General Articles

Tips For Making Herbal Tea

Herbal tea is a great way to relax at the end of the day. It is also great to enjoy when visiting with a friend or a family member. And on top of that, herbal teas are also able to offer up some pretty good health benefits.

Drinking an herbal tea, such as chamomile, lavender and peppermint before bedtime can help you to fall asleep. Some teas such as ginger, cinnamon and cloves can help you to wake up in the morning, as they have shown to increase the memory, and awaken the mind. But this is not to say that you can only have lavender tea before you go to bed, or that you can only have cinnamon tea in the morning. Herbal tea is good at any time of the day.

Increase The Steeping Time

In order to obtain the most benefits you should allow the tea to steep for at least 10 to 15 minutes. However, for even more flavor, you can allow it to steep for up to 30 minutes or longer. The longer you allow it to steep, the more nutrients are extracted into the water. Therefore, you are getting more into your system as well.

Do Not Add Cream And Sugar

Most people like to add cream and sugar to their teas. While those ingredients may help to bring out more flavor, they can also interfere with the health benefits of the tea. Therefore, it is best to avoid them.

If however, you like a rich creamy tea, use nut milk. And for sweetness, add a natural sweetener such as raw honey, agave nectar or stevia. Stevia comes from a plant that you can easily grow in your home. You can use the leaves either fresh or dried. Either way, you can add them into your tea blend before steeping. It really doesn’t get anymore natural than that, and the flavor is just as great.

Use Different Sweeteners

Natural sweeteners will provide a different flavor for the tea. Honey has a different flavor than agave, which has a caramel flavor. And stevia has yet another unique flavor. Therefore, try out what sweetener you like best in certain teas. You can also combine different sweeteners in the same tea, such as stevia and honey.

Experiment

Last but not least, just have some fun and experiment with different flavors and loose leaf teas. You can combine loose leaf teas with teas that are already in a tea bag, and create your own unique tea blends.…

When Is a Tea Not a Tea?

If a product is described as leaf tea, then customers would probably expect to receive a drink made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis. However, when it comes to herbal teas, and some types of flavoured ones, the hot drink you will be served will have actually been nowhere near a tea plant! This is because many varieties of herbal leaf and tea bags are actually what is called a tisane or ptisan; an infusion of leaves or flowers from plants other than the usual camellia sinensis in boiling water to make a delicious and often healthy hot drink.

Herbal leaf tea or flavoured tea can actually be made with lots of different types of plants, not just herbs, and can be served hot or cold. You can even buy herbal tea bags, though it is more likely to be bought as leaf tea because of the unusual and sometimes exotic flavours involved. Whereas loose tea of the normal variety is nearly always produced from the leaves of the tea plant, herbal and flavoured tea can be made from the leaves, flowers or roots of a plant; whatever produces the best flavours when immersed in hot water.

Some of the most popular types of herbal infusions include camomile, ginseng, fennel, nettle, ginger and mint. While most herbal leaf tea just tastes nice, some have unexpected health benefits. For example, camomile tea is ideal for drinking just before bed, as it can help calm and relax the drinker, while both fennel and mint tea can help with digestive problems, especially indigestion. Ginger leaf tea is even touted as a cure for morning sickness, though it is more likely that the ginger extract is simply calming the upset stomach.

Although herbal loose tea tends to be lower in health-boosting antioxidants than the regular tea plant, they do have one advantage over the common varieties of leaf tea and bags; they don’t contain caffeine. Although regular loose tea does not contain huge amounts of caffeine, it is still important that pregnant women don’t drink too many cups in a day. If you are expecting a baby and can’t manage on less than five cuppas a day, a healthy alternative could be to starting drinking herbal loose tea or flavoured tea instead.

In many tea-drinking countries herbal leaf tea is just as popular as those brewed from the camellia sinensis plant. Even in China, where black varieties originated, herbal tea is very popular as both a recreational drink and a form of medicine. Chinese medicine uses blends such as Oolong and Puerh with added roots and leaves from other plants to treat disorders such as high blood pressure and stomach problems. Sri Lanka, too, widely uses herbal leaf tea as part of their traditional medicine, including a variety called Paspanguwa which blends ginger, peppers and coriander seeds to make a very effective leaf tea that can be used to treat the symptoms of colds and flu.…

Resveratrol, Weight Loss and Type 2 Diabetes

When it comes to losing weight, the equation is pretty simple; consume fewer calories than you expend in a day. That’s the simplistic view, although somehow it never seems to end up exactly that way.

There are billions of dollars spent every year on weight loss products, supplements, exercise programs and other diet fads, and yet we still can’t seem to win the obesity battle. In the last few years though, a new natural supplement product has come to market that may help those trying to lose weight, including type 2 diabetics to stay within the healthy end of the spectrum. The supplement called resveratrol which is predominantly sourced from the polygonum cuspidatum plant, is unlike most diet supplements in that it utilizes a combination of both natural & herbal ingredients which can help the body maintain health whilst losing weight.

