Herbal teas, what are they and can they help my psoriasis? The short answer is Yes they can. In fact herbal teas are surprisingly good for psoriasis and give psoriasis sufferers a surprising amount of relief from their dry itchy skin.
Herbal teas are simply boiled plant matter but don't let that put you off, made correctly they can be ohhh so good too!
As any Psoriasis sufferer will know Stress is a common trigger for a flare and one of the additional benefits to herbal teas is the calming and soothing characteristics it possess. They can restore, relax, strengthen and support the nervous system where as something like coffee and soft drinks that contain caffeine pretty much have the opposite affect.
What makes Herbal Teas so special?
Drinking herbal tea is helpful in counteracting the dryness of psoriasis and the best way to ensure you're getting a quality herbal tea is by always using loose leaf tea as opposed to tea bags. The problem with some tea bags is that they often contain something called fannings. Fannings is the dust of the leaves which have been ground up and pulverized resulting in the essential oils being exposed to the surrounding air and being destroyed in the process. Loose leaf tea is much less processed so the essential oils are contained in the whole leaves and flowers and then steeped in your teacup. One thing to remember with herbal teas is generally the beneficial results appear slowly over time. Herbal teas should be drunk every day and combined with the jum diet you will eventually start to see and feel the benefits right there on your skin. Other benefits of herbal teas are:
rich in antioxidants that fight off skin damaging free radicals
contain powerful anti-inflammatory properties necessary in reducing inflammation in the body
calm the mind thereby reducing stress
release endorphins (or happy hormones) that prevent stress and depression
help the liver purify the blood
6 Healing Brews for Better Skin!
Ginseng Tea
Ginseng, also known as red ginseng, is an important herb in Chinese Medicine: it’s used to purify the blood of toxins, prevent free radical cellular damage, increase the production of red blood cells, strengthen the immune system and balance stress levels.
Slippery Elm Tea
Slippery Elm is called slippery because it releases mucilage when boiled. It was used by the Native Americans for a wide range of ailments and it has a great deal of benefits including soothing digestive problems, promotes healthy gut flora and has colon cleansing effects. Though some find the taste unpleasant, we find it has a slight taste of thin porridge or oatmeal that’s not too much of a bad thing.. If you really can not stand the taste then try adding in some fresh mint. It really does improve the flavour (trust us!)
Benefits for Psoriasis: supports healthy elimination of wastes & removal of toxins that aggravate psoriasis flare-ups, boosts immune system
Oolong Tea
Oolong tea originates in China, and they know a thing or two about tea! The way it’s made is slightly different from other tea processing in a way that the tea leaves are first partially fermented before drying. This makes it a unique blend that’s a mix of strong black tea and slightly bitter green tea.
Because of its powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, oolong tea is beneficial for treating inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. A 2001 study conducted in Japan on more than 100 eczema patients showed that drinking one liter of oolong tea a day while continuing their dermatological treatments, resulted in a 60% improvement after a period of 30 days. Reason enough to include this brew every day into your morning routine!
Milk Thistle Tea
One of the theories about psoriasis is said to be toxin overload in the liver. So gently detoxing or cleansing the liver to bring balance in the body can not be a bad thing. One such liver detoxifier is milk thistle, a powerful detoxifying herb that has been used for over 2000 years as a remedy for many ailments including liver problems and kidney malfunctions. The active compound in milk thistle for psoriasis is silymarin which has proven antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Good news for anyone with an inflammatory condition! Some people find the taste to be bitter but instead of adding sugar or honey we suggest sweetening it up with stevia. In fact stevia is the only sweetener we ever recommend for psoriasis or eczema sufferers.
Rooibos Tea
Rooibos tea is obtained from the Aspalanthus linearis plant that is native to South Africa (and thats where we're from:). Rooibos is actually from the Afrikaans word roy-boss, meaning red bush. This tea is incredibly high in antioxidants, doesn’t contain any caffeine and has very low levels of tannins. It contains the anti-inflammatory antioxidant, quercentin that makes it good for helping inflammatory skin conditions including psoriasis and eczema. Rooibos tea was traditionally used by the Khoisan tribe in South Africa who used it to treat a variety of ailments. Hospitals in South Africa even use rooibos in baths for treating children with skin diseases and give it as a drink as well. It has a fruity taste that's very refreshing and because of the low levels of tannins there is no strong bitter aftertaste.
Ginger Tea
Ginger is warming in nature and has been touted as a powerful anti-inflammatory superfood with pain relieving properties. It’s very popular all around the world and often used in cooking, recommended for people with slow digestion, headaches, severe pain, inflammation and skin conditions as well! There are many active compounds in ginger that inhibit the release of inflammation causing hormones, found in significant amounts in psoriasis sufferers. This stimulating rhizome also has potent antioxidant effects that help fight off unstable free radicals that damage skin cells. Because of these benefits we highly recommend including at least one cup of ginger tea into your day.
Other Great Teas for Psoriasis
Even if you’re not a tea drinker or have never liked tea, once you start drinking teas for psoriasis, you’ll fall in love with how invigorating and therapeutic they are! Here are other teas we would also recommend you to try out:
Turmeric tea
Burdock root tea
White tea
Green tea
Black tea
Licorice tea
Peppermint tea
All of the above teas have benefits similar to the ones already mentioned. Having a combination of any of these drinks throughout your week will bring benefits to your skin in the long term.
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Scott