, it became a popular beverage, but with the knowledge of the restorative properties of herbs becoming widespread, healing teas are gaining attention once again. They are called ‘functional teas’ and refer to customized herbal blends prepared to help with specific health issues and offer wellness benefits.
There are functional teas for a wide range of health issues, from reducing inflammation to boosting immunity, improving digestion to treating sleeplessness, and energizing teas to relaxing blends. These herbal blends and the benefits they offer give you a better idea.
Functional Teas For The Heart
Black and green tea are long known for their benefits to the heart. They are rich in flavonoids, which help reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol levels, and improve blood vessel functioning.
Functional teas for the heart combine black or green tea with some other heart-healthy herbs and nutrients to prepare more potent blends to help keep your heart healthy. Green tea helps lower triglycerides and LDL levels in the blood improve the functioning of endothelial cells that line the blood vessels and prevents plaque buildup in the arteries.
It’s often combined with Vitamin B1. Also called thiamine, vitamin B1 helps reduce the risk of heart disease by enhancing circulation and initiating the production of acetylcholine in the body. Acetylcholine plays a vital role in maintaining the heart’s rhythm and function.
Forest fruits are also commonly used in functional teas made for the heart due to their high antioxidant content. These help fight against free radicals in the body, reduce blood pressure, and lower your risk of heart disease.
Functional Teas For Detoxification
The term ‘detoxification’ may carry a negative connotation in today’s world, but it’s a natural process, and certain herbs and nutrients can help improve it. And warm teas are known to be one of the best ways to deliver those nutrients to your body.
Herbal teas that help enhance the body’s detoxification process include dandelion root tea, which removes toxins from the body by promoting urination. Lemongrass rooibos tea, that’s packed with antioxidants and helps fight against free radicals.
Fennel tea, which is a time-tested remedy for improving digestive function and relieving constipation. Turmeric ginger tea is also touted as highly beneficial for eliminating toxins from the body.
It also helps boost bile production and aids the liver in flushing out metals. The antioxidants in this tea can help prevent liver damage as well as repair damaged liver cells. Selenium, a trace mineral known for its powerful antioxidant properties, is also used in detox functional teas.
Immune Boosting Functional Teas
Turmeric, ginger, peppermint, licorice root, chamomile, and hibiscus are among the most popular herbs used to make immune-boosting functional teas. They can be used on their own or combined with black or green tea to further enhance the polyphenolic content of the medicinal drink.
These herbs have long been prized for their antimicrobial properties. Licorice root and peppermint are also antiviral. They not only help fight against various harmful bacteria and viruses but also prevent health issues by boosting the immune system.
Use Functional Teas To Boost Health Naturally
Incorporating custom herbal tea blends into your daily routine is a great way to enhance various body functions and improve health naturally. The idea of using tea as medicine may be new to some people, but it has been around for centuries.
From TCM experts to Ayurvedics, traditional medical experts have long relied on functional teas to prevent and cure various health issues. Teas were there when modern medicines weren’t. There may be a lack of scientific evidence for the health benefits of functional teas, but plenty of anecdotal and historical evidence is available to back the claims.
