The immediate word that comes to our mind when we hear ‘tea’ is relaxation. It is indeed the staple beverage of the nation – a drink brewed in times of trouble or stress, a cup of which can set us up for the day with great energy. Tea can be caffeinated and non- caffeinated. The caffeinated beverage can be further classified, depending on the climate and its level of processing of leaves based on the season that the leaves are harvested.
But today, herbal teas, which many or may not actually have real tea in it, have become very popular. Those who have been consuming coffee or tea on a regular basis find the shift from the regular tea leaves to a concoction of flowers and herbs help them cut their tea-addiction. Herbal teas are typically brewed with myriad spices, herbs or other parts of the plant, like flowers, fruit, with water.
Fruit tea is slightly different from other types of tea because --again-- there is no real tea involved. It is simply made from dried or fresh fruits, sometimes with spices or flowers and herbs are added, giving them a new nomenclature- tisane. They have now gained prominence among tea-lovers. Fruit-infused teas may contain some essential water-soluble vitamins and nutrients that are seeped into the water that the fruits are being boiled in. They are delicious as they contain the delicate flavours of the fruits and can be enjoyed at any time of the day.
Fruit tea is packed with vitamins and antioxidants and is amazing for cleansing the body of toxins and keeping the immune system boosted. In that aspect, it is very similar to tea leaves, with high levels of health benefits.
- Major health benefits
- Fight insomnia
- Improve the quality of sleep.
- Balancing digestive issues
- For better heart health – antioxidant properties
- Stress buster
- Strawberry + brown Sugar + Basil
- Lemon + Honey + Ginger
- Watermelon + Mint
- Raspberry + brown Sugar + Peach
- Orange + ginger + Honey
- Blueberries + Mint
- Some great combination of tea
Adding any source of vitamin C to the tea gives the calming and soothing earthy flavor for example with lemon or orange. You can also combine it with chamomile tea, jasmine tea, mint leaves and ginger. It is very easy to make the tea and all you have to do is wash all your ingredients thoroughly and then boil them in water and then pour the filtered water out into cups. You may add honey/ brown sugar as per your taste and requirements.
(The author is a lifestyle coach and diet counselor. She tweets @Bipasha1sugati)
