Black Tea Benefits

Black tea comes from the plant; Camellia sinensis, just like the other kinds of tea such as green tea, oolong tea, etc. Black tea is the tea variety that has been oxidized the most, and is a tea type retaining its flavor more than the other tea types. However, black tea is often not given much credit for its health benefits.

In fact, people often questions its health benefits, because of its caffeine content. It is true that tea contains caffeine, however, the amount of caffeine present in tea is very little, even lesser than that in coffee.

This low amount of caffeine enhances blood flow to the brain without over stimulation of the heart. Moreover, this low level of caffeine also helps sharpens one's concentration ability and mental focus.

A study in the February 2009 journal of hypertension, suggests that black tea consumption can conduce to a healthier heart. The research conducted on 19 healthy men, revealed that drinking black tea over long periods helps increase blood vessel reactivity, while reducing arterial stiffness and blood pressure. This in turn enhances a healthy heart condition.

A study conducted by the University College London (UCL) researchers, revealed that having a cup of black tea daily can help counter the everyday stress of life. In this research, people who drank black tea four times a day for six weeks were found to have lower levels of cortisol (stress hormone) in their bloodstream after a trying event.

Thus, black tea is seen to have a positive effect on the stress hormones in the body. However, researchers are yet to find out which are the ingredients in tea that cause the relaxing and de-stressing effect in black tea drinkers.

Black tea contains 10 times more antioxidants than found in fruits and vegetables. It is rich in polyphenols, an antioxidant which destroys the harmful free radicals formed because of metabolism. These free radicals are cell damagers, which can lead to blood clots, cancer and atherosclerosis. Thus, antioxidants from tea help protect our cells from damage.

Black tea is also known to relieve diarrhea and maintain the health of the digestive tract because of the tannins it contains. The tannins in black tea decrease intestinal activity and release an antidiarrheal effect on the digestive tract, which helps alleviate the pain associated with diarrhea.

Steeping black tea for a complete 15 minutes, and then drinking it unsweetened is a popular diarrhea remedy.

Black tea accelerates the weight loss process by boosting the body's metabolism rate. Moreover, it also blocks the fattening effects of carbohydrates.

Tea contains a small amount of caffeine, which is not good for the developing fetus as its underdeveloped metabolism cannot handle caffeine. However, most doctors say that having a cup of black tea everyday is not harmful. To be safe, consume only limited amounts of tea during pregnancy. Moreover, don't forget to consult your gynecologist regarding this.

Black tea is a wonderful astringent. To tap this benefit all one has to do is prepare some black tea and splash the warm tea onto your face. Its effect is fantastic! Moreover, tea is also beneficial if you are struggling with face or body acne.

Black tea can be used on skin portions where you know a pimple is about to erupt. Just steep a black tea teabag in hot water and when it has cooled down, place it over the blemish for 10 minutes. Then, remove the teabag, but do not rinse the tea off, as it will continue to work and lighten the blemish.

Researchers from Berlin, state that adding milk to black tea reduces its antioxidant, vasodilating, and anti-inflammatory effects. So, if you want to tap most of the benefits of black tea, think twice before adding milk to your cup of black tea.

Whenever you read about any food item or beverage's health benefits, it's important not to get impulsive and consume or drink too much of it. The key to tapping the benefits is by having it in moderation!