If you’re like many people around the world, you may already enjoy a cup of tea on a regular basis but don’t expand your selection much from the most popular brews. While varieties such as black tea, green tea, peppermint tea, and the like are consumed by millions of drinkers worldwide each day, there are also many other types of tea which benefit the body and the mind.
If you’re keen to expand your horizons and introduce some new blends to your diet that will have you feeling and looking better, read on for some lesser-known teas that you should purchase today.
Damiana Leaf Tea
Damiana leaf tea is a drink made from Turnera diffusa, the scientific name for a shrub that can be found in regions of the world such as South and Central America. The plant has bright yellow flowers, and the tea made from it is chock full of a variety of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals which are great for the human body in multiple ways.
In particular, damiana leaf tea is fantastic for the skin. One of the compounds that it is rich in is Vitamin C. This vitamin is recognized as having cold-fighting properties, but is also a key ingredient to having healthy, resilient skin that looks younger than its years. Drinking damiana tea can help boost the level of Vitamin C in your body and consequently assist it to produce more collagen. This will also help you to delay the onset of wrinkles.
When we’re young, plenty of Vitamin C can be found in the skin however, as we age, and get exposed to air pollutants, UV light and the like, the level of the vitamin drops. In turn, the production of collagen also decreases and we can notice more signs of aging (such as wrinkles). This is because as collagen breaks down, the skin becomes less elastic than it once was.
Vitamin C can also keep your skin looking fresher for longer because it can help to treat age spots. The essential nutrient can work, too, to repair UV damage that can show up on the skin over time in the form of fine lines on the face, or skin discoloration.
Reishi Mushroom Tea
If you’re looking to add a tea to your diet which can have a wide variety of health benefits for your mind and body, and which has been consumed for its healing properties for hundreds of years, don’t go past reishi mushroom tea. The drink is made from reishi mushrooms, a type of fungi which in ancient Eastern Medicine was described as the “mushroom of immortality.”
Scientists working on modern Western medicine advances have also begun to discover the many applications that reishi mushrooms can have. Laboratory research has been conducted around the world in recent years, and many scientists have reported exciting results. For example, in Japan, the fungi’s anti-cancer properties have been officially recognized. The government there approved the use of the mushroom as a specific cancer treatment.
In addition, studies have shown that reishi mushrooms can help people to improve their memory, focus and concentration; be used as a natural antihistamine for people with allergies; and relieve the symptoms of muscular aches and arthritis.
Reishi mushrooms, and drinks made from them, are also believed to provide a raft of other health benefits, such as reducing inflammation, boosting immunity, relieving stress and anxiety, and warding off cancers and heart disease.
Furthermore, reishi mushrooms are believed to act as an immunostimulant which can help to balance out any threats to the body’s equilibrium. As such, the fungus may be useful in treating diseases and other health issues such as chronic infections, high cholesterol levels, leaky-gut syndrome, Epstein-Barr, AIDS, and constipation.
Dandelion Root Tea
If you’re looking for a caffeine-free alternative to coffee, consider swapping your daily java to dandelion root tea instead. This type of tea is commonly consumed as a coffee alternative because it looks and tastes quite similar. However, dandelion root tea also has other benefits. For example, it can act as a blood purifier and liver detoxifier, aid weight loss, lower the risk of urinary tract infections, and regulate blood sugar levels.
Dandelion root tea is also said to help improve blood circulation and digestion, ease aching joints, and help to purify the bladder and the kidneys. It can treat a variety of skin conditions, and help to reduce bloating. Tea made from this plant is also full of many essential vitamins and minerals that boost the body. These include Vitamins B and C, magnesium, potassium, calcium, zinc, and iron.