Ginger Tea Benefits:

1. Relieve Nausea
One of the best-known benefits of ginger tea is its ability to combat nausea. Drinking a cup of ginger tea before traveling can help prevent the nausea and vomiting associated with motion sickness. If you did not drink ginger tea before you became nauseous, drink a cup of ginger tea at the first sign of nausea to relieve the symptom.
2. Improve Stomach Performance
Ginger tea is very useful in improving digestion and increasing absorption of food. This benefit can also prevent belching and bloating after eating too much. In some people, ginger tea seems to have a positive impact on appetite.
3. Reduce Inflammation
The anti-inflammatory properties of ginger tea are well known and make it an ideal home remedy for muscle and joint problems. In addition to drinking ginger tea, it may also be useful to use as a topical soak on inflamed joints and other body parts.
4. Fight Respiratory Problems
Ginger tea can help relieve congestion associated with the common cold. Try a cup of ginger tea for the respiratory symptoms associated with environmental allergies.

5. Improve blood circulation
The vitamins, minerals and amino acids in ginger tea can help restore and improve blood circulation that may help decrease the chance of cardiovascular problems. Ginger may prevent fat from depositing in the arteries helping to prevent heart attacks and stroke.
6. Relieve Menstrual Discomfort
Drinking ginger tea is not the only way you can benefit from this mixture. If you have cramping during your menstrual cycle, try soaking a towel in warm ginger tea and apply the towel to your lower abdomen. The effects of the ginger may help relieve the pain and relax the muscles. At the same time, drink a cup of ginger tea with honey.
7. Strengthen Immunity
Ginger tea may help strengthen your immunity due to the high levels of antioxidants in ginger. Many people drink ginger tea to help prevent cancer.
8. Relieve Stress
Ginger tea has calming properties that may help lower your stress and tension. This is thought to be due to a combination of the strong aroma and healing properties.

9. Increases Fertility
Some people believe that ginger tea is an aphrodisiac that works to boost a man’s fertility. Some studies show that regular intake of ginger may increase a man’s sperm count and help with erectile dysfunction.
10. Other benefits
Fights infection and bad breath.
May slow down the growth of cancer cells.
May help lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol.
Helps to detoxify the liver.

Contains powerful antioxidants that may reduce free radicals in the body.

Precautions
There are several groups of people who should be aware of specific precautions when using ginger tea. These include:
Those with blood disorders. Ginger tea may inhibit blood coagulation. If you have hemophilia or if you are taking blood thinners, be sure to consult your healthcare provider BEFORE drinking ginger tea.
Those with hypertension. If you have hypertension and are taking medications for that disorder, consult your physician before using ginger since it can lower blood pressure to unsafe levels.

Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. The use of ginger tea in pregnant or lactating women is controversial. Some physicians recommend ginger tea for morning sickness but others are concerned about possible toxicity to unborn and children being breast-fed.
Those who have gallstones. Ginger tea tends to increase the production of bile in the body. Since bile can cause increased pain in someone suffering from gallstones, avoid using ginger if you know you have gallbladder disease.

Recommended daily intake
First, be aware that you CAN get too much of a good thing! The Food and Drug Administration recommends no more than 2 grams of ginger for every kilogram of body weight each day. For a 155-pound (70 kg) person, this would amount to a limit of 140 grams of ginger each day.
This is almost 1/3 pound of ginger-an unlikely amount to use every day. However, even at lesser amounts side effects may show up.

6 Common Mistakes To Avoid With Herbal Tea

Weight loss, cholesterol balance, reduction in asthma, fever, cold attacks are the few major benefits of herbal tea. Avoid these mistakes to enjoy optimal health benefits of green tea.

Herbal tea – mistakes to avoid:

1. Adding milk to herbal tea:

a. If your herbal tea is very spicy and you want to give it to children, it makes sense to add a little milk (5 – 7 teaspoons to a cup) to calm down the extra spice.

b. If your herbal tea mix contains Tulsi as an ingredient, then it is best to avoid adding milk. Milk and Tulsi are incompatible with each other..If it contains Holy Basil, Basil, Ocimum sanctum, Tulasi etc terms, then it contains Tulsi.

c. If you are taking herbal tea for reducing weight, then do not add any milk to it.  Milk is rich in nutrition. It is administered to gain weight. Hence, it does not serve your purpose of losing weight.

2. Adding sugar:

One of the purpose of herbal tea is to nullify the effects of sugar on your health. Hence it does not make sense to add sugar to it.

Substitutes for sugar: Honey – not more than a teaspoon is a good choice. Honey helps you to lose weight, so also the herbal tea. So, there is a good function match. But you cannot add honey to a very hot herbal tea. This is because honey with very hot food stuffs is contra indicated. If you wish to add honey, wait for the herbal tea to cool down a bit. Then add honey and enjoy.

Tip: Do not add more than a teaspoon of honey.

If not honey, you can add a little jaggery (Gur, Gud) to it. But excess of jaggery is meant for weight gain. So, honey is better.

3. Re-heating

If you prepare herbal tea, it is best to finish it when it is freshly made. Do not store it for the later time, re heat and drink it. Re-heating herbal tea is very against to Ayurvedic principles of medicine/ food preparation. It burns out all the active ingredients of the herb.

4. Having too hot or cold tea –

If you are of Pitta body type, or Pitta aggravated symptoms like excess burning sensation, excess bleeding, etc, then allow the tea to cool down to lukewarm before drinking.

If you have Vata or Kapha body type, then you can drink it when it is hot.

5. Closing the lid of the vessel while making herbal tea – As per Ayurveda, the vessel should be open so that water evaporates.

Stirring the ingredients while you are making the herbal tea makes the tea richer with herbal active ingredients.

6. Taking herbal tea without consulting a health expert.

Lean diabetic patients, people who have recently undergone Panchakarma treatment ( within 2 months of time), people who are already taking many herbal medicines, who are excessively tired, might not require herbal tea. It may cause worsening of the symptoms. So, consult your doctor.