I found a tea called Jiaogulan. It appears within ancient Chinese manuscripts as early as the 13th century. In the later half of the 20th century a study of sorts was done to try and discover why inhabitants of a certain mountainous region in China lived to be over a 100. The common denominator is that they all consumed this tea.

Jiaogulan tea contains anti-oxidants* It is also considered an adaptogen. Adaptogens help increase resistance to stress, trauma, anxiety and fatigue. They produce a nonspecific physiologic response in the body (huh, what does that mean?). That means that they do not work on a particular system or organ rather they have a normalizing influence on the entire body. For instance, if a person was feeling stressed and sort of keyed up or a bit hyper, so to speak, an adaptogen would help to normalize them and chill them out. On the other hand, if a person was feeling lethargic or tired an adaptogen would make them feel less tired and more alert. I think it is a great tasting tea.

It should be brewed at about 140-160 degrees. Unless you are a real tea enthusiast and use a thermometer to monitor the water I would suggest heating some water with a thermometer one time to about 150 degrees and then get a feel for how hot that is and how long it took to reach that temperature, for future reference. You can order the tea through www.AumTea.com they are loose leaves. So get your self a little glass teapot with a basket. I actually make a small pot in the morning and if I want to make some more in the afternoon I just reuse the same leaves.

Another really great herbal tea I found is called Tulsi Tea and you can order if from www.organicindia.com and look for what is called The Original Tulsi Tea without any other flavorings. Tulsi is also called Holy Basil. There are several varieties of Tulsi and this one has three of them. This tea tastes as good as "regular" tea and does not taste like an herbal tea in my opinion. Studies have shown that Tulsi helps to lower cholesterol and stabilize blood glucose levels. It also shows promise in treating problems associated with radiation poisoning and cataracts. Tulsi is also an adaptogen and is full of anti-oxidants. I did not find any special brewing directions so you can boil the heck out of your water and enjoy!

A word of caution, although these are herbal teas I found that they still stained my teeth. They did not stain near as bad as green tea or regular tea but I was surprised since they are herbal teas. However, I do drink them everyday.

*Anti-oxidants fight free radicals within the body. Free radicals are basically very unstable atoms that cause injury and damage to cells. Keeping it very simple; all atoms have particles that move around them called electrons. Free radicals are short one electron, therefore they are very unstable and will steal an electron from neighboring atoms (thieves!). This in turn sets up a chain reaction that can cause injury to cells. Anti-oxidants are really nice little guys because they have an extra electron that they give to these bad free radicals so they settle down and don't go around stealing electrons that don't belong to them!

I am not a big coffee drinker although I do like coffee I just do not handle the caffeine very well. My husband has one cup of coffee in the morning so I was looking for some healthy coffee for him. I came across a coffee that has a mushroom extract called Ganoderma. It has been studied in Japan for over 30 years and has been shown to be safe. It is supposed to help with high blood pressure, improve circulation, help the immune system and increase energy according to the literature. The coffee comes in little packets that you just add water to. It is the only brand that actually lists the milligrams of the Ganoderma (it is on the website) so you know how much you are getting. I would drink this myself if it came in decaf but it does not. I have a website for this coffee it is www.ganobrand.com/june Only after using the coffee for about a year did I decide to this. If you decide to purchase please do so through my site. The coffee is not very expensive. I have not tried any of the other products yet.

Kombucha (pronounced kom-BOO-cha)

This is a handmade Chinese teas that is delicately cultured for 3o days. During this time, essential nutrients form like: Active enzymes, Probiotics, Amino Acids (building blocks of protein) and Antioxidants. I love, love, love this stuff! The brand I like best is Synergy. It is an organic and raw food. They have a lot of different flavors but my two favorite are Gingerberry and Guava. It comes in a 16 oz bottle and the Gingerberry only has 70 calories for the entire bottle. The ingredients are organic raw kombucha, blueberry juice and fresh pressed ginger juice and 100% pure love according to the bottle. I can detect the love but it is probably my own because I really love this stuff! The bottle also states kombucha supports: Digestion, Metabolism, appetite control, weight control and body alkalinity. Since it is fermented it is very “fizzy.” It has an alcohol content of less than 0.5% due to the fermentation. Be very careful when taking the lid off because of the fermentation (think uncorking champagne). Never shake the bottle! My husband and I joke it is like handling nitroglycerin so don’t jostle the bottles around too much when you bring them home from the store. You will probably have to get this at your local health food store.

Hibiscus Mint Tea

This is a great tea that you get loose or in tea bags. It is caffeine free. It is an independent company based in Austin, Texas. A percentage of the profits are donated to the people of Az-Zawart which is a village in northern Sudan. Projects for clean water, health and education improvement is what the money is used for. This is the best tea. You can serve it hot or cold. I like it cold with lemon or lime. It is very refreshing and has the most beautiful color so it is very nice to serve to guests. The website to order the tea is www.nilevalleyherbs.com It is the best tea I have found as far as a non-caffeinated variety. For healthy chocolate drinks, see my post on Chocolate!