Green tea has been quite the hero over the last decade in its popularity to help with weight loss due to the compound it contains known as EGCG. It’s also a great remedy for reducing your caffeine intake since green tea is much lower than black tea, coffee, or sugary energy drinks that are spiked with high doses of caffeine which can lead to adrenal fatigue and caffeine dependence. But this humble plant is much more beneficial than most of us realize. Aside from reduced caffeine intake and weight loss, there are many other ways you can benefit from using green tea.

So, let’s take a look at five simple ways you can use green tea in your home for healing and then let us know if you have a favorite way that we didn’t mention here!

1. The Cold and Flu

Did you know drinking just three cups of green tea a day when you’re sick can dramatically help with natural healing during a cold or even the flu? Though it’s not a cure-all, consuming several cups a day of green tea provides immune-boosting properties to the body along with antioxidants it needs to fight infections and free radicals. Green tea also contains many trace minerals and chlorophyll that Support the body and aid in natural cleansing. Lastly, it can be mixed with some ginger root, lemon, cayenne, and a little stevia to make a hot drink that is soothing to the throat and fights infection even further. Combined with vitamin C, your cold or even symptoms of the flu will be much better in no time!

2. Calming the Mind

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Anxiety is one of the most common types of stress in our culture today. But thankfully, nature is full of healing foods that provide instant calm to the brain in a very quick amount of time. This occurs due to specific amino acids found in plant foods like green tea. For example, green tea is packed with the amino acid L-theanine which is highly effective at fighting stress and elevated levels of cortisol. Matcha tea is almost 40 times higher in L-theanine than heated green tea you find in bags on the shelf, so if you can get your hands on some matcha tea, try having a cup of that early in the day for instant calm all day long.

3. Joint Pain

Green tea is highly alkalizing to the body which makes it a great remedy for fighting joint pain and inflammation. If you’re an athlete that suffers from sore muscles regularly, or you have persistent joint pain, try adding a few green tea leaves to your post workout smoothie or make a huge batch of green tea to keep in the fridge and either 1) drink it over ice, or 2) add it to your smoothie instead of water. Green tea also boosts your body’s immune system which can become run down after exercise; this also leads to joint pain, so green tea is a great remedy to help heal joint pain in more ways than one!

4. Puffy Eyes

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Okay ladies (or even men!). Here’s a great remedy for puffy eyes if you happen to suffer from them. Whether you had a night out on the town, have been crying, or just suffer from puffy eyes in the morning, green tea can come to the rescue. Place a few cold (already brewed) green tea bags on your eyes for 20 minutes and the caffeine and L-theanine will help reduce puffiness naturally. Skip those chemical creams and try this instead. Then, drink the green tea throughout the day to benefit from all its skin beauty benefits such as anti-aging effects and its alkalizing benefits.

5. Upset Digestion

We all know peppermint, chamomile, and even ginger tea are all great for an upset tummy, but most people don’t know that green tea is marvelous for this too. One reason is due to the way it reduces stress. Excess stress hormones disrupt your nervous system, which is largely found in your digestive tract. So managing stress is incredibly important for taking care of your digestive system because of this relationship between the brain and the gut. Green tea calms your nerves which can regulate digestion; it’s also full of alkalizing benefits that can reduce an acidic stomach to aid in digestion further.

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So, now you might be wondering… What kind should you buy? There are many types of green teas on the market. You want to search for one that is organic since tea leaves are often sprayed with all sorts of pesticides and chemicals, and it’s also great to look for one that isn’t flavored with artificial sweeteners like many pre-made green tea drinks are. Buy the simple green tea bags or try matcha tea (unheated green tea) which is sold in tins that you can either brew or use in smoothies and fun drink recipes. Check out these other 10 uses for green tea for even more benefits and reasons to try it if you haven’t already.

Do you drink green tea for any of these healing benefits?

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