If you said you have never heard of lavender before, then you’re either lying or have been living under a rock. Lavender is one of the most popular fragrances in the world — from the actual flowers used as decoration at home or for your garden to essential oils and soaps. Not only does the aroma appeal to almost every soul, its health benefits are also what gets many to unearth this beautiful plant and result in sipping a cup of lavender tea.
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What is Lavender Tea?
The lavender flower, known as the lavandula angustifolia, is what lavender tea is made of. Lavender tea can be made from either fresh or dried buds of the flower.
The origin of this aromatic flower is from the Mediterranean region, which includes the northern part of Africa as well as the southern part of Europe. However, today lavender can be cultivated almost anywhere in the world. As it is so convenient and easy to grow, they’re mostly found in household gardens where people use the fresh buds to brew their very own homemade lavender tea.
Other than lavender tea, the lavender plant is used for numerous other products as well, including body and beauty care products.
The Flavour of Lavender Tea
Lavender is so popular that one can recognise its scent just by a whiff of it even a mile away. The taste is just as significant and identifiable. The lavender tea flavour can be described as a blend of mint and rosemary. Depending on the blend of it, some may be more floral-tasting and sweet while some may have a smoky essence to it. Lavender tea is somewhat flexible, ranging from earthy hints to fruity ones in the tastebuds, so regardless of one’s preference, there’s bound to be a lavender tea blend for everyone.
Uses of Lavender Tea
Lavender is used in so many various types of products and it’s because of its aromatic factor. The fragrance induces relaxation and helps one to unwind and destress. Drinking lavender tea has the exact same effect — even more, since one is internalising it, literally. Not only that, lavender tea is full of healthy components that assist in reducing pain and inflammation as well as boosting the immune system. It’s no wonder people regularly consume lavender tea.
6 Benefits of Lavender Tea
It’s a known fact that lavender tea is full of benefits. From the psychological to physical effects, lavender tea has them all. Lavender is known for multiple positive factors, but there are a handful that gradually became the main reasons for people consuming lavender tea.
1.Relaxation
The most popular benefit of lavender tea is its wondrous power to induce a sense of peace and calm. Those who drink lavender tea often feel a sense of relaxation washing over them, and thus resulting in the improvement of sleep as well as falling asleep.
Some drink lavender tea to treat sleep disorders, and there are also studies who have tested and proven the relaxation effects of lavender tea. The ingredients in lavender trigger different chemical reactions in the nervous system that increases the production of certain calming chemicals in the brain while reducing the stress hormones.
2.Boost the Immune System
Lavender has high quantities of Vitamin C, calcium and magnesium components, as well as antioxidants and antibacterial compounds that are effective in fending off common flu and cold. With a regular intake of lavender tea, the consumer will have more of these nutrients in them, and the human body will be able to fight off these viral, bacterial and fungal infections more easily.
3.Improves Digestive System
As we all know, lavender has a calming aroma. This not only induces a sense of calm, but also treats nausea and thus indirectly improving the digestive system. This is because the scent triggers specific chemicals for the body to react accordingly. The lavender tea aroma is also great for stimulating the production of bile that helps the body to digest foods better.
The scent is not the main reason behind lavender tea’s effectiveness for digestion. The anti-inflammatory properties of lavender tea is the key to soothing the irritated stomach muscles. This eliminates any stomach pain as well as assists in relieving indigestion, bloating and also gas.
4.Detoxification
There are countless of free radicals in our body, be it from pollution, smoking, excessive drinking or other causes. A dangerous amount of them in our body can cause great damage to our insides, and these toxins are known to have links to cancer. The antioxidants in lavender tea eliminates these free radicals and toxins from our body, reducing any risks of such diseases.
5.Reduces Inflammation
Lavender has anti-inflammatory properties that are extremely beneficial to the human body. Drinking lavender tea reduces any and every type of inflammation in the body, as well as preventing any sort of hosting of serious diseases. Major illnesses like heart attacks are caused by inflamed arteries and thus producing blood clots. Lavender tea can reduce the risks of such diseases by calming down these parts in our body. It can also reduce pain from muscles and joints caused by inflammation, too.
