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Detox tea is very popular among health-conscious people. The word “detox” itself finds a positive place among many people. What are detoxification and detox tea, and what are the benefits of detox tea? Let’s find out in this article.
Before we tell you the excellent benefits of detox tea, you must know about detoxification itself (if you are unaware of it).
1. What is Detoxification?
Detoxification is a natural body process mainly carried out by our liver in which it removes or filters out various toxins or harmful substances formed inside our body. This process is also carried out by other internal organs like the colon, kidneys, skin, and lungs.
What are toxins, and why are they formed inside our bodies? We all know that our cells in the body are working non-stop in their respective departments to keep their separate organ running.
When these cells have cell reactions inside them, they produce a small number of waste products. These waste products are toxins, aptly so because they are not required by our body and can hurt our body if kept in our body for a long time.
It is also worth mentioning that the source of toxins is the environment1 too. There can be times when harmful chemicals and particles enter our bodies and accumulate inside. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a world where we get to breathe clean and healthy air every day.
Therefore, to avoid such circumstances, a few of our internal organs, particularly the liver, work, and help remove these toxins from the body. The processes like urine formation, bowel, sweating, and breathing that we all know about are our body’s different ways of detoxifying itself.
So, just like our other organs need the energy to carry out bodily functions, our liver (in particular) needs some source of energy to carry out the detoxification process.
1.1. Where Does the Liver Get This Energy from?
It’s a very expected answer, and that is- from a healthy diet containing minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and antioxidants.
Although our body does the detoxification process2 efficiently, we need to put in some extra effort (don’t worry, it’s not that difficult) to eliminate toxins entering our body through the environment. For that, detox tea is very effective. We’ll talk about it in the later sections.
2. Why Should I Detox?
You may have already guessed the answer, and you are right, but only partially. Detoxification has much more benefits than you might have imagined. Here are some of the health benefits of detoxification:
- Removes harmful compounds or toxins from your body (as you may have guessed)
- Helps in weight loss
- Gives you clear skin
- Boosts your immunity
- Enables you to get a good sleep
In case you are wondering why I didn’t explain these points in detail, I want you to know that this section was to give you a slight idea about the health benefits of detoxification3.
Don’t worry; I’ll explain why detoxification helps in all these health-related things in the section mentioning the benefits of detox tea.
3. What is a Detox Tea?
Coming to one of the main topics of concern, we’ll enlighten you on the meaning of detox tea.
Detox tea is a beverage made from herbs that can help cleanse your body effectively. It removes impurities from your blood, thus purifying it. So, it is a herbal tea containing nutrients that help you detoxify.
Detox teas are known to be important if you are aiming at weight loss. The main reason is that it increases your metabolism and improves your energy levels, thus burning extra fat easily.
4. Benefits of Detox Tea
Detox teas can have many health benefits besides just removing toxins from your body. Get ready to get convinced to include a detox tea in your daily diet, as you will be amazed at how many health benefits it can have!
4.1. Remove Toxins from the Body
You must have already seen this one coming. Yes, detox tea gives our liver an extra hand to remove toxins from our bodies. Our liver was doing its job just fine, but then the environmental toxins came with additional stress.
Here is where detox teas came to the rescue! They have ample anti-oxidants because of medicinal herbs and green tea extract, which prevent these chemicals from getting stored in our bodies and causing toxicity.
4.2. Helps Lose Weight
What is something you should have in your diet if you are focusing on losing extra fat? Yes, a detox tea! The problem with these harmful toxins is that if they accumulate in your body, they will not only cause toxicity but also convert into fat cells, which will give you that extra weight.
Detox tea has a lot of anti-oxidants like hydrochloric acid and flavonoids, to name a few. It boosts your body’s metabolism and increases your energy levels. This is why detox tea is a good option if you are aiming for weight loss.
4.3. Increases Mental Alertness
As if the benefits of detox tea were getting any less good. Detox teas such as matcha tea, green tea, and ginger clean your internal system by removing harmful toxins and chemical pollutants from your body.
Since toxins are being removed from your body, you are sure to feel fresh and light. This will greatly affect your mental health as your brain will become more alert and revitalized. Credit can be given to green tea containing catechins and theanine, excellent neuro protectors. That is why drinking detox tea can have really good mental health effects.
4.4. Improves Digestion
Your brain and digestive system become happy when you drink detox teas. Various digestive problems, such as nausea, constipation, bloating, and gas, occur when harmful chemicals live in your body.
These are signs of poor digestion and worth worrying about. Detox drinks relieve flatulence and help mobilize waste to clean your digestive tract. Remember, if your gut is happy, you are happy.
4.5. Firm Liver Function
Drinking detox tea can be of great help to your liver. The liver has an important role in getting rid of waste products formed by the body. Extra environmental pollutants can increase the workload on your liver which can hinder its functioning and the natural purification process.
Drinking detox tea can greatly help the liver in eliminating toxins like heavy metals, alcohol, and chemical pollutants because it contains a combination of herbs and teas like green tea. This ensures your overall well-being and improved health.
4.6. Strengthens Immune System
Drinking detox tea works like removing rust from iron. When too many toxins are accumulated in your body, your cells do not function efficiently, and your immune system becomes less active.
Removing these harmful compounds from your body will greatly affect your cells as they start functioning actively and becoming more energetic.
This will ultimately affect your immunity and help your body to fight against various diseases and harmful microorganisms. If the immune system is healthy and strong, your health will eventually improve.
4.7. Clear Skin
The secret to healthy, glowing, and clear skin is a healthy gut and body. When your body is toxin-free and healthy from the inside, it shows on your face. The glow of healthy skin is very different and can be noticed easily.
