5 Iced Teas to Boost Your Health
The right brew of this popular summer drink can have powerful health properties. (Photo: Corbis)
The author, Daniela Turley, is a board-certified herbalist who has been treating clients using herbal medicine for over 11 years with clinics in both New York and London.
Today is National Iced Tea Day! Why not celebrate with a drink that improves your well-being while at the same time quenching your thirst? Here are six delicious recipes using herbs that are available in most good health food stores.
Dried nettle tea
Combine two heaping teaspoons of dried nettle tea, two heaping teaspoons of dried spearmint, and one teaspoon of licorice root with two cups of freshly boiled water. Steep until cold, then strain and chill.
Quick version: Mint and licorice teabags combined with nettle teabags.
Everyone knows that eating and drinking greens is good for your health, but at $10 a pop, a daily green juice can really add up. The fix: You can get a lot of the same benefits with this iced herbal tea. Nettle is one of the most nutritious herbs — it contains high amounts of iron, silica, calcium, and magnesium. (Nettle has more than three times the amount of calcium as milk.) Plus, it’s anti-inflammatory and has anti-allergy properties due to the bioflavonoid quercetin. Licorice not only adds sweetness, it is an adrenal-calming herb that helps the body cope with stress. The spearmint adds flavor, plus iron and vitamin A.
Dandelion and burdock root
Chop or finely grind two teaspoons of each of these roots, then boil covered with three cups of water for 20 minutes. Cool, strain, and chill.
In the UK, where I am from, this combination of herbs is ubiquitous in the north of England as the basis of a sugary soda. But its origins are in cleansing folk remedies that have been used since the Middle Ages. Dandelion root and burdock root are in nearly every formula I mix up to deal with acne, eczema, and psoriasis because they are skin purifiers — both are high in inulin, a non-digestible starch, which feeds good gut bacteria. Dandelion root promotes bile production, which helps with elimination from the gut. These herbs are also diuretics, aiding in excretion from the kidneys. Getting technical here, but burdock has also been show to block tumor necrosis factor alpha and IL6, which helps to protect the collagen matrix of the skin.
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Apple and mint
Grate a fresh organic apple and add a handful of chopped mint. Steep in 2 cups of freshly boiled water. Let cool, then add ice.
Apples are high in quercetin, a bioflavanoid that is a natural anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine (great for summer hives!). And the malic acid from the apples may be helpful in alleviating chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. Mint, as well as tasting delicious, contains the anti-spasmodic menthol, which is great for stomach cramps.
Mint is a tummy soother—and it adds a refreshing kick! (Photo: Getty Images)
Iced hibiscus
Make an infusion out of this bright red flower using two teaspoons of the herb per one cup of boiling water. Strain, then chill.
Hibiscus makes a red-tinged sour tea, which tastes great over ice. The red pigment comes from anthocyanins, which are the same type of circulation- supporting chemicals that are found in berries and red wine. This herb has been studied on people with high blood pressure and cholesterol, with one study showing drinking hibiscus tea for 12 days reduced systolic pressure by an average of 11.7 percent and diastolic pressure by 10 percent. (Note: You must drink it regularly to experience any reduction in blood pressure.)
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Iced white tea with fresh ginger
Pour one cup of freshly boiled water over one teaspoon of grated ginger and one teaspoon of white tea. Brew for 10 minutes, then strain and leave to cool.
Most people have heard of the benefits of widely studied green tea, but most don’t know that the properties are increased in uncured, unfermented white tea, which is even higher in the active ingredient EGCG. White tea is easy to source and has a much milder flavor than its green and black tea cousins. The potential benefits: Interference with the growth of bladder, breast, lung, and stomach cancer; the flavonoids may help protect against heart disease; and the theanine can increase mental alertness. Ginger is anti-nausea, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory. Drink up!
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