My Vegan Scrapbook

I’ve seen a lot of postings about herbal teas lately, praising them for morning wake ups and nutritional benefits. I just wanted to take a minute to point out that herbal tea’s don’t even have tea in them. There is no caffeine, hardly any antioxidants compared to white tea, and not much else to them other than flavor. I work at Teavana, so you can trust me on this. Here’s a simple breakdown on all of the teas.

The four traditional teas from the camellia plant are-

White Tea - the lowest in caffeine (less than chocolate, 1% of coffee) white tea is going to give you the most antioxidants, which can be great for your skin, complexion, teeth and for hydration.
Green Tea - contains the ECGC complex (a great antioxidant) and can build up your immune system, and increase mental alertness. It is not high in caffeine like everyone thinks, but only about 5-10% of coffee.
Oolong Tea - known as a weight loss tea, oolong can help boost your metabolism and aid in digestion. Oolong also promotes healthy skin and teeth, and has 10-15% the caffeine of coffee.
Black Tea - this is where you get your earl gray and english breakfast tea’s from. Yes, black tea has the most caffeine, but it still is only 20% the caffeine of coffee. Black tea promotes heart health and your circulatory system.

Rooibos Tea - sometimes known as “red tea” this tea is made from the rooibos plant in Africa. It has natural antihistamines which can help if you have allergies. It’s also completely caffeine free and can aid in digestion. 
Mate Tea - this tea is made from the yerba mate plant in Argentina. It contains the same caffeine as coffee, but won’t give you jitters or crashes because it releases slowly over time. It can also work as an apetite suppressor.
Herbal Tea - this tea is caffeine free since there isn’t any tea in it. The fruit and spices will have some antioxidants, but not nearly as many as white tea itself. If you want great tea benefits, you should drink white, green, black or oolong. But herbal teas are a great way to add flavor to other teas.