Tea effects – Teas have been used for centuries to induce certain physical reactions in people.
They can make you tired, keep you awake, aid digestion, quench thirst and relieve pain and cold symptoms.
Of course, they are not a panacea for serious physical problems, but they can help to keep you warm during winter camping and prevent colds.
The best way to do this is to drink a cup of tea while relaxing in your roof tent.
Find out here why green tea wakes you up and what effects other types of tea have.
Camping Ratgeber:
Effect of green & black tea: wakes you up
Only green and black tea are considered “real tea”.
These are made from the leaves of the tea plant.
Strictly speaking, herbal and fruit “teas” fall under infusion drinks.
But they are still delicious!
Teein & caffeine: keeps you awake!
Teein is found in green and black tea.
Teein not only sounds similar to caffeine, but also has an identical chemical composition to the substance found in coffee.
The effect is also similar.
When you drink tea with teein, your blood pressure usually rises and you become more alert.
One difference to caffeine is that the effect of tea usually sets in later and lasts longer.
This means that if you want to sleep well at night, you should drink your last cup in the early afternoon.
This is teein:
- Chemically like caffeine (coffee)
- Tea with teein makes you more alert
- Tea: later effect, but lasts longer
- Sleep: Last cup = afternoon
If you want to find out more about what makes coffee and tea so different and which drink is better for your health, you can read more here:
Black tea: antibacterial & pain-relieving
If you don’t want this side effect, you can leave your black tea to infuse for longer than two to three minutes.
This dissolves so-called tannins, which ensure that the teein no longer works as well.
Please note: the tannins can also affect the stomach.
But they are also said to have an antibacterial and pain-relieving effect.
You should pay attention to this when drinking black tea:
- Do not leave to infuse for too long, otherwise: tannins on stomach
- But: less caffeine, antibacterial & pain-relieving
Would you like to try the tea?
Famous varieties of black tea are
- Assam
- Darjeeling
Green tea: Supports cells & metabolism
The benefit of green tea is the chemical compound of polyphenols.
These primarily protect the cells both in the plant and in the body.
They neutralize harmful metabolic products.
Green tea also strengthens your immune system.
They can help prevent immune disorders, cardiovascular diseases, rheumatism, cancer and inflammation.
It can also make your skin and hair look younger.
However, they are not a real medicine.
Tip: This effect works best without milk.
Green tea has these positive effects on your body:
- Protects cells in the body
- Skin & hair look younger
- Tip: without milk (better effect)
- Prevents with:
- Immune disorders
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Rheumatism
- Cancer
- Inflammations
Well-known varieties of green tea are
- Lung Ching
- Sencha
- Matcha
Tip: Do not boil green tea too hot.
You can find out more about this topic under“Brewing tea“. 
Herbal teas: sleep better & reduce stress
Herbal teas, on the other hand, often contain plants that calm you down or make you tired.
Lavender, valerian or lemon balm are known to calm your body down.
However, you should not drink them directly before going to sleep, as the effect usually only sets in later.
It is best if you drink these varieties spread out over the evening.
These teas make you tired:
- Valerian
- Lavender
- Lemon balm
Tip: drink throughout the evening!
Indigestion?
Drink these teas!
There are also teas that support your digestion.
You should drink these directly before or after eating.
These include aniseed, fennel and caraway teas, which prevent flatulence.
Jasmine and ginger tea, on the other hand, soothe the stomach and lower blood sugar levels.
If your tea contains artichoke or dandelion, it can promote fat burning.
Dandelion tea also boosts the metabolism.
However, it also has a diuretic effect.
The same applies to rosehip tea, which is therefore used to treat urinary tract disorders and colds.
These teas help chaotic digestion:
- Aniseed
- Artichoke
- Fennel
- Rose hip
- Ginger tea
- Jasmine
- Caraway seeds
- Dandelion
Tip: Drink directly before or after a meal!
Herbal & tuber teas: Colds & inflammations
Sore throats can be soothed with sage tea and teas with peppermint, ginger and turmeric are also recommended for colds.
Chamomile tea can help with inflammation and relieve cramps.
It is particularly helpful for inflammation in the mouth or digestive tract.
It is also an anti-stress tea.
You can also use valerian root, camomile, lavender and peppermint tea for stress.
Hibiscus tea can lower your blood pressure.
Nettle tea is also considered helpful for joint problems.
Tea made from the medicinal plant horehound tastes very bitter, these bitter substances can help with loss of appetite.
These teas help with colds, stress and inflammation, e.g. in the joints:
- Horehound
- Valerian root
- Stinging nettle
- Rose hip
- Hibiscus
- Camomile
- Camomile
- Lavender
- Peppermint
Something really strong?
Medicinal tea from the pharmacy!
If you do want to have stronger tea, you can buy “medicinal tea” from the pharmacy.
This must comply with the requirements of the Medicines Act and be able to demonstrably cure the complaint mentioned. 
More from the world of tea: Tea maker & overview
Want to find out more about tea?
Here are two more articles that will (hopefully) help you.
Tea stove
No electricity when camping?
No problem!
With these 6 gadgets, you can make your tea in the great outdoors without electricity.
Read on to find out how to use them properly and what you can expect from a percolator:
More about tea
That’s not enough for you and you want to know more about tea?
Here you will find an overview with lots more tips on the subject of tea:
