Tea: A Health Benefit and So Much More

Almost all of us have had a box of tea in our kitchen cabinets at one point or another. Tea is usually associated with curling up on the couch on a rainy day or daily ritual involving scones and cucumber sandwiches.  The wide variety of teas can be mind boggling.  There are black teas, green teas, oolong teas….this list is nearly endless!

Tea has been well known for having amazing health qualities. The biggest one that most people point out is that tea has less caffeine than coffee. An eight-ounce cup of coffee contains around 135 mg caffeine; tea contains only 30 to 40 mg per cup. If drinking coffee gives you the jitters, causes indigestion or headaches or interferes with sleep -- switch to tea.

Tea gives you a sweet smile. You may not think drinking tea is good for your teeth, but think again. It's the sugar added to it that's usually to blame for the bad dental reputation. Tea itself actually contains fluoride and tannins that can keep plaque at bay. So add unsweetened tea drinking to your daily dental routine of brushing and flossing for healthier teeth and gums.

Tea may reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. Unwanted blood clots formed from cholesterol and blood platelets cause heart attack and stroke. Drinking tea can help keep your arteries smooth and clog-free, the same way a drain keeps your bathroom pipes clear. A 5.6-year study from the Netherlands found a 70 percent lower risk of fatal heart attack in people who drank at least two to three cups of black tea daily compared to non-tea drinkers.

But did you know tea has many more uses than just a healthy drink? You might be pleasantly surprised and what you can do with your tea!

There amazing household uses for tea. You can clean dirty, musty carpets by sprinkling dry, used green tea leaves on the carpet. Let them work their magic for about 10 minutes then vacuum them up. Tea can even be used on delicate Persian and Oriental rugs, which can also benefit from a sprinkling of tea leaves. In this case, sprinkle nearly dry, used whole tea leaves on the rugs, and gently sweep them away. And what about your hardwood floors? The tannins in black tea can help shine and color hardwood flooring. Follow your regular floor cleaning routine by carefully rubbing some brewed tea into the floor (don’t use too much water on hardwood flooring) and letting it air dry. Tea can remove stubborn, greasy fingerprints from glass, and make it sparkle. Simply rub a damp teabag on the glass or fill a spray bottle with brewed tea. Brewed tea also can help clean and shine wood furniture. Dip a soft cloth in a small amount of tea, and use it to wipe down the tables, chairs and more.

Rinse your hands with tea after eating or preparing fish (or other stinky foods) to eliminate odors. Also, instead of baking soda (or maybe in addition), try used tea bags in the fridge to absorb odors and de-stink the fridge. Likewise, used tea leaves can help deodorize litter boxes when mixed into the litter. Dry, green tea leaves are recommended. And, staying to the pet theme, tea can also help prevent fleas, so sprinkle some dry used tealeaves around pet bedding.

As useful as tea is around the household, there are even more personal uses! Tea is a great healthy drink but it’s not just good for your inside, it’s good for your outside too! In the Caribbean there are very few people who are not familiar with sunburn. Use tea to soothe a sunburn: Wet teabags can soothe sunburns and other minor burns. For a full-body sunburn, soak in a tea bath. It’s also great for tired eyes: Warm, wet teabags can reduce puffiness and soothe pain around tired eyes — and teabags on your eyes look a little less ridiculous than cucumber slices. Tea bags have even been known to help ease pinkeye. You can use warm, wet teabags as a compress to soothe the pain of pinkeye.

Tea is also great for mouth remedies. For an older child who loses a tooth, try putting a cold, wet teabag in the mouth where the tooth was lost. It can reduce bleeding and soothe pain. Similarly, toothaches and other mouth pain can be soothed with a rinse of antiseptic peppermint tea mixed with a little salt. Gargling with strong tea can help reduce halitosis.

Brewed tea makes a good conditioner for dry hair. Rinse with (unsweetened) tea and leave to dry for a while, then rinse again with water. Brewed tea also is a good natural hair dye. Mix rosemary and sage into dark black tea and let the mixture stand overnight. Strain the mix and thoroughly work it into your hair. Repeat as needed for the desired color.

To protect and beautify skin, try bathing in green tea. Another widely recommended skin booster is chamomile tea in a facial steamer. Some acne sufferers swear by washing their faces with green tea to cure or reduce their acne. Soaking your feet in strong tea for 20 minutes per day can be a relaxing and effective way to reduce foot odor. To help plantar warts on the feet heal faster, press a warm, wet teabag onto the wart for 20 minutes per day. Cover a boil with wet tea bag overnight, and it should drain painlessly. To salvage a partially broken fingernail, use a piece of mesh tea bag to create a splint of sorts between the nail and the broken piece then coat in nail polish.

Many older adults do not realize that black tea can reduce their dizziness when standing up. The tea boosts blood pressure, reducing the threat of dizziness. There is a litany of other health benefits of black tea, including reduced risk of heart attacks, kidney stones, Parkinson's disease and ovarian cancer.

Tea is also helpful in and around the garden and household plants. Pouring strong tea into a compost bin will help speed up the process and encourage more friendly bacteria to grow, improving the compost. Spread used tea leaves around rosebushes, then add mulch and water. The tannic acid and other nutrients will benefit the plants. Occasionally use brewed tea instead of water to feed ferns and other houseplants that like rich, acidic soil. A few used teabags in the bottom of a planter can help the soil retain water, and adds valuable nutrients.

Other uses for tea range from dying fabrics to pet care. Green and black teas have long been used in dyes for fabric and paper, particularly for generating a beige faux- antique look. Some artists use strong black tea to paint backgrounds or accents on black-and-white sketches. A footbath with strong black tea is rumored to help strengthen the pads of dog feet. Burning tea leaves can be used to repel mosquitoes with none of the side effects of chemical bug sprays.

And tea can also be fun and a little mystical. Telling fortunes in the pattern of tea leaves in an empty teacup is an ancient art that is still occasionally practiced. Want to have a little fun? Give it a try!

So the next time you take a break from your hectic life to enjoy a tasty cup of tea, remember that tea is so much more than a tasty drink!