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Kent Probst, BS, MEd
Kent Probst is the owner of Long Healthy Life Blog
Best Tea for the Immune System: The Basics
People have been consuming teas for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. What is the best tea for the immune system? That’s debatable, but there are quite a few teas readily available that may help your immune system.
Adding one of the best teas for the immune system can be a synergistic and beneficial approach to improving your overall health.
You have a wide variety to choose from, and each one is slightly different when it comes to benefits.
Best Tea for the Immune System: How They Work
Turmeric Tea
Many people around the world are familiar with the yellow tropical root turmeric. It’s widely used as a spice for cooking. Turmeric is also popular due to the health benefits of curcumin, a polyphenol compound in the root.
Curcumin has been cultivated in southeast Asia and India for thousands of years for its medicinal properties.
Curcumin continues to be the subject of much scientific inquiry for its wide ranging health benefits. .
The properties of curcumin have demonstrated effectiveness against parasites, fungi, viruses, and bacteria, making it one of the best teas for the immune system.
You have a wide range of options when it comes to making turmeric tea.
Ginger Tea
Long used since ancient times in various forms as a medicinal agent, ginger is believed by many to have antimicrobial properties. Ginger tea is commonly consumed for minor stomach ailments.
Researchers set out to determine ginger’s antimicrobial properties in a laboratory setting. Ginger extract was found to be effective against the following pathogens:
- Streptococcus mutans
- Candida albicans
- Enterococcus faecalis
Daily ginger consumption is also linked with a decreased risk of high blood pressure. Drinking ginger tea should complement the consumption of ginger in other forms.
Ginger is also an effective anti-inflammatory agent with a better safety profile than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Licorice Root Tea
Used in Chinese traditional medicine for centuries, licorice contains almost 300 flavonoids, some of which have antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor properties.
Licorice has been used to treat pseudorabies virus and liver disease, as well as damage to the stomach caused by aspirin.
When it comes to treating H. Pylori infection, researchers found that licorice was just as effective as bismuth at eliminating H. Pylori in patients with peptic ulcer disease.
Licorice root tea is frequently consumed to treat a sore throat, coughs, colds, indigestion, and gastric reflux.
Peppermint Tea
Known for its antimicrobial and antiviral properties, peppermint has also demonstrated strong antioxidant, antiallergenic potential, and antitumor potential.
Research conducted on peppermint tea in a human study showed that it can improve mental alertness and memory.
Maintaining memory and mental alertness are important, especially since poor memory and confusion tend to occur with advancing age.
The antibacterial properties of peppermint oil make it effective against food-borne pathogens.
The ethanol extract from peppermint leaves was able to suppress inflammatory factors and was effective against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile, a well known herb, is often taken for relaxation and sleep. It is commonly taken as an oral supplement or tea at bedtime. It’s believed that it regulates benzodiazepine receptors in the brain.
Chamomile is important since insomnia weakens your immune system by increasing levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), which promote inflammation.
A weakened immune system also increases the risk of bacterial, parasitic and viral infections.
Getting a good night’s sleep (7 to 9 hours) helps you detox your brain of beta amyloid plaque, the substance found concentrated in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
Chamomile has also been shown to improve anxiety and depression.
Lemongrass Tea
If you’re looking for an additional antibacterial agent to improve oral health, lemongrass tea may be one to consider.
Lemongrass oil has been shown to be effective against streptococcus mutans, a bacteria that resides in the oral cavity and is responsible for tooth decay.
Lemongrass may also be effective against fungal infections, as well as reducing anxiety and improving sleep.
If you’re looking for an alternative treatment for regulating blood pressure and cholesterol, that also has antioxidant properties, consider lemongrass.
Hibiscus Tea
Known for its use in Sudanese folk medicine, Hibiscus sabdariffa L. may be an effective antibacterial treatment. One study showed that it was an effective competitor to gentamicin and penicillin.
Some of the other benefits of hibiscus tea include:
- Antioxidant activity
- Anti-inflammatory
- Regulation of cholesterol
- Regulation of blood pressure
- Weight loss
- Liver health
Black Tea
In addition to feeling better after drinking black tea, it can also lower your risk of influenza and common cold.
The studies that showed decreased risk of influenza and common cold had the participants gargle with tea, which contains catechins.
Published studies show that black tea can provide the following benefits:
- Reduced cardiovascular disease
- Reduced LDL cholesterol
- Weight loss
- Improved blood pressure
Green Tea
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a type of phytochemical, or catechin, that is concentrated in green tea. It helps promote longevity and slow the aging process from a cellular level by restoring mitochondrial function and helping the body remove damaged cells.
This powerful beverage is packed with antioxidants as well as a plant compound called catechins which has been shown to have anticancer effects.
Drinking between 1-4 cups daily may help with both prevention and treatment of breast cancer.
The health benefits of green tea are frequently touted throughout the news media. One benefit that gets less attention is reducing the risk of prostate cancer.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, green tea catechins (GTC) were effective at inhibiting cancer growth. After one year, prostate cancer was diagnosed in only one man in the GTC-treated group, whereas prostate cancer was found in nine men in the placebo-treated group.
Green tea has also been shown to reduce prostate-specific antigen in men with prostate cancer.
Summary
At this point, it’s a matter of finding the right tea for you, depending on what you want to accomplish.
Need help? Consider consulting a healthcare professional who’s trained in alternative medicine and has knowledge of herbal teas.
If you have a health condition that’s requiring treatment by a physician, let the physician know that you would like to add tea to your treatment regimen.
The antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties of the best teas for the immune system make them a great addition to your holistic health plan for living a long, healthy life.
Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. Please note that I’ve linked to these products purely because I recommend them and they are from companies I trust. There is no additional cost to you.
