What is the difference between organic and conventional tea? Which one is better? What are the benefits of organic tea? An intense debate on organic vs conventional tea is going on since the last couple of decades. When some are in favor of conventional tea, others are motivated by the benefits of organic tea. In this article, we will help you with more information. We will discuss both these types and then we will introduce some of the key benefits of organic tea.
Organic vs Conventional Tea
How is organic tea grown? Organic tea cultivation doesn’t use chemicals such as herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers. Organic tea farmers utilize natural processes to grow a sustainable tea crop, such as sticky bug catchers.
Organic tea is used by the people of all age groups due to its number of benefits. People believe that organic tea can help with weight loss and other health complications. People who drink regular or conventional tea believe more in conventional tea. They find it cost-effective and healthy. Here are a few differences between organic and conventional tea.
- Fertilizers, pesticides, and chemicals, herbicides, and fungicides are not used in organic teas during farming. All these have harmful effects on human body and environment. Unfortunately, many of these are used while farming conventional tea.
- When organic tea comes from the diverse small-scale farms, conventional tea is the outcome of the mono-cropped plantations. Farmers use biodynamic and organic farming methods to produce organic tea that enables local flora and wildlife to flourish. However, conventional tea comes as mass production that needs a large piece of land for farming. During the process, it affects wildlife and destroys the forest.
- Organic tea supports healthy community life and empowers farmers. Also, it is great for strengthening local communities. If you choose organic tea, you will support a unique system of production that brings a community together. As stated earlier, conventional tea is grown in mass production. It damages the environment, farmers, and people. Also, the exploitative system will not empower workers and force them to live in an unsafe working condition.
Reasons to Choose Organic Tea
Why should you choose organic tea over conventional tea? While organic tea products are a bit more costly than conventional teas, the benefits are rewarding. The following are the important reasons to choose organic tea:
1. Tastes Better
Taste plays an important role in deciding on tea. Here organic tea gets preference. In the current condition, different types of organic teas are available. All of them come with a unique taste and some specific benefit. As chemicals or fertilizers are not used during farming, you will experience a natural and delicious flavor. So, if you’re after the taste when choosing a tea, it’s best to choose organic tea.
2. Heals Heart Diseases
You can get this benefit if you drink organic tea for a long time. Organic tea has a great healing ability. It can help to reduce inflammation. It will minimize the risk of arthritis. Also, regular drinking will prevent cataracts and heart diseases. Regularity is the key to get all these health benefits (1).
3. Boosts Your Oral Health
Organic tea will keep your teeth in good condition. These tea plants pull important fluoride from the soil. This ingredient is used in the toothpaste and mouthwashes to maintain your teeth healthy. Also, the strong antimicrobial effects of organic tea will protect you from bad breath. By drinking organic tea, you can get this benefit naturally. Your teeth will be healthier and stronger. Needless to mention, your smile will be more impressive (2).
4. Improves Immunity
A strong immunity can protect you from a number of diseases. If you are looking for a natural way to boost your immunity, you can think of organic tea. It will make your immunity strong and will work as a shield against heart problems, cancer, infection, cardiovascular diseases, tooth decay, rheumatoid arthritis, and a lot of other health complications. All the credit goes to the high amounts of the antioxidants available in the organic tea. Organic tea is also considered good for stomach infection, cold and flu, and indigestion issues (3).
5. Promotes weight loss
Are you suffering from weight gain? Do you want an easy method to get back your shape? If yes, then try organic tea. You will love the end result. It will increase your body metabolism and deplete the fat deposits at a faster rate. Also, this is zero calories and that makes it the best option for weight loss. Even several study reports support that the diuretic effect of organic tea can be very effective for weight loss. You can only drink two to three cups in a day to get the benefits (4).
6. Improves Brain Function
Organic tea can make you smart and sharp. The caffeine present in the drink will improve the normal function of your brain. Caffeine blocks the inhibitory neurotransmitter. As a result, norepinephrine and dopamine increase in your brain making your smart. Also, it contains L- theanine and that will ultimately make you calm. According to study reports, the combination of L- theanine can be effective to boost your brain function (5).
7. Helps in Type-2 Diabetes
Type-2 diabetes is common now. Many people across the globe are suffering from this condition. You can drink organic tea to minimize the effect. In fact, if you drink organic tea regularly, it will minimize the risk of Type-2 diabetes to 42%, supported by a Japanese study report (6).
8. Improves Your Skin
Organic tea will give you good skin. Its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties can improve your skin condition significantly. Yes, regular drinking will delay the signs of aging such as wrinkles (7).
9. Promotes a Healthy Environment
The conventional tea is damaging the environment in many ways. The chemicals used in farming damage the local ecosystem and oceans located miles away. The fertilizers get washed down, killing many ocean and river species. Pesticides kill around ninety-nine percent of insects on the farm. However, organic tea farming does not involve chemicals and pesticides and does not pose a threat to the environment.
10. May helps in Cancer
Studies suggests that organic tea may reduced the risk of cancer. More organic tea means little cancer. If you drink organic tea regularly, it will reduce the chances of cancer (8).
From the above, all your questions might have answered. You know the difference between organic and conventional tea. Also, you are aware of the benefits of organic tea. So, act smart and drink organic tea regularly. Regular consumption is a must if you want all the benefits. You will find many different options in organic tea. Choose the one that suits your taste.
How To Prepare Organic Tea
There’s no difference in preparing conventional and organic tea. You can make your tea blends at home or buy commercially available organic tea products for easier preparation. Heat water to 176 to 185ºF or 80 to 85ºC. Don’t let the water boil. Pour the water in the glass and add tea leaves. Steep the organic tea for about three minutes
If you’re looking for a rare organic tea, you might want to try Cretan. A Cretan or “Malotira” in Crete is a wild plant growing in mountainous areas at 800 to 2,000 meters above sea level. This tea is thought to help treat gastric ulcers, depression, and lung conditions. There are reputable companies that produce and sell online organic Cretan herbs, such as Tofillo.
Sources:
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3123419/
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3841993/
(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28341876
(4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4025876/
(5) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28899506
(6) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5583402/
(7) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3390139/
(8) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5824026/
