“Tea is the elixir of life.”
Lao Tuz
An accidental discovery by Emperor Shen Nong in 2737 BC in China is now the must thing for every household. Both adults and children are also inclined towards it. If we think of why everyone is so inclined towards tea, all we could get is peer pressure or media influence, mainly from cartoons and advertisements. One such cartoon that influenced children towards tea is The Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, which indirectly emphasized drinking healthy herbal teas.
Tea In Wonderland
Tea, which was used as an elixir in the film, was drunk as a medicinal potion to attain normal shape, size, become healthy or drink for leisure, as shown in Mad Hatter’s tea party. The nursery rhyme, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” was rephrased as, “Up above the world you fly, Like a tea-tray in the sky.” All these things imprint in our minds. Everything revolves around tea, i.e., in the household, it’s majorly seen that breakfast includes tea-roti, evening snack has tea-biscuit, etc.
Do you know we have more than 100 types of healthy herbal teas available in the market? And as we saw, Mad Hatter enjoys various elixirs. These elixirs (healthy herbal teas) include Green tea, Blue Pea Flower tea, Hibiscus tea, Milk tea, Hoji Cha, Oolong tea, Rose tea. All these types of herbal teas provide health benefits like boosting immunity, enhancing the memory and providing antioxidants, destressing the mind, giving an instant energy boost, drinking for leisure, working as stress-resistant, providing supple skin, respectively.
History Of Tea
The history of tea, grown initially in China 6000 years ago, was known as an elixir and leisure drink that slowly progressed towards the entire globe. It became an essential household product. Before one could drink tea in the form of liquid, it was considered spice grounded with certain herbs and used as a flavoring agent. When people realized that it could be used as a flavoring agent, they added certain herbs to it, which benefited us in taste and health; so, tea was called Elixir.
Mixing herbs with tea and obtaining magical tea was the primary principle for everyone in Alice in Wonderland, helping Alice become tiny as a rat and big as a giant. In today’s living, we get this Elixir in the same way by drinking healthy herbal teas, by adding herbs to tea to fight cold, cough, flu, stress, obesity, etc.
Healthy Herbal Teas For You
1. Tulsi Ginger Tea
Tulsi ginger tea is one of the best healthy herbal teas one can drink, especially when it gives numerous health benefits to the body. Both these herbs are used for medicinal purposes. It works as an immunity booster and pain reliving by providing antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents to the body. Tulsi has anti-septic, anti-cancer, antioxidant, etc., properties. Ginger helps to fight infections, inflammation, etc.
2. Masala Tea
It gives strong flavor and a good kick starts to whatever one is doing, i.e., instant refreshment. Since many spices are used in Masala tea, they provide the body with anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory properties that protect against infections. Thus, it boosts the immune system. It aids in proper digestion too.
3. Chamomile Green Tea
Chamomile green tea is prepared from green tea and chamomile flower. It is known for its soothing and anti-cramping effect on women’s health. Its caffeine-free attribute offers antioxidants required by the body, which helps in lowering heart disease and cancer. It also promotes peaceful sleep. Chamomile green tea is excellent for hair and skin. It acts as a natural cleansing agent for skin and helps treat hair loss problems too.
4. Detox Tea
As the name suggests, it helps one to detox and aids in the digestion process. Due to their laxative effect, they help in speeding food through the digestive tract. It helps in maintaining your weight, giving you a slimmer waist.
5. Spearmint/Peppermint Green Tea
Spearmint/peppermint green tea allows people to get relief from flatulence problem. Both spearmint and peppermint are known for their cooling and refreshing quality; they improve your mood. It is also a better choice if you are following a healthy diet.
6. Turmeric Ginger Cinnamon Tea
Turmeric ginger cinnamon tea is a boon for diabetic individuals as it helps to maintain blood sugar levels and keep honey, sugar, molasses, and jaggery at bay. All these spices are loaded with powerful antioxidant, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory properties that boost the body’s immunity. And they help to boost the digestion process with proper functioning.
7. Blue Pea Flower Tea With Hibiscus, Marigold, And A Bit Of Green Tea
It is an instant stress reliever and helps aid various psychological disorders. A famous psychologist, Astrid Alauda, said, “Tea is instant wisdom — just add water!” Adding hibiscus to the blue pea flower tea (blue tea) changes its color to bright red. It has positive effects on the heart, stress, diabetic conditions, etc. The flower petal has antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties. This tea has catechins that help in burning belly fat, inducing weight loss.
8. Blue Pea Flower Tea With Lemon Drops
It gives a royal purple hue like dragon blood in Alice in wonderland. It is undoubtedly a magical tea as it gave a sense of security to Wonderland citizens. It is humanity’s happiness, enhances memory, boosts immunity, improves eyesight, skin, works as an analgesic and diuretic. Therefore, it is known for its royalty.
Alexander Stoddard states correctly that the “art of tea” is a spiritual force for us to share. This art gave humankind various health, mental, and spiritual well-being by showing significant improvements in individuals suffering from metabolic disorders like diabetes, polycystic ovarian disease (PCOS), cardiac conditions, cancer, obesity, respiratory disorders, etc. One must not exceed or overconsume these healthy herbal teas. Too much of them can aggravate anemia, anxiety, lead to addiction, etc. Therefore, it’s advised not to consume 3 to 5 cups of herbal tea, 3 cups of milk tea every day.
I remember Father of Medicine, Hippocrates’ quote, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food,” and Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland made us curious about knowing tea. These healthy herbal teas give magical health properties, which can be availed by everyone today!
Read Also: How To Become A Connoisseur Of Tea?
