Tea was always thought to be good for health in Asia.  Tea later took the British Empire by storm, and to this day is a favorite drink. Turns out the Asians were right, tea is a very healthy drink with virtually no drawbacks. The caffeine can be considered a negative if you drink too much, but there are many benefits to sipping tea.

All tea is basically good, researchers say. Some of that can be negated when sugar and artificial sweeteners are added, but the pure tea itself has many benefits. Green tea, as well as Matcha, another variety of green tea, has a lot of anti-oxidants. Matcha is ground tea and has 137 more oxidants than green tea, and green tea itself has a lot of them.  The matcha version just adds a greater dosage of anti-oxidants. When you drink matcha, you drink the entire tea leaf and get all the benefits, instead of what is leached out in a standard tea bag. While there are a lot of good things that come from regular tea, many of the nutrients are left behind in the discarded tea bag.

The anti-oxidants are what the body uses to  fight off aging, and can help ward off chronic diseases.  These two teas in particular have been shown to help fight cancer to some degree.  The anti-oxidants and other compounds boost metabolism and burns calories, detoxifies, calms the mind and body, has fiber and vitamins, and enhances mood and concentration.  Tea also lowers inflammation of tissues and therefore can soothe the body and the mind.

Matcha tea also contains an anti-oxident called catechins, which is also believed to fight cancer. Polyphenols include flavonoids, which is where the anti-oxidents come from. The more processed the tea is, the weaker the polyphernols will be, but even then, there are still anti-oxidents at work. Some teas are fermented and that boosts the level of polyphenals, especially in green tea. Matcha and Green tea have the most anti-oxidents, but other teams have enough to be beneficial.

Black tea is made from fermented tea leaves and has the highest caffeine content. This team is believed to offer some protection for the lungs against cigarette smoke, and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.  White tea that is uncured has been shown to have even stronger cancer fighting properties. Oolong Tea can lower cholesterol levels and has been said to help with weight loss. Puerh Ta is made from aged and fermented tea, pressed into cakes. This tea is also believed to help with weight loss and lowering bad cholesterol.

Herbal teas have also shown some health benefits.  These are teas made from roots, seeds or fruit, and are steeped in hot water. They have a lower concentration of anti-oxidants than standard tea, but can still have some health benefits.  Chamomile tea is said to help prevent complications of diabetes like loss of vision and kidney damage. Echinacea helps with colds. Hibiscus helps lower blood pressure and Rooibos, or red tea, has cancer fighting properties.