courtesy of www.aeromedi.com
Winter is in full-force here in Buena Vista, and we all know that this lovely, crisp, cold weather often goes hand-in-hand with crummy head-colds, sinus head-aches and other unwanted sicknesses. If you’re anything like me, you’re hesitant to see a doctor for this seasonal stuff that generally dissipates on its own with time… but bring on the natural remedies, right??
A couple of weeks ago, while making a drink here at the Buena Vista Roastery, I overheard a customer telling her friend about how her husband cured 3 years of sinus problems simply by drinking a few cups of green tea a day! Apparently, after trying everything from antibiotics to the neti pot, he visited a specialist, who told him to try green tea. He added a couple of cups of a green tea to his daily coffee routine, and his sinus problems completely disappeared after only 3 weeks! Crazy!
I’m pretty interested in being able to breathe freely out of both sides of my nose, which is currently not happening, so now I’m encouraged to do my own research into this so-called ‘green tea remedy’. I’ve started drinking a cup or two a day, and I’m happy to report that I’ve been waking up with unblocked ears for the first time in months! A coincidence? Maybe… but the more I read, the more I realize that we in the Western world have totally underestimated the healing powers of green tea!
Apparently, what makes green tea so special is the way it’s extracted: instead of the usual method for tea-making, fermentation, the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant are steamed. This allows the tea to retain all of its natural goodness, primarily the antioxidants. Antioxidants are awesome because, not only do they help your body fight off all kinds of nasty stuff, they can be a healthy, natural alternative to antibiotics and other man-made health-remedies (which can often do as much harm as good).
I’ve already mentioned the power of green tea in healing sinus problems, but it seems that these little antioxidants are quite the multi-taskers; studies show that a daily dose of green tea can help with weight loss, heart problems, can protect against all kinds of cancers, could prevent liver disease… and the list goes on! I don’t know about you, but I know I’ll be having my daily cup of green tea from now on…
I’ve often heard people say that they don’t drink green tea because they don’t like the taste… and it’s true, plain green tea can be a bit bitter and ‘grassy’ tasting. But these days, that’s no excuse, because green tea is available in so many different amazing flavors and varieties! For example, here at the Buena Vista Roastery, we have several different kinds of green tea, such as green with jasmine, green with lemon-grass, and my favorite, green with mint. There’s not much that’s nicer than a hot cup of mint-green tea with a dab of honey… yum. And a little tip… don’t let your green tea steep for longer than 2 or 3 minutes, as over-steeping does not increase the strength, it merely makes the tea too bitter.
I’m certainly not suggesting that anyone give up coffee (which also, surprisingly, has many health benefits), but how about adding a cup or 2 of green tea to your daily hot-drink regimen? In the spirit of the new year, let’s all get a little healthier by making it a goal to drink more green tea! Cheers!!
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I am going to give this a try myself……