10 Nov Herbs for Health

Following on from my last blog, “Let water be the staff of life’ I have decided to carry on in a similar vein in the hope of persuading any hardened tea and coffee drinkers to cut down a little….. or even a lot.

Reducing the amount of tea and coffee you drink, or stopping completely, can only be a good thing, no matter what the ‘experts’ say, and even they are undecided, one minute it’s good for you, the next it’s not, but in my book, caffeine is ultimately an addictive drug.

Tea and coffee (along with alcohol) are also diuretics which can dehydrate you in places you would least expect, like your joints for instance. Dehydration is not just thirst, have you looked at the veg in a pot noodle or powdered soup recently? That is dehydration and that is what is happening inside your body if you drink too many diuretic drinks, you can’t see it but it’s there.

I know our love for coffee is growing, there is a Costa or a Starbucks on just about every street corner, and I am sure the great British cuppa has not waned in its popularity, but herbal teas are gaining popularity too and there’s so much more choice these days.

But herbal teas are not just used as an alternative to tea and coffee, the herbs and spices offer genuine health benefits too such as chamomile for relaxation, peppermint, fennel or ginger for digestion, cinnamon for balancing blood sugar levels. There are amazing blends for specific things, teas to cleanse or detox, refresh or relax, after dinner or before bedtime, teas for women and teas for men, teas to ease a sore throat or keep you young, the list in endless, you just need to find the ones that suit you best.

I have to be honest I never liked herbal teas at all, I tried the fruit ones that smelt like heaven but were always such a disappointment until eventually I tried the more potent herbs and spices and found they had much more depth and equally more benefits. Make sure you choose a really good brand like Pukka or Yogi, they offer a far superior cuppa to the run of the mill ones and they really do exactly what they say on the packet!