Health benefits of herbal teas for men and women

Introduction

Herbal tea became popular recently because of its enormous health benefits for all. Yes, herbal teas are beneficial to both men and women.

Herbal teas are made from herbs, hence the name herbal tea. Most if not all of the herbs used in making herbal teas are medicinal.

Different herbs are used in producing herbal teas. We therefore have different kinds of herbal teas out there in the market.

The health benefits of a particular herbal tea is totally dependent on the type of herb or herbs it is made of.

For instance, a herbal tea that is made from a plant called Artemisia annua will have antimalarial property as its health benefits for both men and women including children.

Now, let us itemize the health benefits of herbal teas

1. Herbal teas have antidiabetic effect

Herbal tea made from herbs that have antidiabetic property will by extension have antidiabetic effect.

Note that herbal teas with antidiabetic effect should not automatically replace your antidiabetic drugs.

Do not even think about it. With your doctor’s approval, you can use any of them as supplements but not as a replacement of your antidiabetic drugs.

This is still applicable to other herbal teas with various benefits. Yes, they are to be used as supplements not as a replacement for standard medical treatment.

Examples of herbal teas with antidiabetic benefits

The following are herbal teas with antidiabetic effects:

Bitter leaf tea
Abere tea
Artemisia pallens tea
Bidens pilosa tea
Bixa orellana tea
Teramnus labialis tea
Aloe barbadensis tea
Annona squamosa tea
Averrhoa bilimbi tea
Azadirachta indica tea
Beta vulgaris tea
Camellia sinensis tea
Cassia alata tea
Eclipta alba tea
Eucalyptus globulus tea
Euphrasia officinale tea
Ficus carica tea
Gymnema sylvestre tea
Gynura procumbens tea
Ipomoea aquatica tea
Mangifera indica tea
Myrtus communis tea
Memecylon umbellatum tea
Morus indica tea
Ocimum sanctum tea
Abies pindrow tea
Achyranthus aspera tea
Ajauga iva tea
Aloe vera tea
Anacardium occidentale tea
Andrographis paniculata tea
Capsicum frutescens tea
Cryptolepis sanguinolenta tea
Enicostemma littorale tea
Ficus religiosa tea

2. Herbal teas have antihypertensive effect

Some herbal teas are used to help in the treatment of hypertension as they have antihypertensive effect.

Herbal teas in these category are all made from herbs with antihypertensive properties.

Examples of herbal teas with antihypertensive benefits

The following are herbal teas with antihypertensive benefits:

Guan Mu Tong tea
Celery tea
Garlic tea
Prickly Custard apple tea
Buchu tea
Tea (Camellia sinensis) tea
Indian plantago tea
Green Oat tea
Breadfruit tea
Karpurvali tea
Black bean tea
Coffee weed tea
Ajwain tea
Chaksu tea
Swamp Lily tea
Chinese Hawthorn tea
Virginia day green tea
Lasaf tea
Pima cotton tea
Soybean tea
Hardy Fuchsia tea
Osbeck tea
Carrot tea
Black Mangrove tea
Linseed or Flaxseed tea
Rompepiedra tea
French Lavender tea
Roselle tea
Umbrella tree tea
Murungai or moringa tea
Tomato tea
Pomegranate tea
Kudzu tea
Maritime Pine tea
Nela nelli tea
Harmal tea
Mistletoe tea
Cat’s Claw herb tea
Sticky Nightshade or Wild Tomato tea
Rauwolfia tea
Black plum tea

3. Herbal teas are beneficial in Cancer prevention

Remember what we said about herbal teas and how their beneficial come about.

For emphasis, remember that the health benefits of an individual herbal tea is solely dependent on the type of herb or herbs used in formulating it.

Herbal teas that help in cancer prevention are made from herbs that have anticancer properties.

Most of these herbs have strong antioxidant properties as they mop up free radicals from those who use them.

Examples of herbal teas with anticancer properties

The following are herbal teas with cancer prevention effects:

Allspice tea
Cinnamon tea
Basil tea
Cardamom tea
Caraway or meridian fennel tea
Rosemary tea
Dill tea
Cumin tea
Coriander tea
Thyme tea

4. Herbal teas help in Alzheimer’s disease

Herbal teas made from herbs that help in the treatment or prevention of Alzheimer’s disease have these benefits too.

The following are examples of herbal teas that are beneficial in Alzheimer’s disease:

Common sage tea
Serrate clubmoss tea
Ginkgo biloba tea
Lion’s mane tea
Gotu Kola tea
Cat’s claw tea
Brahmi tea
Ashwagandha tea
Convolvulus pluricaulis tea
Lion’s mane tea

5. Herbal teas Lower cholesterol

There are herbal teas that lower cholesterol in humans.

These are made from herbs that have blood cholesterol lowering properties.

Examples of them include the following:

Artichoke tea
Fenugreek tea
Guggul tea

6. Herbal teas help in Weight loss

Some herbal teas are used as adjunct in weight loss plan. Remember that weight loss plan involves a whole lot. So, herbal teas should complement and support diet and exercise interventions.

7. Herbal teas calm people who are anxious

Herbal teas with anxiolytic property calms people who are anxious and help them sleep too.

Herbal teas with this benefit should be used at bed time. Note that bed time can be in the morning, afternoon or night.

Yes, any time one wants to sleep is their bed time. One is not expected to operate machinery after taking herbal teas with anxiolytic and sedating

Examples of herbal teas with anxiolytic and sedating properties include the following:

Hops tea
Lemon Balm tea
Skullcap tea
Passion flower tea
Rosenroot tea
Chamomile tea
kava tea
St John’s wort tea
Lavender tea
Valerian tea
Golden Thryallis tea
Ginkgo biloba tea
Astragalus membranaceus tea
Gotu Kola tea
Waterhyssop tea
Ashwagandha tea

8. Herbal teas help in mental alertness

9. Herbal teas are beneficial to the heart

10. Herbal teas are beneficial to the brain

11. Herbal teas help in skin care

Disclaimers:

Even though we know that herbal teas have got the above stated health benefits, do not use any of them without the approval of your healthcare provider especially for the treatment of ailments.

Some benefits of herbal teas will not be enough to help you solve the health challenges you may be facing.

For instance, a herbal tea with antihypertensive effect may not be enough to normalise your blood pressure.

So, in this case, you will still be required to continue with your normal prescription antihypertensive drugs.

Never use any health care product without your healthcare provider’s recommendation or approval.

References

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Tabassum N, Ahmad F. Role of natural herbs in the treatment of hypertension. Pharmacogn Rev. 2011;5(9):30-40. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.79097
Kaefer CM, Milner JA. Herbs and Spices in Cancer Prevention and Treatment. In: Benzie IFF, Wachtel-Galor S, editors. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press/Taylor & Francis; 2011. Chapter 17
Tian, J., Shi, J., Zhang, X. et al. Herbal therapy: a new pathway for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Alz Res Therapy 2, 30 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1186/alzrt54
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Lakhan, S.E., Vieira, K.F. Nutritional and herbal supplements for anxiety and anxiety-related disorders: systematic review. Nutr J 9, 42 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-9-42