You’ve probably heard of all the benefits that tea can provide. As an avid consumer of tea morning, noon and night I can attest to many of those benefits. I drink so much tea that my friends tend to give me some grief about it, so that’s why I’m going to “word vomit” my personal experience with tea and explain the best teas for women’s health.
To give you what you came here to learn, here’s a quick list of teas that I consume on a regular basis:
Table of Contents
CliffsNotes of Tea For Women’s Health
- Lemon Ginger Tea – For upset stomach.
- Hot Cinnamon & Spice – For a little pick me in the morning
- Dreams by Tazo – For a soothing and relaxing evening
- Peppermint – For nausea, digestive issues
- Raspberry Leaf– For PMS and cramps
Let me start with a short true story!
I’ve never been a coffee drinker, but tea I drink all the time, and here’s why…
I’ve had asthma my entire life, and when I was in the 2nd grade I had to go to the emergency room for being on the verge of death. During my stay, I distinctly remember them giving me cold coffee to drink. Yes, cold…plain…black coffee.
The logic was that the caffeine would help open up the airways and therefore relieve the symptoms of asthma. And honestly, it worked. At least it seemed to work. But what else worked was my aversion to coffee for the rest of my life.
What I do remember is the taste of cold black coffee as a child! Not something I was fond of… at all. So I grew up never drinking coffee…scarred for life!
What I did discover was tea!
What Are The Benefits of Tea?
Depending on the type and variety, tea is not just a soothing and relaxing beverage, it comes with a number of potential health benefits. See below:
· Lowered cholesterol – studies show suggest five cups per day will provide results, but multiple studies have shown that higher consumption leads to the biggest drop in cholesterol
· Blindness prevention – since tea contains high levels of antioxidants, it is not surprising that studies have found them in eye tissue.
· Reduced cortisol levels – this is the stress hormone that contributes to belly fat and makes you age quicker. One study says 4 cups of tea per day may make your cortisol levels spike less.
· Anti-inflammatory – active compounds in tea can help to lower levels of inflammation. Inflammation is connected to almost every modern ailment, including arthritis, metabolic syndrome, and depression.
· Reduced risk of dementia – to stay sharp, even as you age, drink tea, as it is thought to lower the risk of dementia by acting through multiple pathways, including those of nerve synapses and blood sugar regulation.
How Many Cups of Tea Can You Drink?
Some teas contain caffeine so depending on how sensitive you are to caffeine will really determine how many cups you should consume. Caffeine can lead to an elevated heart rate, trouble with sleeping, nausea, restless and anxiety. So be sure to consume in moderation and be cognizant of what time of day you’re drinking it.
If you’re like me, I would recommend reducing or stopping any caffeine intake by 2 pm. This is assuming you’re a reasonable adult and heading to be around 9-10 pm. If you hit the sack any earlier, I would suggest decreasing your caffeine intake around noon. This will give your body several hours to work the caffeine out of your system.
If you’re drinking black teas or green teas that are high in caffeine, around 5 cups should be your max. This is assuming about 8 oz of tea per cup. This will also depend on how well your body processes caffeine. If you’re very reactive to it, then fewer cups would be recommended.
If you’re drinking more herbal or teas with lower levels of caffeine then you can safely consume around 6-8 cups per day.
That being said, I do prefer flavored black tea in the mornings and will switch to green tea in the afternoons. The black teas tend to have a higher amount of caffeine, which I like in the mornings, and the green teas seem to be a perfect post-lunch drink.
As mentioned above the caffeine is usually a bit lower in the green teas, so consuming it after lunch doesn’t interrupt my sleep.
What Kind of Tea Should Women Avoid?
The only time that women might be a little cautious of drinking tea is during pregnancy. And this will depend on how far along you are in your pregnancy. For example, according to Healthline, Although generally considered safe, raspberry leaf may promote uterine contractions while peppermint may stimulate menstrual flow. Therefore, there’s some controversy regarding whether these teas are safe during the first trimester of pregnancy.”
Another caution would be watching how much caffeine you’re consuming. If caffeine is a strong stimulant for you, definitely consume tea’s in moderation and restrict drinking tea later in the day.
Also, some teas promoted as weight loss supplements may contain laxatives. Any “cleansing or detoxification” teas need to send a red flag in your brain. These can easily dehydrate you and leave you running to the bathroom throughout the day. As a pregnant woman, you’re probably already using the bathroom frequently. No need to increase the number of trips.