6.Assists Respiratory Health
Because of lavender tea anti-inflammatory properties, consuming it can assist in breathing for those suffering from breathing problems. It clears up and soothes any inflamed muscles in the throat and chest, hence improving the respiratory health. Lavender tea can also eliminate any bacteria and fungi that can cause diseases like chest colds due to its antibacterial properties.
3 Risks & Side Effects of Lavender Tea
With every good thing, there is always some bad to balance out. Even though lavender tea has ample of positives, there are some negatives to look out for. Not to fret though, these risks are definitely possible to avoid.
1.Overdose
Just like everything else, there is always a limit to its consumption. An excessive intake of something good can lead to something bad. Normally, natural lavender tea is safe to drink as it isn’t so concentrated. However, some have been brewed with lavender oil, and that is extremely concentrated. If one is considering consuming such type of lavender tea, they should be taking it under the guidance of a licensed aromatherapist. It’s highly recommended to stick to natural dried or fresh lavender buds.
2.Effects on Hormones
Lavender is known to have effects on hormones, in both males and females. It’s advised that pregnant women should consult their doctors or physicians before consuming lavender tea as this type of herbal tea has the ability to mimic the estrogen hormones. Even mothers who are breastfeeding should take precaution.
Males who have not undergone puberty should reduce or limit their intake of lavender tea as it’s known to increase the growth in breast tissue. It has been said that by stopping the intake of lavender tea, it will reverse this side effect.
3.Allergies
Just like for any other flowers, if one is known to be allergic to similar flowering plants or lavender itself, it’s best to stay away from lavender tea as it may bring up unnecessary inconvenience like breathing difficulty, skin rash and other unwanted reactions.
Best Brands for Lavender Tea
With such a concentrated market, one can get quite confused at which lavender tea to choose from. There are certain brands that are better for specific types of tea, while some may specialise in teas that offer specific functions.
Buddha Teas is an especially good brand for organic lavender tea. They add no other ingredients in their tea other than lavender itself, making the purest, most flavourful lavender tea ever.
One has definitely heard of Traditional Medicinalsif they’re hooked on tea. Their organic chamomile and lavender tea, even though it’s a blended tea and not purely lavender, is great for calming and soothing the nerves. This is a great one to drink before bed.
Harney and Sons is one brand that is known to add lavender in a lot of their tea products. Fair enough, though, every one of them that has it works effectively as they claim them to be. The Victorian London Fog Tea is made of black and oolong tea, bergamot oil, vanilla and lavender. The mix of it all creates the brand’s unique rendition of the classic earl grey tea. As this tea contains caffeine, it’s best to sip this in the morning or afternoon. If you’re looking for an aesthetic yet soothing tea, Harney & Sons’ Yellow & Blue Tea is a blend of lavender, chamomile and blue cornflowers that’s perfect for the soul and the eyes.
Recipe for Lavender Tea
Making lavender tea is not that difficult. In fact, it’s so simple that one can do it in their sleep! As long as you have all the ingredients, which aren’t that much, and the right tools to prepare it, you can make lavender tea all day everyday!
Material
Drinking water, lavender buds
Tools
Tea infuser, saucepan or kettle (for boiling water), tea cup
Steps
- Boil water in a kettle, but if you don’t have a kettle then boil the water in a large saucepan.
- Place the fresh lavender flower buds in the tea infuser and place it in the tea cup.
- Pour the hot water into the tea cup.
- Steep the lavender for eight to ten minutes.
- Remove the tea infuser and enjoy the lavender tea with your preferred flavourings.
Tips on Brewing Lavender Tea
While it is a simple process to brewing lavender tea, it’s always great to have a few tips and tricks up the sleeve. Even though it’s said that lavender tea is best made using fresh lavender buds, lavender tea bags are also great for it.
However, if you have a nice home garden, planting a few lavender flowers and keeping some dried buds for extra shelf life will also add more life into the flavour of your lavender tea. Keep the lavender garden fresh and organic, and try to avoid chemicals and harsh fertilizers. These such ingredients can cause more harm than good to your lavender tea and may bring about unnecessary side effects.
The significant aroma of lavender tea may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but these benefits of this special tea is definitely not one to miss out on. Regardless of whether it is a pure cup of lavender tea or a blend with other types of tea, lavender tea is an essential in every tea lover’s tea drawer.
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