The reason much of the Western world has issues with obesity and type 2 diabetes in most part lies with the modern combinations of stressful lifestyle and fast-food consumption, however by replicating aspects of the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle, where much healthier weight levels and longevity prevail, we may have discovered the magic wonder pill to fix all. In fact, there has been a lot of news in recent months about the supposed “French Paradox,” which is known for how the French people eat a diet high in fat, smoke, enjoy rich desserts, drink copious amounts of wine and still end up with better heart health than most of the rest of the world. One of the main differences between the French diet and other world diets would appear to be the consumption of red wine, which it has become known contains a powerful antioxidant known as resveratrol.

Resveratrol is also found in grape skins, blueberries, cranberries and other plants like the Japanese Knotweed (which is where most supplement resveratrol is sourced from). Recent animal and in vitro studies have indicated that resveratrol can have a positive effect on maintaining healthy cholesterol levels, supporting insulin health, normalizing blood pressure and optimizing the metabolic and immune pathways that protect cells and improve mitochondrial function.

So if you’re on the hunt for a healthy natural supplement that will do you ever bit of good in helping you with your obesity, and type 2 diabetes, you’d be hard pressed to find anything better than a quality resveratrol supplement.…

Lose Weight With Herbal Tea – Get a Perfectly Slim Body Naturally

Herbal tea is now spoken of in the same breath as Green Tea. Green tea is famous for its antioxidant properties. Camellia Sinensis is the name of the plant from which green tea is derived. It is one of the most popular health drinks around the world. Chinese and Japanese, in particular have been drinking tea for centuries and no doubt such tea has some amazing health benefits.

If you want to know more about weight loss abilities of herbal tea then let me tell you there are a couple of clinical studies which confirm that herbal tea like green tea can help you extra body fat and weight by increasing your metabolism and suppressing your appetite. Not only this, another very important function that it green or herbal tea can influence is Insulin secretion in your body after ingesting foods that are rich in carbohydrates.

Having green or herbal tea after meals containing carbohydrates, reduces the secretion of Insulin in your body. This is quite important since Insulin is the hormone that is behind fat accumulation in your body. Thus, by limiting secretion of Insulin herbal tea can help reduce fat storage in your body.

But this is just one aspect of how herbal tea works. Such herbal or green tea is rich in compounds called catechins and polyphenols. These compounds are extremely powerful antioxidants that are found in plants. Such compounds can play a pivotal role in helping your body flush out all the toxins and other chemicals that accumulate in your body over time. These toxins not only increase your body weight but also slow down your metabolism.

Slow metabolism means reduced ability of your body to burn fat. Thus, it results in fat storage and weight gain. By getting rid of these toxins, herbal tea ensures a faster metabolism and gives a much needed to boost to your body’s fat burning ability. This not only helps melt away fat from your body resulting in weight reduction but also ensures increased energy levels.

Health Benefits of Herbal Weight Loss teas

Weight loss, however, is just one of the benefits of herbal tea. Such tea is a perfect health tonic. It not only cuts down on your body fat and weight but also gives a boost to your immunity. Not only this, it is also proven to help with skin problems such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. It also helps improve your skin complexion.

Not only this, such tea can also help reduce stress and calm down both your body and mind. This is one of the most important benefits of such tea since most of us live under stressful conditions.

There are many varieties of herbal tea that come in different flavors. Some of them can be quite delicious. However, the best tea that can ensure quick and rapid weight loss is a mix of high grade varieties that include Sencha, Puerh and Wuyii Cliff Oolong. Just a few cups a day can help you get a perfectly slim and trim body and better overall health.

So, If You Want to Lose Weight in a Tasty and Natural Way, Check out the Best Slim Tea that has Become a Huge Hit with Weight Watchers All Across the World.…

Tea for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a true folk festival that finds poetry in the beauty of harvest and seed time, the turn of the seasons, the ripe products of the year and the deep connection off all these things with God. Indeed! Thanksgiving is the one day where the turkey is brought out and a meal fit for a king is served.

Are you one of those people who religiously observe Thanksgiving and go all out on a cooking spree to serve a fantastic meal? Then you need to know that ‘herbal tea’ is the ingredient of the year. But is it really possible to make a delicious, mouth watering meal from an ingredient like tea?

Yes! Deliciously naughty deviled eggs that are partially boiled and covered with a mixture of lapsang souchong and bits of herbal tea are the in thing for your herbal tea theme party. Surprisingly the tea, imparts a beautiful marbling effect on the egg whites, and adds that perfect dash of smokiness.

Broccoli casserole is yet another dish that’s prepared from a blow of rice and green tea instead of plain water. The green tea gives the dish a very natural and earthy taste.

After eating these tea kissed dishes, don’t forget to compliment the chef!

