Black Tea Health Benefits & Nutrition Facts

There is a common misconception among people that black tea is not as beneficial as green tea. This, however, is untrue and the truth remains that black tea is just as medicinal and powerful as green tea. Black tea benefits the overall health of an individual and helps in preventing a number of diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea, cystitis, oral herpes and a number of skin infections. Black tea contains a compound known as TF-2 that can slow down the growth of various cancer cells in the body. One of the most important benefits of black tea, therefore, is that it can prevent cancer, especially breast, prostrate and stomach cancer. This same compound also fights colon cancer and abates inflammation caused by such cancers.

Another one of the black tea benefits is that it can lower the risk of strokes and heart attacks by maintaining good arterial health. Furthermore, regular consumption of black tea is very beneficial in preventing tooth decays, lowering cholesterol, burning fat and relieving the painful symptoms of arthritis.

Happy Heart

The health benefits of black tea are very helpful in maintaining a strong and healthy heart. Regular consumption of black tea helps in increasing the reactivity of blood vessels while reducing stiffness in the arteries and lowering blood pressure. This in turn helps in maintaining a healthy heart. Apart from this black tea also helps in reducing the stress and tension of everyday life. People who consume black tea regularly have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood. Blood flow to the brain increases because of the low caffeine content in black tea. This de-stressing effect of black tea is beneficial in preventing a number of stress related disorders and is therefore beneficial to both the physical and mental health of an individual.

Nutrients in Black Tea

One of the most important black tea nutrition facts is that it is free of calories, cholesterol, fats, artificial flavoring, and preservatives. On the other hand it is very rich in a variety of essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids and caffeine, which positively contribute to the overall health of an individual. In the case of black tea nutritional value is extremely high because of the antioxidants contained in black tea. These antioxidants help the body in fighting free radicals. The flavonoids found in black tea help in boosting overall immunity as well as metabolic activity. Black tea also contains vitamin C in trace amounts, which further help in improving the functioning of the immune system and assist in skin healing. Caffeine and theanine are two of the other vital nutrients in black tea. Caffeine has a number of benefits such as improving concentration and alertness, lowering the risk of gallstones, enhancing athletic performance and reducing the risk of liver disease and kidney stones. Theanine on the other hand lowers the risk of bacterial and viral infections and increases focus and alertness. Some of the other nutrients in black tea include calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, and fluoride that are required for preventing dental problems and maintaining optimum dental health.

Black Tea for Hair

Many studies have shown the effectiveness of black tea for hair growth. Black tea enhances hair growth by strengthening the roots and you can either consume it orally or use it externally. Many people, especially women, use black tea as a hair rinse for adding shine and luster to their hair. This is also beneficial in darkening and increasing the volume of hair. Similarly, it is beneficial to use black tea for hair loss problems. Black tea contains theaflavins, which are effective in reducing inflammatory mediators, which are a very significant cause of hair loss due to hormonal imbalances in the body. These components help in preserving cellular integrity, thereby preventing hair loss. In the case of men, regular consumption of black tea helps in increasing testosterone levels, which in turn helps in the treatment of hair loss.

Skin Problems:

The use of black tea for acne treatment and other skin problems is also very effective. You can use black tea externally on existing pimples or on portions where pimple outbreaks are expected. A steeped and cooled black tea bag placed on blemishes for about 10 minutes is a great home treatment for this problem. Black tea effectively helps in healing facial blemishes. The antioxidants found in black tea are responsible for the effective treatment of acne and other skin eruptions. Black tea is also good for treating sunburn. You can combine peppermint oil with black tea for sunburn treatment. Spraying this mixture on the sunburn is one of the most effective and soothing treatments for this problem.

Better Digestion:

Many people drink black tea for stomach upset and other digestive problems like diarrhea. Black tea contains tannin, which helps in relieving diarrhea and maintains the health of the gastrointestinal tract. These tannins reduce intestinal activity and help in alleviating the painful symptoms of diarrhea. Black tea steeped for 15 minutes and consumed unsweetened is a natural remedy for stomach upset and diarrhea. On the other hand, experts do not recommend drinking black tea for acidity problems. Black tea, which is already high in acids, will only worsen the condition further. It is also not advisable to drink black tea for acid reflux problems as it contains caffeine, which can amplify acid reflux in the digestive system. Drinking too much black tea can also lead to acid reflux in many cases for the same reason.

Diabetes:

Black tea is good for the management of diabetes because the theaflavins and thearubigins contained in black tea are effective in mimicking the action of insulin in the body. The polysaccharides found in black tea are extremely effective in slowing down the absorption of blood sugar, thereby making it one of the natural treatment for diabetes management. This in turn is also beneficial in enhancing heart and kidney health in diabetes patients. Diabetes patients are more prone to getting cataracts as compared to normal healthy individuals, and regular consumption of black tea can prevent this problem as well. Similarly, the risk of other health conditions associated with diabetes also reduces with the regular intake of black tea.

Eyes:

The use of black tea for eye infections like conjunctivitis or pink eye is very popular. The tannin found in black tea has powerful antibacterial, anti-viral, and astringent properties that are soothing for the eye and effective in curing eye infections. While choosing black tea for eye bags one must make sure that it contains the actual leaves from the tea shrub. You can use black tea bags as a poultice over the eyes to relieve pain and inflammation caused by eye infections. You can also use diluted black tea as eyewash for dry eyes and other eye allergies. In such cases black tea acts like a saline solution to reduce dryness in the eyes and eliminate allergy causing agents from the eye. You can even use black tea as a preventive measure against conjunctivitis and other eye infections. The effectiveness of black tea for eye infections lies in the fact that black tea contains bioflavonoids and other astringent chemicals that help in shrinking swollen tissues and reduce eye inflammation.

Submitted on January 2, 2012