When I'm sick, I'll reach for anything that can make me feel better right now and keep me from getting sick again any time soon. Sometimes that's a large dose of NyQuil (sorry, not sorry), but more often it involves large cups of tea. Tea just always makes me feel better, because it warms me up inside, but it wasn't until I did some research that I realised there's more to tea than that [1].
While it hasn't been studied a lot, various forms of tea are thought to help support your immune system so you don't deal with nasty colds and flu [2] as often. Tea is often used in Chinese medicine, and Elizabeth Trattner [3], AP, an expert in Chinese and integrative medicine, recommends it to clients often for a variety of things, including as a tool to safeguard the immune system.
Trattner explained to POPSUGAR that the teas that can help you feel the best are packed with antioxidant properties, and the level of catechins in a specific tea can be most helpful. Simply put, catechins are antioxidant compounds that can be antiviral [4], according to studies. Green tea [5] typically has the highest concentration of catechins, so as a rule of thumb, it's a great one to reach for any time you're feeling blah or want to give yourself a boost.
Read through for five tea options that can help keep you healthy this season, and remember, your best bet before any kind of self-treatment is to check with your doctor.
Ginseng
Ginseng is an adaptogen [7] that can improve the performance of cells that fight infection and disease [8]. A few small studies have been done on the efficacy of ginseng, and results showed it can have a positive effect [9] on your immune system.
Holy Basil
This may not be one you see quite as often, but holy basil [10] has a lot of antioxidant properties. It's commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat a variety of things, especially infections [11].
Green Tea and Matcha
"Drinking green tea instead of coffee during cold winter months or adding matcha can help reduce oxidative stress on skin," Trattner told POPSUGAR. This is because green tea contains antioxidants that studies have shown can even have an effect on cancerous cells [12] under some circumstances.
Matcha has even more antioxidant properties than other green teas because of its elevated number of catechins [13], and Trattner recommends it frequently to her patients because of how powerful it can be in making you feel good from the inside out.
Ginger
On top of being just a tasty zing in a cup, ginger tea has many benefits [14]. According to Trattner, it's a strong antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory agents. It can help kill off bacteria in your system and fight off congestion [15], cold, and fever.
Chamomile
Chamomile might already be your favourite bedtime tea [16], but there's so much more to it than that. It has long been used as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant form of medicine [17], but a 2012 study showed that it may even have positive effects against cancer [18].