Indian's love their strong chai, but today there are wide varieties of tea in the market besides our masala and ginger chais.
We have heard claims about green tea being good for weight loss and chamomile tea reducing stress, but what are the other kinds of teas and what are their health benefit claims? We take a look at the flourishing tea market, its vast and interesting varieties and the health benefits of different kinds of tea available to us today.
How to brew oolong tea:
- Bring water to a boil and use this water to rinse and heat up the tea cups.
- Add the oolong leaves to the tea pot and add boiling water to it.
- Cover the tea pot for max three minutes.
- Serve the tea while it's hot.
- Tip: You can reuse the leaves a couple of times too
Health benefits of oolong tea: This tea is partially fermented and is fast catching up as a weight loss remedy. Besides this, oolong tea is beneficial for lowering bad cholesterol, healthy for type 2 diabetics, patients with heart diseases, reduces high blood pressure, prevents tooth decay and improves your skin thanks to antioxidants.
The research on these claims are in the preliminary stages, so there is no hard hitting evidence to prove these facts. Some brief research results (keep in mind that these are inconclusive):
-Oolong tea blocked oxidation by 50% over 15 days.
-Primary research suggests that oolong tea increases metabolism, burns fat and blocks fat absorption. But the extent is not yet clear.
-Research says that this tea reduces cholesterol and increases plasma adiponectin levels which saves you from the epidemic of obesity.
-When it comes to skin disease like eczema, a study reveals that if you drink one liter of oolong tea, your skin will show moderate improvement after a month.
-Another study claims that oolong tea prevents the formation of enzymes that cause 'plaque' on your teeth.
How to brew peppermint tea:
- Take fresh sprig of peppermint, use only the leaves and make them into small bits.
- Let dry for 24 hours in the sun, making the leaves crispy.
- In a vessel, bring the water to boil and add two tablespoons of peppermint tea.
- Let it boil for 20 minutes and add a twig of fresh mint to the water.
- Strain the leaves in a pot and add sugar to taste.
Health benefits of peppermint tea:
Don't get flustered by peppermint tea, it simply means pudina tea, essentially tea brewed from pudina. This is herbal tea and peppermint has medicinal properties for an upset tummy, or so the claims suggest. A point to note, peppermint oil has been clinically tested and it has shown relaxation effects on gastrointestinal tissue. The tests also mention that peppermint oil builds immunity and is beneficial for cancer patients for its 'chemopreventive potential'. Peppermint oil can also be used as an antioxidant, based on research.
