Tea Therapy

TOP: CatSpring Yaupon Tea

Some of the hottest organic teas this winter also offer proven healing benefits.

Winter is high season for hot tea, and we’ve rounded up our favorites. Tuck into a cozy cup with healing organic ingredients such as reishi, turmeric, yaupon and dandelion root that will help you stay healthy all winter long.

It is especially crucial to choose organic: “Tea is a food product that is usually not washed as part of the processing; the first time it’s rinsed is when it’s steeped,” says Abianne Miller Falla, cofounder of CatSpring Tea. “If the plant has been sprayed with any herbicides or pesticides, they’ll be rinsed directly into your steeped tea!”

Where your tea comes from is important, too. Brooke Alpert, author of The Diet Detox, says, “People should make sure that their tea is sustainably sourced and ethically grown. Some herbs only thrive and produce active compounds when grown in certain regions [so] it makes sense to source those herbs from those specific regions.”

Here are 10 trending herbal teas we love:

Turmeric

TOP LEFT: Golden Vitality Digestive Powder by Olivia Clementine
TOP RIGHT: Turmeric Chai Golden Latte Tea by Numi Organic Tea

Numi Organic Tea
Turmeric, an ancient root from the ginger family, is sourced from an organic Fair Trade farming cooperative in Madagascar. Numi Tea’s Turmeric Chai Golden Latte with ginger and cardamom is a popular choice for runners due to its anti-inflammatory properties. We love the earthy, peppery taste; piperine, an active ingredient in black pepper, helps to increase the bioavailability of curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) into the body, rendering its health benefits more effective. Mix with almond or coconut milk for a dairy-free delight. numitea.com

Olivia Clementine
“I have a background in farming, so I grow many of the herbs and gather them sustainably from the forests and fields,” says herbalist Olivia Clementine. “Anything I cannot grow, I source first from local organic farmers, and, if needed, organic growers from other parts of the world.” Her Golden Vitality tonic powder, a nourishing superfood blend of herbs including turmeric and reishi, is designed to provide digestive, immune and nervous system support—and can be added to any tea for an extra boost. oliviaclementine.com

Mushroom

Choice Organic Reishi
In 2017, Choice Organic Teas added a quartet of mushroom teas to its Wellness Teas line. Reishi, a medicinal mushroom used by Shaolin monks to improve concentration, is known as the “mushroom of immortality” and also supports healthy cardiac function. The Reishi Matcha blend features antioxidant-rich green tea and cordyceps mushroom extract, which works with reishi to boost immunity and endurance. choiceorganicteas.com

The Republic of Tea Reishi Cocoa SuperHerb Tea

“We embody the ancient Chinese philosophy of Tashun—the Great Harmony—when people naturally care about the world and depend on each other for the well-being of the whole,” says Minister of Commerce Kristina Richens. “Ethical sourcing, including organic ingredients, is part of this philosophy.”

Tea is sourced from a diverse network spanning 54 countries. Get your chocolate fix with Reishi Cocoa SuperHerb Tea blend with dandelion root, which has anti-aging properties and promotes mental clarity. republicoftea.com

Dandelion Root

Alvita Dandelio n Root
Dandelion might seem like an unassuming yellow flower—or a weed—but its roots are power-packed: Since the 10th century, physicians have used dandelion root for its cleansing properties, and as a natural aid for digestion. The Alvita sustainably sourced organic teas provide a high quality product with no added toxins, so you can be certain your roots are pure. alvita.com

Gaia Herbs Organic Liver Cleanse
Sourced through a partner company, Aboca, located in the Tuscan countryside—a unique platform, MeetYourHerbs, allows you to trace each ingredient back to its source by entering an ID number on the back of each package—and you can learn about the herbal components of your product. Liver Cleanse Tea aids natural detoxification and digestion: dandelion and artichoke are traditional purifying herbs, while Chinese skullcap promotes a healthy inflammatory response and Schisandra provides antioxidant support. gaiaherbs.com

Matcha

Pukka Herbs Clean Matcha Green
Using the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda, Master Herbsmith and Cofounder Sebastian Pole creates blends with organic medicinal-grade herbs from over 20 countries around the world. Clean Matcha Green combines cleansing dandelion root, fennel, turmeric and lemon fruits with emerald green matcha powder, sourced from an organic farm on Jeju-Do, a volcanic island off the coast of South Korea. This tea supports the body’s detoxification process, as well as provides essential nutrients that assist in vital cell function and renewal. pukkaherbs.us

Meadowsweet

Traditional Medicinals Organic Turmeric with Meadowsweet & Ginger
These teas are blended from 100 botanical ingredients sourced from 38 countries and six continents. “Our supply partners range from the remote, FairWild-certified licorice plains of southern Kazakhstan to idyllic Trout Lake, Washington, where some of the world’s best peppermint grows,” says herbalist Summer Singletary. “We are one of the only tea companies to have both our tea bag and string Non-GMO Project Verified.” Organic Turmeric with Meadowsweet & Ginger is an herbal trifecta featuring the Ayurvedic pairing of turmeric and ginger along with Meadowsweet, a European herb historically used much like turmeric. traditionalmedicinals.com

Yaupon

CatSpring Tea was founded by two sisters who fell in love with yaupon, an evergreen holly native to the southeastern United States. Yaupon, the only naturally caffeinated plant to grow wild in North America, was brewed for centuries by Native Americans: It was believed to purify the body and mind. Studies have shown that yaupon has anti-inflammatory properties and high levels of antioxidant polyphenols.

“What makes [our] yaupon special is the fact that we are sustainably wild harvesting in Cat Spring, Texas, so that nothing is touching these plants but sunshine and rainwater,” says cofounder Abianne Miller Falla. Try the delicate Pedernales Green Yaupon, which has a vibrant green hue that turns earthy brown. catspringtea.com

ASI Tea Elderberry and Hibiscus blend includes tulsi (holy basil) and enhances the body’s response to stress, inflammation and colds. “The synergies of the organic botanical ingredients create a ‘whole’ winter immune tonic that is much greater than the sum of them used individually,” says President and COO Scott Silverman. yaupontea.com