Types of Tea

Organic Tea

Organic tea has been consumed nearly as long as written history extends. Documents date back to as early as Ancient Egypt reporting the enjoyment and uses of Organic Tea. To be considered as Organic Tea, the tea must contain 100% organically produced ingredients that are organically grown. It can be made in two ways, infusion and decoction. Infusion is placing lighter parts of the plant such as the leaves or stems in boiled water for several minutes. Decoction is boiling tougher parts, such as the roots or bark for a much longer period of time.

Benefits of Organic Tea
Organic Teas strengthen and nourish both our immune and nervous systems. Every aroma and flavor is associated with organ systems of the body. Our brains receive signals from the subtle qualities of the plants as soon as we taste them, so the benefits are immediate. Different herbs affect various parts of the body. The anise seed is helpful for the stomach and spleen; the dandelion root affects the heart and small intestines which helps to improve digestion and aid fat metabolism. Ginger helps to improve lung capacity and large intestine health; rose hips stimulate the functions of the liver and gall bladder.

You can find an Organic tea to help you with any ailment you are experiencing. To help prevent tooth decay, you could try green tea. To treat a cold, sore throat or fever, you could try Echinacea tea. Peppermint tea has also been found helpful in treating the common cold. If you are suffering from anxiety or insomnia, chamomile is an effective remedy. These remedies are most common in Europe. There it is seen as a preferred treatment over the unnecessary overuse of chemical medication.

While most Organic teas are safe for regular consumption, some herbs have toxic or allergenic effects. Chief among these are comfrey, which contains alkaloids that can cause permanent liver damage, lobelia, which contains toxins similar to nicotine, and pineapple weed, which can sometimes cause violent allergic reactions in hay fever sufferers.

Organic Tea vs. Herbal Tea
While herbal tea is fine, some people prefer organic tea. 100% organic means the tea must contain 100% organically produced ingredients that are organically grown. The Food and Drug Administration regulate the growing, handling, processing and storing of an organic product in a set of guidelines set forth by the National Organic Program. Certificates are issued so that the consumer is assured that the tea was grown, handled and processed under these guidelines.

CURRENT USAGE
Although growing in popularity, herbal tea usage is still relatively small. In a study done ten years ago, 90% of tea drinkers chose regular straight black tea over Organic or Herbal. A recent study has indicated that this number has fallen to 80%. Evidence of increasing herbal tea popularity is shown by a recent trend of herbal teashops – a slight variation on the Starbucks coffee shop theme. However, coffee still remains number 1, especially in the united States where coffee drinkers outnumber tea drinkers 2 to 1.