Tea Additives to Avoid
I don’t add any milk, sugar, or creams to my tea. While these ingredients aren’t overly dangerous in themselves, but they do usually contain sugars. And the more sugar you have the fewer benefits you’ll reap from your tea.
A diet high in sugar increases your chances of weight gain and can contribute to obesity. That being, whenever I have a bit of a sore throat, I might add a touch of honey. I feel like the benefits outweigh the cons. And if it’s only temporary, it won’t hurt anything.
Best Teas for Women’s Health
I don’t have these teas in any kind of order but I’ll explain which tea it is, and why I love it.
Best Tea for Mornings & PMS Symptoms
1) Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea
Once you open this bag or tin can you’ll understand why I like it so much. The flavor is fantastic and tastes like a Christmas holiday in your mouth, but the smell is what I love the most about it. A fair bit of warning, you don’t need much to get the full flavor. The loose-leaf can make a few cups of tea with about a teaspoon of tea. It’s a black tea, so it does contain some caffeine, but that precisely why I save it for the morning. Matter of fact, it seems like every time I make this at the office, someone always comments “what kind of tea is that? It smells delicious.“
I’ve used the packets and the loose-leaf. Above you’ll see the tin can it comes in if you go the loose leaf route. The secondary benefit of getting the tin cans is you can reuse them. They smell great and work great for holding small objects.
Best Tea for Upset Stomach or Cramps
I go through so much of the lemon ginger tea that I buy it in bulk too. Ginger is a natural anti-spasmodic that helps with upset stomachs. During “shark week” as my boyfriend calls it when my stomach is cramping up, this tea works wonders in alleviating stomach cramps. It’s caffeine-free which means I can drink it in the evening without it keeping me up at night. I also like to sometimes mix in a bit of apple cider vinegar and drink it while I’m intermittent fasting. Obviously, with the high amount of acidity, I don’t do this when my stomach is upset.
Best Tea for Evenings and Headaches
After dinner, I like to finish the night off with some herbal tea. I actually like to switch it up a bit, but one of my staples is this Dream tea by Tazo. The flavoring isn’t overly powerful and the smell is relaxing. Again, this one is caffeine-free, so I can drink it without keeping me up at night. I usually try to be asleep by 10 pm every night, so I strive to finish my evening tea by 6 pm. This gives me a few hours to use the bathroom before going to bed, otherwise, it could cause me to wake up in the middle of the night and use the restroom. The lavender and chamomile are a great combination for reducing the days’ anxiety and washing away any stress. Similarly, to the Harney & Sons above, this one not only tastes great but smells great. And I think this is why it’s so effective in whisking away low-grade headaches.
Best Tea for PMS
4) Organic Red Raspberry Leaf Tea Bags – There’s a reason this one has over 25k reviews with a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. It’s because women love it, and know the wonders it can do to help with PMS and menstrual cramps. It also can help balance hormones during menopause. It’s kind of the queen of teas for women’s health.
What I love about this one, is its subtleness. It has just the right amount of tart and sweetness to it, which makes it soothing to the palate. The other aspect I like about this particular company is the eco-friendly packaging. I love supporting companies that are trying to do the right thing. If you’re looking for a raspberry leaf tea, I hope you’ll consider a company that is looking to make the world a better place.
Best Tea for Health and Energy
5) Peppermint Tea – The final tea on my list of teas for women’s health is good ol’ fashioned peppermint tea. There’s a laundry list of reasons why peppermint tea is so popular. The menthol associated with peppermint tea is great for decongestion. Peppermint oil has been used for centuries to help with digestion and irritable bowel syndrome. When the tea leaves are steeped in hot water, the essential oils which are also antiviral and antimicrobial, can benefit your immune system and help your body fight infection. And I feel like that is a shortlist of ailments peppermint tea can do. When all else fails, I drink peppermint tea. It’s just an all-encompassing tea that provides a multitude of benefits. Below is a bulk package I’ve purchased before, and love how long it lasts.
Wrapping up Tea For Women’s Health
If you can’t tell from my scribblings above, I love tea and constantly have close to a handful of varieties available to me. I don’t mind trying different brands and companies, but when it comes time to help with leveling hormones or relieving PMS symptoms, the aforementioned teas are on my counter for about a week. And I’m okay with that. If the OTC medication is working for you or is giving you some side-effects, I would highly recommend drinking some tea on a regular basis. If you’re prone to UTIs, tea is great for helping with that too.