Whether served as a hot beverage or as an iced refreshment, tea is an essential part of millions of lives, on a daily basis. Served early in the morning, a caffeinated tea can boost the energy and mood of the day; a cup of tea, maybe with a sweet dessert, can easily be enjoyed after lunch; or, at the end the day, a relaxing herbal tea can help to set the mood for a deep sleep.

One of the main benefits of drinking tea, though understated, is the actual hydration. Many of us these days consume too little amounts of water, as a result of oversight, forgetfulness or the assumption that juices/drinks can accommodate our water intake needs. However, the increased reports in headaches and migraines, stress and stress-associated illnesses can be traced back to the lack of proper hydration. For a healthy adult, the average recommended water intake is 2 liters/day (however, consult your physician whenever you decide to make drastic changes to your diet or routines). A simple tea routine, in the morning and in the evening, can easily increase your water intake, getting you closer to your body’s daily needs.

Apart from that, the varieties of teas available on the market these days ensures also that you take in a wide range of natural compounds, that have been shown to have beneficial effects for your health: polyphenols and catechins in green tea act as natural antioxidants (scavengers of reactive oxygen species) that prevent chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases (1, 2), but also infectious diseases (3); flavonoids, found both in black and green tea, can reduce inflammation, thus improving cardiovascular and bone health (4, 5); polyphenols from green, white and black tea also improve gastrointestinal digestion (6).

Not only do teas have a significant effect on the improvement of our physical health, they also have psychological benefits: on the one hand, they contribute to reducing anxiety, relieving stress and inducing a meditative and calming state; on the other hand, caffeine-containing teas or energy drinks are the go-to beverages when we need increased focus and attention. In addition, tea drinking may potentially also delay cognitive decline, thus preventing Alzheimer’s disease (7).

However, an important mention regarding the consumption of teas is that, as these various compounds have multiple health benefits, they may also have detrimental effects for certain groups of consumers. That is why it is important to consult with your physician regarding major changes in your diet or routines: for example, green tea is a major source of vitamin K, that can antagonize the effects of anticoagulant medication, in patients suffering from hypercoagulation, while a number of other cardiovascular drugs ( rosuvastatin, sildenafil, tacrolimus, simvastatin, nadolol and warfarin) may have their activity reduced or their toxicity increased, when co-administered with various teas (8).

In conclusion, the health benefits of drinking tea cannot be denied, given the millennia that this herbaceous drink has been utilized and the growing body of research in the last decades on the exact mechanisms by which tea influences our health. Although many factors influence the apparition and development of a diseases, it is safe to say that tea is a natural resource for promoting human health.

1.         J. V. Higdon, B. Frei, Tea catechins and polyphenols: health effects, metabolism, and antioxidant functions. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 43, 89-143 (2003).

2.         M. Pervin et al., Beneficial Effects of Green Tea Catechins on Neurodegenerative Diseases. Molecules 23 (2018).

3.         W. C. Reygaert, Green Tea Catechins: Their Use in Treating and Preventing Infectious Diseases. Biomed Res Int 2018, 9105261 (2018).

4.         C. L. Shen, M. C. Chyu, Tea flavonoids for bone health: from animals to humans. J Investig Med 64, 1151-1157 (2016).

5.         J. M. Hodgson, Tea flavonoids and cardiovascular disease. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 17 Suppl 1, 288-290 (2008).

6.         G. Annunziata et al., Colon Bioaccessibility and Antioxidant Activity of White, Green and Black Tea Polyphenols Extract after In Vitro Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion. Nutrients 10 (2018).

7.         C. A. Polito et al., Association of Tea Consumption with Risk of Alzheimer's Disease and Anti-Beta-Amyloid Effects of Tea. Nutrients 10 (2018).

8.         J. P. Werba et al., Update of green tea interactions with cardiovascular drugs and putative mechanisms. J Food Drug Anal 26, S72-s77 (2018).

Herbs are, by definition, the leaf part of plants used in cooking, in order to add flavor to a large variety of meals, sweet or savory. Their usefulness has traveled through time, being used as medicinal cures and as preservatives, apart from their culinary use, that is, to add taste and savor to food. To enhance the flavor palate of a dish, fresh herbs are added in the last minutes of cooking.

Spices, on the other hand, represent any other part of plants that can be used for cooking. They are usually dried before use. And, as with any powerful ingredient, adding too little will not affect the taste of a dish, whereas too many spices can overpower the other ingredients and throw the dish off balance. This is where the art of cooking with spices and herbs begins!

