What is the difference between tea and herbal tea?
The French love hot drinks, and not just at breakfast. Coffee, tea and other infusions are all rituals to punctuate every moment of the day. The offer is also growing, so much so that it has become more and more difficult to navigate. Also, to know the subtle differences between infusion, tea and herbal tea, read on.
A subtle difference…
We speak of infusion when we infuseplant extracts, whether leaves, flowering tops, buds, roots, seeds or bark in simmering water, to extract the aromatic (and possiblytherapeutic) properties. It is therefore apreparation technique, in the same way as maceration or decoction. Thus, tea and herbal tea are both infusions. But herbal tea is commonly called “infusion”.
Difference between tea and herbal tea
The main difference is inherent in thevery nature of the plant usedfor infusion.
Tea
The tea comes from the tea plant. The leaves with stems of the plant are harvested according to different factors: the quality of the desired tea, the nature of the land on which the tea is grown, the season… You should know that the younger the leaf is (almost in the state of “bud”, that is to say equipped with a light down and still rolled on itself), the more quality the tea will be. The tea is picked by hand, which makes harvesting slow and tedious. The method of picking (imperial, fine, medium) is also decisive in the quality of the tea.
Once harvested, the tea will beprocessed in different stages, depending on the desired result. Wilting, oxidation, rolling, drying, sorting and roasting are the classic treatments of tea. Depending on the type of tea, some steps are skipped. Thus, we will obtain different types of tea:
- White tea: the leaves are picked, withered and dehydrated. He therefore receives a minimum of treatment. Thus it is almost devoid of theine, but is very rich in tannins.
- Yellow tea: very rare and delicate, this is green tea which is subjected to a slight smothered fermentation. It is said to be richer in oxidants than green tea because the buds are picked earlier in the year.
- Tea: after picking, it is withered and heated to high temperature to neutralize the oxidation enzymes. When infused, it gives a golden color. It contains flavonoids and theine, but to a lesser degree than black tea.
- Oolong tea, or blue-green: it is a semi-oxidized tea, halfway between a black tea and a green tea. When infused, it gives a beautiful ocher color and a woody, mellow flavor. It contains theine, but less than a classic black tea.
- Black tea: it has undergone complete oxidation. It generally gives, when infused, a red to purple color. It is rich in tannins and theine.
- Post-fermented tea, or smoked tea: the Chinese call it black tea, because when infused, it gives a very dark color. It actually undergoes roasting and fermentation.
The main feature of tea isits richness in antioxidant substances and theine:
- Flavonoidsare polyphenols (or tannins) contained in some plants. Among other things, they are responsible for the color of flowers. The flavonoids in tea are called catechins. They are believed to have many virtues for theare polyphenols (or tannins) contained in certain plants. , arteries,liver, immune system (antioxidant action).
- Theine, which is the “caffeine of tea”. It is in fact the same molecule, an alkaloid composed of three isomers: paraxanthine, theobromine and theophylline. The only difference between theine andcaffeineis their degree of assimilation by the body. Indeed, the polyphenols in tea “slow down” the assimilation of theine by the body, so that it is done more slowly than for the caffeine incoffee .
Finally, it is possible to add other ingredients to the tea, to flavor the flavor of the infusion. The best known are jasmine, mint or bergamot (Earl Grey).
The herbal tea
HasHerbal Teais a drink resulting from the infusion, maceration or decoction of plant matter: flowers, leaves, stems, roots or buds, fresh or dried. Also,an herbal tea does not contain tea leaves– and therefore, no theine. The herbal tea is consumed for purposes ofRehydration, quenching and/or for simple pleasure. But it can also be consumed for preventive or curative purposes, in order to benefit from the therapeutic virtues of plants.
Thus, herbal tea will be consumed in infusion for, for example:
- Better digest – chamomile, mint, verbena, badian…
- Sleep better – lemon balm, linden, orange blossom…
- Drain your body – meadowsweet, cherry tail, nettle, birch, pilosella…
Herbal teas are also often made from mixtures of several plants, to combine their different properties. The consumption of herbal tea infusion is highly valued in certain holistic therapies, such asNaturopathy , herbal medicine or fasting approaches .
What are the benefits of each of these infusions?
Benefits of Tea
- The paraxanthin contained in the theine of tea has a provenlipolytic effectand would therefore promote weight loss, while theobromine is a venotonic and a diuretic.
On the other hand, addingmilkto tea would remove all its benefits. Indeed, the caseins contained in milk would neutralize the positive effects of catechins(7).
Also, tea is a drink to be preferred on a daily basis, especially if you are concerned about your weightor want to lose it. In which case we will favor infusions of tea rich in theine (black tea, green tea) or mixtures of tea and plants with slimming properties. This is the case, for example , with Fat-Burning Slimming Tea from Cellublue, which combines the lipolytic properties of Ceylon black tea with the detoxifying properties of certain plants, such as green anise, queen of meadows, lemon and grapefruit .
Benefits of herbal teas
As for herbal infusions, they can also have many benefits. But it’s a question of knowing what effects you want, and choosing your herbal tea(s) according to the virtues of each plant. Thereby :
- Chamomile has a mild sedative effect, thus promoting Sleep , but it is also excellent for calming Heartburn , reducing menstrual cramps and regulating bowel movement (mild laxative) (8)
- The infusion of mulberry leaves would have antioxidant properties, reducing the effects of oxidative stress (9)
- Star anise, whether consumed as an infusion or in another form, is said to have pain-relieving effects, but is also a proven anti-nausea, antiviral and digestive aid (10)
- The infusion of orthosiphon would drain the body, thanks to its chemical composition. It would be a natural diuretic, which can be used to treatwater retention (11)
Also, there can be many benefits to consuming herbal tea infusions:
- They do not have the stimulating effects of tea infusion, since they do not contain theine.
- They are full of health benefits and help improve sleep disorders, lazy transit, mild conditions (such as a cold) or encouragedetox. This is for example the case of the Detox Slimming Infusionfrom Cellublue, rich in digestive peppermint, draining meadowsweet and detoxifying lemon.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.