Hey everybody, Caffeine Man here and today is tea talk part 3. In part 3 I'm
going to be going over herbal teas. Is there caffeine in herbal tea? What are the
health benefits of herbal tea? Are they as good as regular tea?
Find out all this and more, coming right up!
INTRO: C *THUD M *THUD*
*LIGHTING STRIKE*
Welcome again everybody to part three of tea talk.
Tea talk was an extensive and informative discussion on most
things tea related. Tea is a very large topic so I tried to discuss a large
chunk of it in a three-part series. More tea videos will pop up on my channel as
time goes on so if you like these videos about tea, feel free to hit the subscribe
button. If you missed parts one and two I'll include a link down in the
description box below and I'll include a card right here to part one if you want
to check it out. In part one, I went over how much caffeine is in tea as well as
how many kinds of tea there are. In part two, I discussed all the health benefits
of tea. In this part, I'm going over herbal teas; if there's any caffeine in
herbal teas; and the health benefits as well. Now a lot of you might be saying
"why is caffeine man doing a video on herbal teas? There's no caffeine in
herbal teas? It's like you're an oxymoron."
"What did you just call me?"
Well in a majority of cases, most people are correct. MOST herbal teas do not have any
caffeine in them, but there are a few that DO. But before we get into that,
let's talk about what herbal teas actually are. Herbal teas aren't actually
true teas. When we refer to "true tea's", the true teas all come from the Camellia
Sinensis plant, which include black tea, green tea, dark tea, white tea, oolong tea
and yellow tea. Herbal teas are made from all different kinds of plants and can be
made with fresh or dried flowers, leaves, seeds, dried fruits and spices, and herbs
and roots. Nowadays, a lot of people drink herbal tea for it's large variety of
delicious flavors. A lot of people also like it because it's a caffeine free
beverage, in most cases. Herbal tea is a good substitution for coffee, for those
that like to have a daily morning beverage, but it also has great health
benefits. There are a lot of antioxidants in herbal teas, not as many as regular
true teas, but still a lot and the health benefits for these teas will vary based
on what kind of herbal tea you're drinking or what ailment you may be
trying to overcome, if any. Herbal teas can date back to
centuries ago. I mean, centuries ago. Back when shamans went out into the backwoods
to get herbs to heal people. That kind of centuries ago. Heck, I mean, Ayla was
making these herbs way back in the day when Iza started teaching her.
Is that Daryl Hannah? If anyone actually gets that reference, without Googling it!
Let me know in the comments below.
Is there caffeine in herbal tea? Most people would say no. Most people would be wrong.
While it is true that a majority of herbal teas don't have any caffeine in them, there are some that do. Not many,
but some. They are two Holly plants, Yerba Mate and Guayusa. The Yerba Mate
plant is grown and processed in South America and known to have many health
benefits... and caffeine. Believe it or not,
I actually found this drink here, Yerba Mate, at a local convenience store several months ago.
I've actually been having it once a week ever since then because it's really good and it's not
carbonated and non-carbonated is always a plus in my book. I picked it up because
it was in the energy drink section and wanted to try it out. It's completely
organic, it's vegan, it's part of the Fairtrade and it has lots of health
benefits. The fact that it was not carbonated definitely helped out as well
then, when I tried it, I thought it was delicious and continued to buy it.
It actually has 160 milligrams of caffeine in it and it's a 15.5 ounce can so
you know it's competitive with the other energy drinks out there and a lot
healthier. Guayusa is a somewhat rare plant and
can be found in the Amazon rainforest. It is treasured for its unique balance of
caffeine, antioxidants, vitamins, amino acids and it's energizing effect that is
similar to coffee and Yerba Mate and it's catechins provide a slow release of
caffeine for sustainable energy. This gentler and more sustainable release of
caffeine is said to create mental strength and focus, rather than a
caffeine buzz. In addition to the two Holly based plants, there's also the
cacao plant or more widely known as the cocoa plant, which are the same plants
that chocolate come from. It also contains a small amount of caffeine, so
if you're gonna be having an herbal tea with a cocoa base, it's gonna have
caffeine there are also several herbal blends that include cocoa in its
ingredients. This leads me into the topic of blends. With so many different plants
and fruits that herbal teas are made from there are a
smorgasbord of ingredients. I mean some of these herbal teas have more
ingredients than some of the trail mixes I've seen and with all these ingredients
they sometimes have green tea, black tea and white tea, mixed in with them as well.
Therefore it's always safer to just read the package to find out if there is
caffeine and what the ingredients are. If you see anything that says tea its most
likely going to have caffeine in it. And that brings me to one more common
misconception about a certain tea. jasmine tea is sometimes thought of as an herbal
tea. Not to the people that know tea but the people that don't really know tea.
