Treating Depression With Tea

Anxiety often accompanies certain types of Depression, and Chamomile Tea can help. Chamomile is often brewed in a tea and used as a gentle sleep aid. It helps to calm the nervous system to allow the body to sleep. It may also increase your metabolism and lift your mood. There are many combinations of Chamomile and flavors available - mango chamomile is delicious!

Ginkgo Biloba Tea is known as an agent that will increase mental clarity and alertness. It also helps to support short term memory. Research shows that Ginkgo Biloba can increase the flow of Oxygen and blood flow to the brain. Levels of Adenosine Triphosphate are also increased while free radicals are decreased which indicates that Ginkgo Biloba has antioxidant properties.

Tea and Health News reports: “Drink up, be happy: A survey earlier this year in Finland found that tea drinkers are less likely to be depressed. Researchers collected survey data from 2011 people in the Finnish general population. They used to Beck Depression Inventory as part of the survey. Those who reported drinking tea daily had a lower score on the Beck Depression Inventory and a lower prevalence of depression. No one who reported drinking more than 5 cups of tea/day reported depression. The mechanisms at work here are unknown and warrant further investigation. Eur J Epidemiol, January 2005″.

Ginseng Tea to treat Depression has also been acclaimed. Those who drink Ginseng Tea report used to reduced stress, increased performance and energy levels, improved memory and experience a boost to the immune system. The Chinese use it as a prevention and as a cure.

Recent research has also shown that Green Tea helps maintain positive mood states and may protect against Parkinson’s disease and other brain disorders. An important set of compounds found in green tea are Tannins. They have been shown to have brain boosting benefits and they may prevent some of the brain damage that occurs after strokes and other brain injuries. Green Tea also contains high levels of the bioflavinoid quercetin. Bioflavanoids are antioxidants that have been shown to help combat Depression.

“A study from the University of San Francisco found that the polyphenols in green tea can boost availability of the important brain substance dopamine in the areas where it’s needed. Dopamine is a signaling substance in brain circuits that are crucial to creating positive mood states”. Source: http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20030610-000003.html

Rooibos Tea is an exotic tasting tea that is naturally caffeine free and is harvested from a red bush in South Africa. Rooibos Tea, also known as Red Tea has many healing qualities including relieving nervous tension and irritability and relieving headache and insomnia. Thus, it may aid in relieving some of the symptoms of Depression.