I began drinking Green Tea about 6 years ago because it seemed everywhere I looked there was some kind of article, TV commercial, or scientific study talking about the benefits of Green Tea and how people in Eastern countries who consume it on a regular basis live longer and healthier lives on average than people in Western countries. This got me wondering what all the hype was about so I did a lot of research online to see what the benefits of Green Tea were and I was pleasantly surprised. It has been known to reduce cardiovascular disease, boost the immune system, reduce your risk of cancer, speed up your metabolism, and so much more. After doing some research on Green Tea I decided I wanted to consume it on a daily basis. The next step was figuring out what brand had the highest amount of anti-oxidants. I figured if I was going to take it I might as well take the most potent brand available to reap the benefits as much as I could. Now I’m sure you can purchase specialty Green Tea from distributor’s that are of much higher quality and much more potent than store brand Tea but I wanted to stick with store brands just for the fact that they’re more convenient to purchase and appear to have a high enough anti-oxidant level to reap the benefits that Green Tea offers. Bear in mind that if you want to purchase a specialty Green Tea there are several varieties available at different price points. By doing an online search you’ll see what I’m talking about. Anyway, after doing some research online on store brand Green Tea’s I found that there was a study done on store brand Tea’s and that the Celestial Seasonings brand was found to have the highest amount of anti-oxidants of all Green Tea’s that were part of the study. After reading this article it was a no brainer that this was the brand of Green Tea I would consume going forward. I will admit that at first I didn’t enjoy the taste of Green Tea at all (and still don’t to be honest with you) but I wanted to make it a part of my daily life because of all the wonderful health benefits it offers. Like anything else, the more you do something the easier it is to deal with. I don’t think I’ve gone more than two days in the past six years without having a cup of Green Tea. Most experts say that consuming 2-3 cups of Green Tea per day is enough to reap the benefits it offers. I usually drink two cups a day and I feel it gives me just enough energy to help me have a productive morning and I don’t get the late morning crash I used to get when I drank coffee. About three years after I started drinking Green Tea (three years ago) I stumbled upon a new product that really caught my attention…Rooibos Tea.

The way I came across Rooibos Tea was actually pretty neat. After I returned home from grocery shopping one day I was in the mood for a cup of Green Tea. As I opened the box I was greeted with a free sample of Rooibos Tea. I thought this was a great marketing strategy on Celestial Seasonings part but I was also excited because I love trying new things and this something I had never heard of before. Instead of having a cup of Green Tea I decided to give the Rooibos Tea a try. I read on the packet that it was full of anti-oxidants and comes from a remote region of South Africa which I thought was neat. I will admit that I didn’t like the taste of this tea at all. It was a little too sweet for me but this didn’t stop me from going online to research it. What I found was very interesting.

First off, Rooibos is actually a bush and is not in the same family as Tea plants so in all reality it’s not even classified as a Tea. Secondly, some studies have shown that Rooibos Tea has up to 50 times the amount of anti-oxidants of Green Tea. This really got my attention because I enjoy leading a healthy lifestyle and I’m always looking for ways to boost my immune system and stay healthy. After reading this I decided to dig deeper into the health benefits of Rooibos Tea. One of the things that really interested me about Rooibos Tea is that it is naturally caffeine free. As someone who doesn’t drink a lot of caffeine this was of great interest to me because I could drink it at night and it wouldn’t affect my sleep. A lot of people actually use it to help with insomnia because it has a soothing effect. After digging even deeper into the health benefits of Rooibos Tea I found it is good for the digestive system, helps in managing allergies and hay fever, is good for your skin, boosts the immune system, and contains calcium, manganese, fluoride, magnesium, and zinc which all contribute to different health benefits of their own. It appeared I found a Tea with all the benefits of Green Tea and then some. I will say that Rooibos Tea is not well known in the United States. Green Tea has a much larger following and is more readily available than Rooibos Tea. I would recommend giving Rooibos Tea a try if you’re a Tea lover and you’re health conscious because it is packed with anti-oxidants and has been shown to have several health benefits that can really improve your bodily functions. Celestial Seasonings is the only store brand I have ever come across at the store. As with Green Tea, you can buy Rooibos Tea online through Distributors which are probably of much higher quality than store brands. They’re more expensive but if you’re a hard core health nut this may be the best option for you.

In conclusion, Tea as a whole is good for you whether it be Black, Brown, Oolong, Green, Rooibos, or the hundreds of other kinds of Tea’s that are available in the marketplace. Green Tea definitely gets the most attention as being the healthiest tea available but take a look at Rooibos as well. You’ll be amazed at all the health benefits it offers. My thought is why not consume both Green Tea and Rooibos Tea on a regular basis to reap the benefits of both.