By Dr Joseph Mercola

Tea is one of the most widely enjoyed beverages raound the world. Green tea is one of the most popular types, known for its health benefits and flavour. If your taste buds are looking for a new way to enjoy this beneficial beverage, then jasmine tea may be the answer for you.

 

What Is Jasmine Tea?

Jasmine tea is green tea scented with jasmine flowers, though the base tea can also use black, white or oolong tea leaves, though this is less common. High-quality jasmine tea is usually scented using fresh jasmine flowers, while affordable options are flavoured with jasmine oils or jasmine extract. The end result produces a clean and fragrant smell, with a sweet flavor.2

Aside from using different teas to create varying flavours of jasmine tea, manufacturers use different grades of the same tea plant. For example, some jasmine teas are made with a large ratio of flower buds to tea leaves, while some are made with larger leaves and fewer buds. Jasmine tea is traditionally made by storing green tea until jasmine flowers are ready to harvest, and then scented over several days. Two methods are generally employed to create the final product:

• Fresh jasmine flowers are placed on a tray below a woven tray of tea leaves in a warm room. Over the course of several days, the flowers are replaced to give the tea an ethereal, light aroma and flavour. This method is more laborious and more expensive.

• Leftover, wilted jasmine flowers are used to scent green tea leaves, resulting in a cheaper price when packaged and sold.

 

Potential Benefits of Jasmine Tea You Should Know

Jasmine tea is a modified form of green tea that is scented with jasmine flowers, meaning you will still get the same benefits of regular green tea, only with a different flavour. Green tea happens to be one of the healthiest beverages you can drink, with studies suggesting that it may help the following:

Improve brain function
The caffeine found in green tea may help boost reaction time, memory, mood, as well as lower anxiety.
Promote healthy weight
Drinking green tea may help you lose weight, as it has been shown to boost metabolism as well as fat-burning.
Reduce risk of cancer
Green tea contains powerful antioxidants that may help reduce your chances of developing cancer. In one study, researchers noted that women who drank the most green tea had a 20 to 30 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer. In another study, men who drank green tea had a 48 percent lower risk of developing prostate cancer, the most common type of cancer among this gender group.
Promote brain health
Aside from helping improve brain performance, green tea may help keep your brain healthy as you age. Multiple studies indicate that catechins in green tea have neuroprotective properties that may help reduce the risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
Eliminate microbes
Several studies indicate that catechins have innate antimicrobial effects that may help kill various bacteria and viruses responsible for various diseases. Drinking green tea may also help promote oral health by reducing inflammation and limiting the growth of bacteria associated with periodontal diseases.
Manage diabetes
Data compiled from a meta-analysis of 17 studies suggest that green tea consumption may significantly help reduce fasting glucose and haemoglobin concentrations.

Nutrition Facts and Caffeine Content of Jasmine Tea

Since jasmine tea is made by combining jasmine blossoms with green tea, the final product still has caffeine, albeit at a lower amount, typically between 14 to 60 milligrams per cup.20 In addition, jasmine tea contains trace amounts of vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6, as well as vitamin C.

How to Make Homemade Jasmine Tea

Place a layer of tea leaves (combined green tea leaves and fresh jasmine flowers) in the bottom of a jar with a large opening. Then place a layer of fresh jasmine flowers over them. Repeat with as many jasmine blossoms as desired. Place a can or a small weight on top of the jasmine and tea leaves, then cover the jar tightly. Allow the flowers to scent the tea for at least 24 hours or up to several weeks.

To prepare the tea, pour a heaping teaspoon of the leaves into 8 to 10 ounces of hot filtered water that had just been removed from the heat. Steep for five to seven minutes, then strain and serve. .

Possible Side Effects of Jasmine Tea

Jasmine tea is generally safe to drink, but drinking too much of it can increase anxiety, as well as cause restlessness, sleeping problems and increased urination. This is due to the effects of having too much caffeine in your body. As such, jasmine tea should be consumed in moderation. In addition, too much green tea can cause stomach irritation. Since jasmine tea is a variation of green tea, the same effect may happen if you don’t monitor your consumption.

Pregnant women should strictly avoid jasmine tea because the caffeine can negatively affect your baby’s health. In light of this, you should also avoid coffee and other caffeinated drinks if you are pregnant.

Explore New Flavors and Give Jasmine Tea a Try

If you feel like drinking green tea is getting mundane, but you still would like to gain its health benefits, then jasmine tea may be a viable alternative for you. Not only are you still getting the catechins and other antioxidants found in green tea, you’ll be able to experience some brand new flavours. Plus, growing your own tea leaves and jasmine flowers ensures that your stock is always fresh and devoid of toxins.

*This is an edited article. For the full article please visit the below website, and we would suggest you also conduct your own research for further information where appropriate.

www.drmercola.com