18 Amazing Herbal Teas For Pain And Inflammation

Inflammation is a necessary and vital immune response or reaction that the body does as an attempt to heal itself after an injury.

It is a way of defending and protecting the body from foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses.

Inflammation causes intense pain, but without it, wounds and infections can turn deadly. It has another problematic aspect, a negative effect when it becomes chronic.

Inflammatory diseases include heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, asthma, tuberculosis, and active hepatitis.

The core of this knowledge and awareness is centered around alternative medicine, and herbal teas are essential to these alternative remedies.

Tea, in general, is loaded with polyphenols, which are plant-derived compounds that strengthen the immune system, and might as well protect you against inflammation.

Besides, drinking tea boosts T cells ‘ ability to react to bacterial infections. These T cells help your body to combat colds and flu.

Here are the best herbal teas that may be able to help you with your pain and inflammation issues.

1. Green Tea

Green tea is scientifically proven to improve bone strength and quality. It rejuvenates skin cells by promoting healthy growth of skin cells. It helps wounds heal easily.

And for Alzheimer’s, green tea slows the progression of the disease.

Green tea is effective because it contains the highest concentration of powerful antioxidants or so-called polyphenols.

It also helps fight inflammation like Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, certain cancers, and ulcerative colitis.

2. Valerian Tea

Valerian is an herb and is primarily used as a relaxant.

Valerian tea relieves pain by sedating the nervous system. It lessens muscle strains by loosening up the muscles and reducing muscle spasms.

It is also a good sleeping aid if you’re having a hard time falling asleep.

3. Rooibos Tea

Rooibos tea is also known as red bush tea. It has a sweet flavor and is a caffeine-free herbal tea.

Research with animals has shown that rooibos tea to be effective against inflammations. This is caused by the flavonoids aspalathin and nothofagin. These flavonoids are considered to be 2 of the most powerful agents against inflammations.

4. Pineapple Tea

We’ve all heard about pineapple juice and smoothies but have you ever considered having pineapple tea? Actually, it basically performs the same.

Pineapple contains bromelain which reduces chronic inflammation. Bromelain has analgesic effects that can reduce your swelling and pain.

Some research even states that it’s comparable or sometimes better than some NSAID painkillers in managing osteoarthritis pain.

5. Rose Hip Tea

Rose Hip is from the berries of the rose plant. These contain tons of vitamin C that can boost your immunity as well as different compounds that can lessen inflammations.

The galactolipids found in rose hips are the main agent why it’s effective for lessening inflammation, joint stiffness, and intensity of pain.

6. Cinnamon Tea

Cinnamon is a good pain reliever, especially for your arthritis issues. It can reduce inflammation and lessen pain caused by arthritis.

In 2011, there is a study that cinnamon extract was able to reduce colon inflammation in mice. More studies should be done though on humans. It still looks very promising.

7. Ginger Tea

Ginger tea reduces chronic inflammation, as well as soothes the gut.

Ginger is known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which can reduce symptoms of gastrointestinal distress by relaxing the intestinal tract. These effects are caused by the compounds contained in ginger which are gingerol and shogaol.

It’s even said that it’s at par with other non-steroid anti-inflammatory medications in terms of pain reduction and lowering the level of chronic inflammation.

According to another research, ginger has shown analgesic effects too that can help with your arthritis, rheumatism, or osteoarthritis pain and inflammation.

Among all the other teas on my list, I like ginger tea’s taste the best when it’s served hot. Of course, there is pineapple which tastes really good when served cool. It is best if you add a slice of lemon in your ginger tea.

8. Liquorice Root Tea

Liquorice root contains different natural anesthetic and analgesic compounds that reduce inflammation and soothe the pain.

Drinking liquorice root tea can help with your arthritis and gastrointestinal issues.

It is best to combine liquorice root with other anti-inflammatory herbs like fennel and peppermint to increase its effectiveness.

9. Lavender Tea

Lavender tea is a popular tea that can help relieve pain. It’s the same as valerian tea but this is more known.

It calms the nervous system and reduces inflammation.

It can also help you with your sleeping problems.

10. Eucalyptus Tea

The earlier people from Australia have been using eucalyptus for treating inflammations and joint pains for years.

Different studies have confirmed that this age-old medicinal tradition does in fact, work. This just means that eucalyptus has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.

The use of eucalyptus oil products is more popular but you can still use the leaves to make tea out of it.

11. Dandelion Tea

Dandelion is rich in vitamin C, fiber, calcium and surprisingly contains more protein than spinach. Dandelion boosts immune functions and fights off microbes and fungi.

It can also help detoxify the body and fight chronic inflammations.

Finally, studies show that Dandelion helps slow the growth of cancer and prevent it from spreading.

12. Lemon Balm Tea

I have a few sedating teas on my list and here’s another one. Lemon Balm tea reduces the stress in your body and mind.

As a result, it relieves some pain.

13. Turmeric Tea

Turmeric contains curcumin which is amazing in fighting chronic inflammations.

Curcumin is the main active compound in turmeric that gives it its anti-inflammatory properties.

According to research, turmeric even contains more than 2 dozens of anti-inflammatory compounds and some that also deals with pain.

I particularly consume turmeric for pain and inflammation management of my arthritis issues.

Turmeric is very popular here in my blog. You can check out more of turmeric health benefits here.

14. Peppermint Tea

For many years, peppermint has been used to reduce pain and decrease inflammation.

Some research states that a cup of mint tea can be as potent as aspirin in relieving pain. This study was conducted on mice and researches saw notable results.

15. Tart Cherry Tea

Tart Cherries seem to lessen chronic inflammations by suppressing the inflammatory pathways.

I’ve also just noticed that tart cherries are one of the top anti-inflammatory foods.

It’s also been found that tart cherries carry similar activities as to how ibuprofen and naproxen work. It’s a good natural alternative for these without any significant side effects.

16. Fennel Tea

Research has seen that fennel was able to reduce pain caused by menstrual cramps.

It contains analgesic and antispasmodic compounds that can lower cortisol levels to help the body relax.

Researchers deduced that Fennel is a good herb for combating inflammation and pain.

17. White Tea

White tea is basically just different kinds of tea which are from minimally processed leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant.

Its effects are mostly on the skin.

A study that was published before that white tea has anti-inflammatory effects in the skin. White tea contains polyphenols that prevent inflammation in dermal fibroblast cells.

Dermal fibroblast cells rebuild connective tissues. These help the skin recover from different injuries.

18. Black Tea

If white tea is the least processed, black tea is the most.

Black tea contains theaflavins and thearubigins which are both flavonoids that give it its anti-inflammatory properties.

Conclusion

Inflammations seem to be one of the causes of chronic diseases. It’s good to know that there are a number of herbal teas that we can drink to help fight this.

If you’ve read my other articles, you may have already known that I’m suffering from arthritis since I was in high school. I try to consume as much as I can these foods that can help me fight against it.

My health condition most likely will be different from yours so if you’re going to do any drastic change to your diet or is unsure of it, please make sure to consult with your health professional first.

If you think that this article is valuable and may help someone, please share it. Thank you!

Originally published at https://pangbenta.com on August 10, 2017.