10 herbal teas to supercharge your immune system, digestive health, improve sleep & focus, manage PMS and help you stay warm during this fall & winter season!
It's officially that time of year here in Canada where I find myself drinking herbal tea all day long. Every-other hour, you'll find me boiling the kettle and reaching into my tea stash for another cup!
Since I work from home, I love breaking up my work day with a cup of tea every few hours - it gets my eyes off the computer and warms me up on these cool fall days. Does anyone else get cold from sitting still at your desk all day?!
In this post I have included my top 10 favourite herbal teas that I always keep stocked in my pantry, and drink on a daily basis. Herbal tea can help support your immune system, digestive health, improve sleep & focus, and even manage PMS symptoms. Think of this as your herbal tea medicine cabinet!
Calming
Lavender Tulsi this is my go-to tea to drink in the evening when I am winding down before bed. Tulsi is also known as "holy basil". This herb has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. It helps the body to adapt to stress, balance hormones, ease inflammation and more. This organic lavender + tulsi blend is my favourite of all tulsi tea I've ever tried - the lavender adds a beautiful aroma and is very calming.
Chamomile tea actually has many benefits other than reducing stress and improving sleep! It is also good for supporting your digestion, reducing cold symptoms, relieving menstrual cramps and headaches. This sweet herbal tea has a delicious flavour as well. I didn't drink it very often growing up, but now I love it - and you can always find it in my tea cupboard!
Digestive
Peppermint tea might be an obvious solution for digestive upset for those of us who live & breathe holistic health / nutrition - but I'm willing to bet that it doesn't come to mind for the majority of people. Next time your experiencing indigestion or feeling bloated after a large meal try brewing a cup of organic peppermint tea. Menthol, one of the compounds found in peppermint, helps to stimulate bile flow - which helps to break down lipids in your small intestine. Peppermint is also amazing for nausea, headaches, and reducing fever.
Dandelion root + leaf - dandelion is a digestive bitter - meaning it helps to stimulate the flow of digestive enzymes. It is also a gentle diuretic and supports the body's natural detoxification process.
Healthy Skin
Rose & Schisandra Glow this juicy, sweet tea has got to be one of the most beautiful and delicious teas ever! It contains a blend of organic hibiscus, organic schisandra berry and other deliciously fruity ingredients. This blend is high in Vitamin C, and has anti-inflammatory properties that help support glowing, radiant skin! As an added benefit this blend is also great for balancing hormones & digestion - both of which are tied to healthy skin!
Turmeric Latte - this is again a tea that has many benefits and could be put in the immune, digestion, calming, focus or PMS section of this blog post. But I think turmeric gets enough attention for its immune boosting properties. Let's talk about turmeric and healthy skin! Turmeric has inflammatory properties, but it also helps to improve circulation and therefore bring oxygen and nutrients to your skin.
Immunity
Echinacea + Elderberry both have immune stimulating properties, and combined they are like a powerhouse for your immune system! Echinacea can help reduce the chances of catching a cold by, while also reducing the duration and severity. It is anti-inflammatory, and can be especially helpful for relieving infections in the upper respiratory tract. Elderberry contains powerful flavonoids such as anthocyanins, quercetin and rutin. These flavonoids are anti-inflammatory, and support a healthy immune and inflammation response. This delicious tea contains both echinacea + elderberry, and it's an absolute must-have for cold & flue season!
Chaga Coconut Chai - this tea has been my favourite this fall! The spices are perfectly balanced with a gentle sweetness from cinnamon and coconut. Chaga mushroom is an antioxidant that helps to combat free radicals and support cellular regeneration, and is packed with antioxidants that help to boost your immunity. Chaga provides other health benefits as well, as a stress-relieving adaptogen that helps to reduce physical, mental and emotional fatigue while boosting your mood and supporting gut health. You can't go wrong with this powerful medicinal mushroom!
Focus
Matcha is a super potent type of green tea, that is high in antioxidants, as well as fat soluble L-theanine. Theanine promotes relaxation and alertness – working together with caffeine (which is also found in matcha) to enhance endurance, and memory, and reaction time. There is about 1/ 4 of the amount of caffeine in matcha as there is in coffee. Caffeine and theanine together help to enhance memory and cognitive function. Check out my delicious Bulletproof Matcha recipe for a delicious latté that you can make at home.
PMS
Red raspberry leaf tea is rich in antioxidants, and can be used to help reduce heavy bleeding and intense cramps. Not only that, it will help ease digestion and reduce bloating. Check out my blog post 8 Tips for Reducing PMS Symptoms Naturally for more ideas on how to ease PMS. It has a gentle and subtle flavour that reminds me of green tea, and I think anyone would like it!
You can find all my favourite teas and other pantry essentials over on my Amazon shop here! I hope this blog post inspires you to try some new herbal teas this season, let me know in the comments if any of these are your favourite as well, and which one you're most excited to try!
Tea bags & micro plastics...
Some tea bags have been found to shed billions of micro plastics into ever cup. Stay away from nylon tea bags - instead choose loose leaf tea, or paper tea bags. Better for you and better for the planet!
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