They know that jasmine is a plant so they think that it's an herbal tea but
jasmine teas are usually mixed with a green base. But it's also been part of a
black base and a white base and the Jasmine is just added to those teas.
Jasmine doesn't actually have any caffeine in it but a jasmine tea will
have caffeine, because it will have green tea or black tea or white tea as its
base. But like I said, in the majority of cases, herbal teas aren't gonna have any
caffeine in them, but there are a few exceptions to that rule to keep an eye
out for. So with all these plants, fruits, leaves, seeds, roots, teas, herb, there are
hundreds of different kinds of herbal teas. Which ones are the healthiest? Which
ones taste the best? Well I can't go over them, all because as you can see the
list is long, but I picked out ten that are a mix of healthy and tasty.
if I happen to miss one of your favorites feel free to let me know in the comments
below. First off, the one that we all know and may love, is chamomile tea.
Personally, being Caffeine Man, I don't like chamomile tea. I'm fairly calm as it
is. I actually need caffeine just to make me partially sociable, but I'm a weird
one like that. I know most of people in the world do need things to calm them
down and that's what chamomile tea is for. Chamomile tea is most known for
having it's calming effect and it's frequently used as a sleep aid. In one
study of 80 postpartum women experiencing sleep issues, drinking
chamomile tea for two weeks led to improved sleep quality and fewer
symptoms of depression. Another study, with 34 patients of insomnia, found
marginal improvements for those who took chamomile extract twice a day.
In addition to its calming properties, Chamomile also has anti-inflammatory,
antibacterial and liver protecting effects. Other smaller studies found
that Chamomile tea can actually reduce the symptoms of
premenstrual syndrome. In people with type 2 diabetes
saw improvements in blood glucose insulin and blood lipid levels.
Peppermint tea. Peppermint tea is one of the most commonly used herbal teas. It's primarily
used to help support digestive tract health but it also has antioxidants with
anti-bacterial and antiviral properties. Several studies show that peppermint oil,
which often includes other herbs as well, can help relieve indigestion, nausea and
stomach pain as well as being effective in reducing spasms in the intestines and
esophagus. It's also effective in relieving symptoms of irritable bowel
syndrome plus it tastes like peppermint. Ginger tea. This is a personal favorite
of mine because I like spicy things and I even make it myself with fresh ginger.
it's super simple to make and I usually add honey to it. Some people like to add
lemon but I'm not a fan of the acidity in lemon so I stick to honey. Ginger tea
helps fight inflammation and stimulates the immune system but it's mostly well
known for being an effective remedy against nausea. Studies consistently find
that ginger is effective in fighting nausea, especially in early pregnancy and
it may even relieve nausea caused by cancer treatments and motion sickness.
Evidence also suggests that ginger may help prevent stomach ulcers and relieve
indigestion or constipation. Overall, everyone's known that ginger has health
benefits. Making tea on it just extracts those benefits into a liquid form.
Hibiscus tea. Hibiscus tea is made from the colorful flowers of the hibiscus plant.
Hibiscus tea has antiviral properties and test-tube studies have
proven that it's extract against strains of the bird flu. However no evidence is
shown that it can help fight off flu symptoms. Hibiscus tea has shown a
positive effect on high blood pressure. On the downside, Hibiscus tea may
interfere with the duration of the effects of aspirin
therefore it's best to take them a few hours apart. Cinnamon tea, another
favorite of mine. I like almost anything cinnamon flavored. I say almost
everything because I recently tried some cinnamon caffeine gum. Not good! But if
you want to find out more about some good caffeine gums, I'll include a card
above that'll take you to a video about caffeine gum. But overall, cinnamon, two
thumbs up. Studies have shown that cinnamon is good both for the body and
mind. Cinnamon is known to clear the brain improve cognitive speed, increase focus and encourage the
growth of neuro-pathways. It's also good for calming an upset stomach, gas, diarrhea and
improving digestive health. Its stimulating effect on stomach acids help
digestion be more effective and decreases the chances of
gastrointestinal uncomfortableness. Yhe antioxidants in cinnamon tea also help
boost the immune system which helps guard you against colds, the flu and
other infections. This is especially effective in the stomach where many
harmful pathogens can be found. Echinacea tea. Echinacea tea is an
extremely popular remedy for fighting off the common cold or preventing colds
as well. Studies have suggested that echinacea
helps boost the immune system which could help the body fight off viruses
and infections. Although there have been a lot of studies showing that it does help
reduce the duration of a cold, science has yet to give a definitive answer on it.
