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You already know that tea is good for you, whether it comes from Japan, from China or from other parts of the world.
What you might not know is that temperature plays a fundamental role when talking about the benefits of tea.
Forget the idea that this drink is limited only to tasty breaks in winter, hot tea in the summer has many benefits, and here is what they are:
The Bedouin & Chinese know the benefits of hot tea in the summer
To get a better understanding of why drinking hot tea can be a good idea, even when the temperatures seem to be prohibitive, just think of the inhabitants of the desert.
The Bedouin drink huge quantities of boiling hot tea; in China too, this hot drink has become to all effects and purposes a routine drinking habit, regardless of the season.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, drinking cold drinks damages the energy of the spleen and the stomach, furthermore, boiling the water is also an excellent way of killing off any bacteria present.
The reason, even if it is difficult to imagine, is quite simple and can be explained on many different levels. In fact, besides replenishing the body with water and sugars, hot tea causes the dilation of the blood vessels on the skin’s surface which, in this way, help to release heat more easily.
When it’s hot, our body temperature increases more than normal, but don’t think that drinking cold drinks is the best move to combat this.
If we try to lower our body temperature in this way, we do nothing more than increase the difference between our thermal state and the external one, with the result that we end up feeling hotter than before.
If instead, we start drinking hot drinks like tea, we can actually feel a slight sensation of coolness because our body will become warmer than the external environment, and this way we will start to release heat.
Simple, right?
Another element to keep in mind on this matter is sweating,
which is the only way the human body has of lowering its temperature, because the heat is absorbed by the air and our bodies can cool down.
Sweating also allows us to expel excess toxins.
But in order to obtain these results, it is important for the weather not to be humid, because otherwise the exchange in these circumstances does not happen, and the situation is made worse.
Why we need to drink hot drinks
The summer stereotype sees us dependent on air-conditioning, electric fans (with or without nebulizers) and ice-cold drinks, and practically none of us would think of ordering a hot cup of tea or a steaming hot infusion at our usual bar.
Big mistake! There are many good reasons why we should start doing this!
Super metabolism!
Have you ever wondered why in many Asian countries they drink hot drinks during their meals? Easy, this habit helps nutrients to be absorbed, prevents water retention and burns more calories.
This is in fact one of the fundamental points of Ayurveda, the ancient Indian medicine, and one of the most ancient natural medicines.
Excellent ally for fighting infections
A hot drink is always the right response when we have a cold or we have a sore throat because it acts on the brain, mitigating the pain, but above all it helps, thanks to the heat, to reduce congestion and the level of mucous present in our airways, thus eliminating a perfect breeding ground for fungus and bacteria.
If the drink is hot, I like you more
This is not something we have invented, but a real study carried out at the University of Colorado.
The participants in this experiment were asked to express their opinion of an unknown person sitting in front of them.
Those who had drunk a hot drink shortly before, gave nicer, kinder answers, whereas those who had drunk a cold coffee beforehand tended to express more negative opinions.
This is attributable to the fact that heat stimulates the insula, or insula cortex, an area located deep inside the brain (between the temporal lobe and the frontal lobe) which influences our emotional susceptibility.
Drink it to believe it!
Heat, light of our eyes..
Last year the British Journal of Ophthalmology demonstrated that drinking a cup of tea or another hot drink at least once a day significantly reduces the risk of developing glaucoma.
The study, conducted on 1678 participants, showed that those who habitually drink hot drinks are 76% less likely to contract this illness.
Which hot teas to choose?
If we have managed to convince you to use this delicious technique to combat the heat, you will also have to choose which variety to drink, and here we can suggest a few hot teas which are particularly suitable.
- Mint tea: This variety is very popular, but perhaps not everyone knows its full potential. Mint contains many essential elements for the correct functioning of our bodies: it contains fiber and minerals including calcium, potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese, sodium and vitamins A, C, and D. This is why mint tea is an excellent ally for reintegrating fluids lost through sweating.
- Citrus fruit tea: Thirst-quenching and a real goldmine of vitamins. There numerous types of citrus fruits, all with different flavors and color features, but each one of them has an ace up its sleeve to help us combat the heat. Orange, in fact, is not only rich in vitamin C but also bursting with antioxidants; the mandarin on the other hand contains a lesser known vitamin, but very important nonetheless; vitamin P, which stimulates diuresis; and finally the pomegranate helps protect our skin against UV rays. All very good reasons for savoring a good cup of hot citrus fruit tea !
- Karkadè (or hibiscus): This infusion, which is drunk in many hot countries like Egypt, made from the flowers of the plant, Karkadè, is known for its color and distinct flavor. It possesses excellent purifying and diuretic properties which activate digestion and, above all, antioxidants which counteract the action of free radicals.