And we all know a happy liver and a happy gut mean happy skin! Did that urge you to start drinking detox tea? I bet, yes! Because herbal tea removes all the harmful substances from your blood and eventually from your body, your gut health and liver functioning will be improved greatly.
5. How to Prepare Detox Teas?
The best thing about detox teas is that they can be prepared in multiple ways. You’d run out of options to choose from because a detox tea is a herbal tea; therefore, you have ample opportunities to choose from while preparing it.
The best detox tea combines the best herbs that have the most benefits. So, let’s look at a few herbal teas that can be prepared easily at home!
5.1 Black Tea
Black tea is made up of the fermented leaves of the Camellia sinensis 4plant. It is good for detoxification as it is a rich source of anti-oxidants like theaflavins and thearubigins.5
It helps you lose weight and clears your skin, making it glow. The best part is that it is super easy to prepare and requires almost no effort!
You need water, black tea bags, and some grated ginger. Add some grated ginger to water and let it boil for about 3 minutes. You can also use lemon juice if you want to.
Remember, the preparation process of black tea is longer than white tea, so the water needs to boil for a slightly longer period. Put off the flame and add black tea leaves to the boiled water.
Cover it with a lid and let nature do its thing. After 3-4 minutes of keeping aside the black tea and allowing the tea leaves to mix in it thoroughly, you can have your detox drink!
5.2 Green Tea
It is again made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. It is covered with all the anti-oxidants you need. It contains fewer calories and caffeine.
The preparation is very easy. You have to heat the water first. Remember not to boil it, as you don’t want a bitter taste afterward. Now, pour the water into a cup and add green tea leaves. Steep the water for about three minutes, and the perfect detox tea is ready!
5.3 Oolong Tea
This tea is made from the leaves of the same plant as black and green tea. It is commonly consumed in China and Taiwan. A big difference between black tea and Oolong tea is that Oolong tea is partially fermented while black tea is fully fermented.
To prepare it, boil some filtered water and warm up the mug. Put some Oolong tea leaves into the mouth using an infuser. After then, add the hot water and steep for about 5 seconds.
Then, take out the infuser and throw the water in the mug. Last, add a cup of water to the teapot and cover it. Steep it again, but this time for 45 seconds, and your detox drink is ready!
6. Side Effects of Drinking Detox Tea
If taken in the wrong amount, these herbal teas can have a very bad effect on your body. The combination of herbs also matters as the incorrect combination may make you see the doctor immediately.
Some ingredients used in detox teas can negatively affect your health. Some of these ingredients include:
- increased levels of caffeine
- strong, powerful herbs (for example- Senna)
- laxative ingredients
Following are the few side effects of taking such teas in the wrong amounts and with harmful ingredients:
6.1 Diarrhea
Senna is a laxative ingredient. When used in amounts more than recommended, it can cause diarrhea in the consumer. It is not recommended to use Senna continuously. If the consumption is prolonged, your digestion can be affected very badly.
6.2 Abdominal Pain
High levels of caffeine and laxatives can cause problems like abdominal discomfort, cramps, gas, bloating, and nausea. It can have a negative effect on your digestive system and cause digestive issues.
6.3 Lack of Sleep
Too much caffeine can have a bad effect on your sleep cycle. Consuming up to 400 mg of caffeine is similar to consuming four or five cups of coffee.
This is the recommended dose of caffeine. When detox drinks contain more than this recommended amount, you can have issues falling asleep.
Other side effects of intaking too much caffeine are:
- nervousness
- anxiety
- irritation
- increased heart rate
- increased breathing rate
- headache
7. Conclusion
Detox tea is great for people who are health conscious and want to enjoy the health benefits of detox. It is packed with antioxidants and caffeine, which, in the right amounts, are good for your overall health.
It can be prepared very easily at home and requires almost zero effort and time.
It helps treat various health issues and helps cleanse your blood, lose weight, keep your liver healthy, boost your immunity, improve your mental health, improve digestion, clear your skin, and remove toxins from the body.
Another icing on the cake is that it is not even expensive. Various detox tea brands are available in the market, and whichever suits your preference can be bought.
8. Precautions
One must have heard that every coin has two sides. Similarly, consuming herbal teas can have side effects too. Some experience bad results, and some don’t. It all depends on the way you drink it.
If you intake the detox drink in the right amount that specialists and researchers recommend, you may not even know that such a beverage can cause discomfort. The ingredients used in the liquid are also of prime importance, and you should be careful not to use herbs or components that can cause harm to your health.
Don’t worry, as the chances of you experiencing discomfort after consuming herbal tea will be reduced to almost zero if you take care of the points mentioned in this article.
You must be careful and choose the detox tea brand only after enough research. For you to enjoy the benefits of detox, it is necessary. Happy detoxifying!
- Grigg, J. “Environmental toxins; their impact on children’s health.” Archives of disease in childhood 89.3 (2004): 244. ↩︎
- Rawat, Deepak, Vandana Mishra, and Radhey Shyam Sharma. “Detoxification of azo dyes in the context of environmental processes.” Chemosphere 155 (2016): 591-605. ↩︎
- Percival, Mark. “Phytonutrients and detoxification.” Clinical nutrition insights 5.2 (1997): 1-4. ↩︎
- Lu, Yi, et al. “Triterpenoid saponins from the roots of tea plant (Camellia sinensis var. assamica).” Phytochemistry 53.8 (2000): 941-946. ↩︎
- Roberts, E. A. H., and R. F. Smith. “Spectrophotometric measurements of theaflavins and thearubigins in black tea liquors in assessments of quality in teas.” Analyst 86.1019 (1961): 94-98. ↩︎
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