Home >> Benefits of Tea

Health Benefits of Tea

Here are information on the benefits of tea, some facts about tea, and the different types of tea that are commonly found in the market.

The most popular are black tea, oolong tea, green tea and white tea. These teas are obtained from leaves, leave buds and internodes of the same bushes but are processed differently. Black tea are wilted, sometimes crushed and fully oxidized. Oolong teas are wilted, bruised and partially oxidized. Green teas are unwilted and unoxidized. White teas are wilted and unoxidized.

Some other popular types of teas are herbal tea and fruit tea. They are made through the infusion of tea leaves with flowers, fruits, herbs or other plant materials.

Scientific studies discovered that tea leaves contain more than 700 chemicals like flavanoides and amino acids, and is full of antioxidants. One of the health benefits revealed by a study conducted by the Harvard Medical School is that the antioxidants in tea leaves can reduce the risk of four of the major health problems namely stroke, heart failure, cancer and diabetes.

The antioxidant is highest in concentration in white and green teas because they aren't oxidized. Antioxidants are substances that protect the cells in your body against the damages from free radicals.

Further studies have shown that there are many more potential health benefits of tea, especially that of green tea. Among the tea benefits are:

Drinking tea prevents dental cavities because of the presence of fluorine, the property that prevents plague from happening. It helps inhibits the growth of bacteria that can cause gingivitis. Drinking tea after a meal can suppress foul breath.
It helps normalize blood pressure, lipid depressing activity and the prevention of coronary heart diseases and diabetes by reducing the blood-glucose activity.
Many women are using tea bags that have been soaked in water and chilled in the freezer as a home remedy to remove puffy eyes. The tannin which is a natural astringent in tea pulls the skin taut and reduces puffiness.

So far, there are no records of the side effects of drinking tea. But like any other food and beverages that you consume, over consumption will have an adverse effect like sleeping disorders. One of the reasons is because tea contains caffeine.