Today, the day of thanks is much more somber. It’s filled with meaning and it is a day where the most nonfunctional families come together to give thanks. The food served, has also undergone a drastic change, although the turkey still holds the coveted spot on the table. For instance, herbal tea themed Thanksgiving menus are gaining a lot of attention. Its easily become part of the holiday tradition in most families that give it a try.

Hors d’oeuvres start off with an organic loose leaf tea that beautifully compliments the baby root vegetables with Lapsang Souchong aioli. Next, mushroom cappuccinos are served in doll-sized tea cups.

The first course usually starts off with herbed yam and sweet onion tea sandwiches that blend in well with any type of herbal tea. Next, the Turkey tea sandwiches and pumpkin dumplings seem to be a great hit in every household. This can be followed by a Persimmon and mesclun salad with slivered almonds and complimented with a tea vinaigrette.

Finally, the main course starts off with a vegetarian stuffing and cranberry chutney, followed by a grilled tea-brined turkey. But it’s the herbal tea once again, that brings out all these delectable flavors.

Overall, this is a menu that will capture your senses, right from the first whiff up to the very last sip.…

Can Herbal Tea Stop Excessive Sweating? 3 Effective Herbs You Should Try

Can herbal tea stop excessive sweating or are we just way in over our heads to resort to this practice? Most people drink tea for its health purposes but not many know of its sweat reducing properties. Herbal remedies are much safer to use although may take longer to produce results, nevertheless it is a viable option.

Sage is a common garden herb which has long been used as a remedy for excessive sweating. It acts as an astringent when applied to the skin which then dries it up and helps regulate sweat and skin secretions. It can also taken in as a drink but its taste takes some getting used to, just let the dried sage steep into hot water and you could always add lemon or honey to your liking.

Green tea is a much popular drink compared with any other type of herbal tea. Can herbal tea stop excessive sweating? The answer is within reach with Green tea. It may seem odd to be drinking hot tea to help minimize excess sweat since a person starts to also feel hot upon drinking it. The effect we are after comes when the heat reaches our stomach and sends a signal to our brain to let our bodies own cooling system to work. We are also purged out of the toxins that usually bring our bodies to sweat even more.

Passion flower tea gives off a soothing and calming effect which causes us to relax and sets us into a comfortable and positive mood. Most people are prone to excessive sweating when under high levels of stress and anxiety. It is believed to slow down particular brain cell activity and encourages loosening up.

As a warning for those who suffer from chronic seizures or any other complications, make sure to get the advisement of a health professional before drinking any kind of tea or oral remedies whether they may be natural or synthetic. Some herbal teas that are processed for commercial use may contain other ingredients like alcohol or sugar so always check their labels.

Drinking herbal tea has worked for others so why not give it a shot. Not only will it help reduce your excessive sweating, its health benefits alone can help you decide on making it a part of your regular habit.…

Type 2 Diabetes – Obesity and Gum Disease!

Obesity and gum disease are both frequently seen in people with diabetes, and according to researchers at Brigham and the Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, the two are associated, in both diabetics and non-diabetics. Their study was published in the journal Obesity in October 2011.

Study 1: Included in the study were 36,910 volunteers who had no gum disease at the start of the study. After 20 years it was found people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/square meter, considered obese, had a thirty percent higher risk of disease of the gums, than those with a normal BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/square meter. The volunteers who:

had a large waist measurement were 27 percent more likely to have gum disease than those who had a normal waist size, and

those with a high weight to height ratio were 34 percent more likely to suffer diseased gums than patients with a normal ratio.

According to the study, inflammation brought on by obesity can cause gum disease.

Study 2: In 2007 investigators at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, USA, looked at inflammatory molecules in the portal vein, a vein that carries blood from abdominal fat. In their article, published in the journal Diabetes, they described finding the inflammatory molecules in 25 extremely obese volunteers. The amount of interleukin-6, associated with inflammation, was found to be higher in blood taken from the portal vein, which carries blood from the abdominal fat, than in blood taken from an artery in the arm.

Study 3: In September, 2011 the Iranian Journal of Immunology reported upon a study completed on the subject of inflammatory molecules and gum disease. Researchers at the University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran, looked at inflammatory molecules in the blood of people with severe gum disease. Twenty-five volunteers with severe gum disease were found to have higher levels of IL-6 in their blood than 25 study participants without gum disease.

According to the American Diabetes Association, gum disease can cause diabetes to go out of control. According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, USA, about 34 percent of American adults suffer gum disease, and the condition can result in tooth loss, as well as being associated with generally poor health, heart and blood vessel disease, and complications of pregnancy.

From the above it is apparent that losing belly fat could help to prevent diseased gums, an important cause of tooth loss. Losing weight is already known to be helpful in:

controlling Type 2 diabetes, and

preventing high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.

If your waist-to-hip ratio is greater than 0.7 for women or 0.9 for men, why not start a campaign today to bring your belly fat down to a normal healthy level?…