Come on science, with technology today, just do it! Get on it!
Rosehip tea. Rosehip tea is made from the fruit of the rose plant. It's high in vitamin C and other
beneficial health properties. Several studies have looked into the ability of
rose hip powder to reduce the inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis and
osteoporosis. Many of these studies found it effective at reducing inflammation and
its related symptoms including pain. Rosehip may also be beneficial for
weight management. One 12-week study of 32 overweight individuals found that
taking rose hip extract, resulted in decreased BMI and belly fat. Rosehips
anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits may also help fight skin aging.
One preliminary study found that taking rose hip powder for eight weeks reduced
the depth of wrinkles around the eyes and improved the moisture and skin of
the face. Sage tea. Sage tea is well known for it's medicinal properties. And scientific
research has begun to support several of its health benefits especially for brain
health. Hey science guys, work on that echinacea stuff. I heard it's good.
A number of test-tube, animal and human studies, have shown that sage is
beneficial for cognitive function as well as potentially effective against
the plaques involved in Alzheimer's disease. A number of other studies found
improvements in mood, mental function and memory in healthy adults, after they
took one of several different types of sage extract.
What about the unhealthy adults?
Additionally, one small study found that sage tea
improved blood lipid levels while another study in rats found that sage
tea protected against the development of colon cancer.
Do people care about rat's colons? I am not showing a picture of that!
Passion flower tea. The leaves, stems
and flowers of the passion flower plant are used to make passion flower tea. The
passion flower tea is traditionally used to relieve anxiety and improve sleep and
studies have started to support these uses. One study found that drinking
passion flower tea for one week, significantly improved sleep quality
scores. Two other human studies found that passion flower tea helped reduce
anxiety. Yet another study found that passion flower tea helped relieve the
mental symptoms of opioid withdrawal, such as anxiety, irritability and
agitation, when taken in addition to clonidine, the medication usually used
for opioid detoxification treatment. Last on my list, and I saved the best for last,
or at least in terms of health benefits, is Rooibos tea. Rooibos tea is a red tea, or
more accurately, a red bush tea. Rooibos tea is grown in South Africa on the
western coast and it's a tea that's been gaining a lot of popularity over the
years for its health benefits. They've been doing studies of its health
benefits and have claimed potential health benefits to help protect against
cancer, heart disease and stroke. Some say that if these tests prove positive it could
become more popular than green tea... for everything that you need to know about
green teas health benefits, I'll include a card above. Rooibos teas are low in
tannins. Tannins are natural compounds present in green and black tea and can
sometimes interfere with the absorption of certain nutrients, such as iron. This
is usually if you're having excessive amount of tannins. Additionally high
tannin intake has been known to cause headaches in some people and in a few
random cases. And more studies are needed to prove that. Rooibos with its low
tannic count, removes those concerns when you're drinking tea... if you were concerned about that.
If you watched part two of tea talk you'll know how
important and how powerful antioxidants are. Rooibos is jam-packed with
antioxidants. Antioxidants may help protect cells against free radicals. And
over the long term, their effects may reduce the risks of
illnesses such as heart disease and cancer. Some of the antioxidants in
Rooibos tea are linked to a healthier heart by positively affecting blood pressure.
It may also lower your bad cholesterol, your LDL, and raise your good cholesterol,
your HDL. Healthy cholesterol levels give added
protection against various heart conditions including heart attacks and stroke.
May reduce the risks of cancer. This is one that we hear most about in
tea and is still being widely debated and many more research studies are being
taken place to help prove this. All of it is based around the antioxidants in
these drinks and the benefits of these antioxidants. Test tube studies note that
the antioxidants in rooibos tea could help kill cancer cells and prevent tumor
growth, however no human studies have confirmed these effects... yet.
May help people with type 2 diabetes. Rooibos tea is the only known natural
source of the antioxidant aspalathin, which in animal studies, have suggested
anti-diabetic effects. One study in mice with type 2 diabetes found that this
antioxidant balanced blood sugar levels and reduced insulin resistance, which
could prove promising to people with type 2 diabetes.
Overall the health claims around Rooibos tea vary widely and there are a lot
more claims that have been unverified as well. Among those include bone health,
improved digestion, and being used as a sleep aid as well as to help out allergies.
Of course the lack of evidence doesn't necessarily mean these claims are false,
it's just that they haven't been proven in studies yet.
And there you have it! The three-part series of tea talk I hope you enjoyed every episode that I did and
there's gonna be more tea talk in the future so definitely feel free to
subscribe if you want to stay informed on all things caffeine related. Thanks
for joining me. Have a good day