Herbs are quite easy to grow, even if you don’t have the luxury of a home garden; a bucket or a window-box will do just fine to ensure a continuous supply of tastiness to your meals. Even though fresh herbs are the best, oftentimes you may need to preserve them for later use:

-       if the herb is woody, quite tough, like rosemary or thyme, the easiest way to preserve them is to tie them up in bundles and dry them upside down, hanging in a dry warm place (do not shake them too much after they are dry, as the leaves will fall off easily);

-       softer herbs (basil, coriander, parsley) are best preserved in the freezer. After picking and washing the leaves, they should be finely chopped and dried on a towel. Finally, the softer herbs should be stored in vacuumed freezer bags; they last for several months and can be used directly from the freezer.

-       herbal oils are an excellent homemade present, easy to prepare and extremely flavorsome. In an extra-virgin olive oil bottle, simply add the fresh herbs.

-       herbal salts are also easy to prepare: dehydrate the herbs at low heat in the oven, on a baking tray, and crush them into your cooking salt.

Raw in salads or cooked in your meals, herbs and spices will definitely bring excitement and a depth of flavor to your dish: stew or sauce, salad dressing or vinnaigrette, soup, broth or marinade, even desserts and drinks. They may not even need to be added during the cooking itself; simply adding fresh leaves on the serving plate can enhance the smell and the appeal of the dish (pizza or pasta).  

When cooking with herbs, remember that whole herbs, with leaves attached to the stalk, are more flavored than leaves alone and that dry herbs are much more flavored than fresh herbs. However, long-term storage of dried herbs is not recommended: avoid consuming them after 12 months. Woody herbs, such as rosemary or thyme, are quite sturdy and can be added at the beginning of your cooking; they will not lose their flavor. Also, some herbs are only used to enhance the flavor of a dish, but they must not be eaten (e.g. bay leaves).

In order to become a regular herbal user, you can prepare a “bouquet garni” following the traditional French mix (parsley, thyme, bay leaf) or you can prepare your own mix; tie the herbs with string and keep them in cotton bags. Add them to your cooking, but remove before serving. Traditional herb combinations are listed below, for your inspiration:

o   basil, oregano, garlic

o   bay leaf, parsley, thyme, oregano

o   chilli, garlic, ginger, lemongrass

o   dill, chives, parsley, tarragon

o   sage, rosemary

Feel free to unleash your creativity, as new ingredients from previously unknown markets become more and more popular. Asian foods (Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Indian etc) have been gaining traction in the Western cuisine and the combinations are unlimited, while also the enjoying the health benefits of these herbs.

An indoor garden, grown and nurtured in the comfort of your cozy home, can bring joy to you and your dears ones, not only by filling your home with a lovely greenery and a collection of aromas, but also by flavoring or garnishing your dishes with freshly clipped herbs.

Here are our tips for you, who are looking to be more adventurous with your culinary choices, to grow and maintain an indoor garden. Basic necessities are sun and a windowsill.

1.     If you are an absolute beginner, picking the right herbs may be the crucial step: look for soft herbs that can thrive with or can easily recover from under- or over-watering. You may consider chives, mint, sage, oregano, parsley, thyme or even chilies.

2.     One way to plant the herbs is from seeds, for the adventurous ones, and then you should consider beginning your garden in the spring. However, a beginner home gardener can also opt for starting with young plants, from a gardening store or even the supermarket pots. You can also use cuttings, basically branches cut out from the nodes and soaked in water until new roots start to appear.

3.     When it comes to the pots for home gardening, the options are countless: egg cartons, yoghurt cups, tin cans or mason jars. We do recommend using pots with drainage and a collection plate, but you can make your own by punching some holes in the egg cartons, for example. If you plan to use mason jars, you may want to add a layer of clay pebbles at the bottom, to collect the humidity from the pot.

4.     Repotting a plant can be quite stressful for the plant, so we recommend using large enough pots from the beginning.

5.     Watering the first few days and weeks is a great opportunity for figuring out exactly how much water the herbs need, depending on the temperature or humidity. Every morning, you may want to check the weight of the pots (if they still retain water, they will be heavier) and, with time, you will know when the plants need watering. Although surprisingly, herbs seem to need relatively little amounts of water for thriving.

6.     Sun is a must for home gardening. A minimum of 6h sun exposure per day is recommended for home-grown culinary herbs, which may be supplemented with a grow light, in parts of the world where the sun is scarce during the cold seasons. Basil, for instance, requires a lot of sun, so make sure to have a sunny spot for it, wherever you find yourself on the globe.

7.     When the time comes to harvest the results of your work, try not to cut out more than a quarter of the plant’s crown; this will stimulate further growth, while at the same time preventing the plant from withering.

8.     And lastly, when your herbs overgrow the pot they are in or when roots start sprouting from drainage holes, it is time to move the herb outdoors. They can stay outside until the cold season begins, or even throughout the cold, provided you can have a cutting from it, on order to regrow the herb the following season.

Good luck gardening! And let us know if you need further assistance with your home garden. We are here to help!

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