2020 was an unforgetful year worldwide, COVID-19 being the culprit mainly, but not to forget the impending stress it brought with it which made the lives quite stressful for many. According to World Economic Forum, the statistics recorded against stress went over 50% in USA and Canada alone, which is remarkably high (1). As these emotions tend to be expressed in various ways for many, the stress toll indeed brought not just suicidal thoughts but also its execution which was horrifying.
The precursor for any type of stress that get built due to any reason, the further damage any individual that can be done by him/her is not self-caring enough. Most of us still have our thoughts wrapped around the fact that self-care is equivalent to self-obsession, which obviously is incorrect (2). To be healthy, not just physically but also spiritually, it is important that a person should love himself unconditionally. Self-caring has evolved through the years, and with researches done from time to time, it is now being considered very seriously to go forward with a holistic course of action for destressing which focuses not only on eradicating the problem but also ensures prevention. Thus, this course of action has eventually created more awareness towards naturopathy, in which we as herbalists, create specific guidelines for every individual on the basis to create healthy lifestyle by not just prescribing alternative medicine created using plants but it also comprises of dietary changes, exercises for instance yoga to help the body and mind in unwinding. The herbalists have worked immensely in this field to come up with different ways to holistically deface the issue of stress and anxiety globally, and henceforth the below mentioned 5 herbal teas are imperative for destressing your mind and body (3).
- JASMINE TEA ORGANIC
This is a tea whose popularity dates back to 5th century when China was booming in the times of Ming Dynasty, made by the infusion of jasmine flower petals along with the leaves of green tea. An herbal tea packed with antioxidants, has so many benefits to offer that its popularity is still not dim today. We, as herbalists, have analyzed some amazing benefits attached to this herbal tea, and not to forget how the aroma alone, if inhaled, creates calming effects to the autonomic nervous system, thus this is the tea worth having at least once a day for the mindfulness, your body needs after a tiring and stressful day. Jasmine Tea Organic is also loaded with amino acid 1-theanine, and according to the research done, theanine amplifies alpha waves in the brain which creates alert relaxation, a much healthier way to get your calming focus in days of crisis or deadlines rather than gulping down a higher caffeinated beverage like coffee (4).
- CALMING REST ORGANIC TEA
This herbal tea is our personal best product, having an infusion of multiple ingredients rich in calming properties such as decaffeinated green tea, organic peppermint, organic chamomile along with other beneficial herbs - offering a refreshing minty flavour that soothes a stressful mind and loosens up the uptightness created in the body. Chamomile flowers alone are such a powerful source of calmness that they are considered to be mild tranquilizers and compared to be similar to Benzodiazepine (5,6).
LAVENDER FLOWERS TEA
Lavandula Angustifolia, botanical name of Lavender, is a pleasant scented plant commonly found in Europe and Africa and a well-known garden plant commonly grown in many households, known to have not just cosmetic but also culinary based and medicinal uses as well. Lavender flowers are commonly used as part of tea, in which the purple buds of the flower are infused in warm water to collect the flower’s extract and true to their refreshing fragrance, its tea is revitalizing itself. Its calming nature is not just a myth but also has been evaluated in many studies, one of which was conducted on postpartum women in which Lavender herbal tea was used to alleviate postpartum depression and stress (7). Also, its anxiolytic properties were also evaluated in the clinical trials held against Generalized Anxiety Disorder and they had some conclusive data backing the eligibility of Lavender tea being used as an adjuvant therapy in combination with drugs like antidepressants (8).
- TULSI GINGER TEA
Holy Basil aka Tulsi is not an unknown herb and has existed to have remedial characteristics for thousands of years as part of Ayurveda healing multiple illnesses with its vast properties. Considered to be an adaptogen, holy basil helps in adapting towards stress and anxiety (9). The pharmacological effects of Tulsi are as such that any herbalist while prescribing will advise for its daily use as this herb has more of preventive properties. Our Tulsi Ginger Tea follows the similar principle of making the individual adapt towards physical or psychological stress with the help of this magical herbal tea, comprising not just of Holy Basil but also organic ginger root and organic lemon peel.
- CINNAMON ORANGE SPICE TEA
Cinnamon has a way of complementing well with other herbs to bring out a flavorful taste followed by medicinal benefits to make it a top beverage choice. Cinnamon’s combination with orange peel brings the spiciness to the hot beverage, making it flavorful along with a relaxing tea for the evening. Packed with powerful antioxidants, it has helped in the removal of free radicals and also in alleviating symptoms of neurological disorders. Many clinical studies have evaluated its anxiolytic activity and that is again due to the presence of antioxidants, also others studies revealed that cinnamon helps in elevating the numbers of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) which is important for brain tissue recovery after any form of stress or neurodegeneration (10).
CLOSING STATEMENT
Modern science has exponentially grown with years, and it can be now safely said that Naturopathy is finally paving its way to become part of it to create an awareness to organically deal with day-to-day issues where many people still hesitate in approaching for any type of help. Just incorporating the herbal teas have proven to be beneficial and have led to stress prevention which if we try to reduce using western medicines have also given benefits but it comes with adverse effects.