When we drink tea, we feel good! It’s an intuitively and scientifically-proven healthful beverage. Tea, which specifically refers to the drink made from the Camellia Sinensis plant, is the most widely-consumed beverage after water. When humans first began drinking tea, it was regarded as medicinal brew, and was often boiled with other healing herbs. In our modern age, science has confirmed the health benefits of tea for the mind and body. The particular benefits of each kind of tea vary due to the differences in geographical terrain, processing methods, and seed varietals, which result in the five main categories of tea: White, Green, Oolong, Black and Pu’er.

Tea is the only plant in the entire camellia family that contains caffeine. It’s also unique because it is the only caffeinated plant in the world that has the action of both uplifting and relaxing the body and mind, due to the combination of alkaloids and other health promoting chemicals. Unlike coffee, which gives you an immediate burst of caffeine, and then leaves you feeling somewhat depleted, the tannins in tea combine with the caffeine molecule making the caffeine slow to release. This results in a steady feeling of alertness, without crashing.

Here are just some of the health benefits of tea, specific to individual varieties:

WHITE TEA

GREEN TEA

• High content of cancer fighting EGCG anti-oxidants
• Antiseptic, antibacterial & anti-viral: maintains high immunity & fights colds and flus
• Fights degenerative disease
• Strengthens tooth enamel & fights bad breath
• Potent source of vitamins and minerals
• Effective for slimming and weight loss

OOLONG TEA

• Contains a high content of tea polysaccharides
• Reduces cholesterol and blood sugar levels
• High content of anti-oxidants
• Strengthens tooth enamel
• Potent source of vitamins and minerals
• Effective for slimming and weight loss

BLACK TEA

• Helps prevent heart attacks
• Helps prevent plaque build-up in arteries
• Increases bone density
• Contributes to oral health: kills bacteria in mouth that can cause cavities
• Fights bad breath

PU’ER TEA

• Extremely effective tea for slimming and weight loss
• Helps metabolize fatty acids and oily foods
• Reduces cholesterol and blood sugar levels
• Cleansing and detoxifying to the bloodstream
• Read more about The Health Benefits of Pu’er

OTHER GENERAL BENEFITS

• Promotes mental clarity and alertness
• Stimulates neural activity and improves learning function
• Provides even, sustained energy and sound rest
• Much lower caffeine content than coffee
• Strengthens immune system and has anti-stress properties
• Cleansing, detoxifying, and longevity-promoting