Stressed? Have a Cup of Tea!

I have, time and again, discussed the merits of drinking tea in this blog. Green tea, black tea, herbal teas. Still, I have stuck to my caffeine-source of preference: coffee. But a new study published in Pscychopharmacology is starting to convince me to make the switch.

A double-blind placebo-controlled study has demonstrated that 6 weeks of tea consumption can help people recover from stressful situations. Although tea consumption may not lower the actual stress levels experienced, physiological indicators of stress such as cortisol, blood pressure, blood platelet and self-rated levels of stress levels, return to normal levels faster among tea-drinkers. Not only does tea seems to relieve stress, but on a long-term basis, this may also have prevent other chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease.

How does tea sooth away stress?

“We do not know what ingredients of tea were responsible for these effects on stress recovery and relaxation. Tea is chemically very complex, with many different ingredients. Ingredients such as catechins, polyphenols, flavonoids and amino acids have been found to have effects on neurotransmitters in the brain, but we cannot tell from this research which ones produced the differences.”