Tea has been a medicinal staple for centuries — and for good reason. Most teas are filled with disease-fighting polyphenols, herbs and other bioactive ingredients that can restore balance to your body and make it an inhospitable place for cancer cells.
You probably already know green tea is a potent cancer fighter. And maybe you already drink it as a part of your cancer prevention regimen.
If you do, don’t stop now, because it’s one of the most inflammation-reducing, cancer-fighting drinks around. But you should also know that it’s far from your only option if you’re looking for a morning beverage with potent anti-cancer properties.
Whether you want to go herbal and caffeine-free, or if you prefer a caffeinated energy boost complemented by some cancer-fighting polyphenols, there are plenty of teas with the extraordinary ability to boost your body’s cancer protection.
So if you want an enjoyable tea-sipping habit that could help you spend your life cancer-free, consider adding these powerful cancer-fighters to your tea collection:
- Chamomile Tea: Chamomile tea isn’t exactly famous for its ability to fight cancer. Most people drink it to relieve stress, promote relaxation and induce sleep — which it does very well. But if you look past its quaint reputation as a calming herbal drink, you’ll find that chamomile tea is actually a cancer-fighting powerhouse.
Chamomile tea is one of the best known sources of a chemical called apigenin, which has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. In fact, in 2013, researchers from Ohio State University found that apigenin actually prevents cancer cells from spreading. Chamomile tea would be the perfect cancer-fighting drink to enjoy in the evening because it’s caffeine-free and will ensure you get a good night’s sleep (which also helps prevent cancer).
- White Tea: White tea and green tea actually contain similar amounts of EGCG, the potent polyphenol that’s known to have cancer-fighting abilities. But white tea has more polyphenols overall than green tea. In fact, it has the most polyphenols of any type of tea, which has led to some to say that white tea is the most potent cancer-fighting tea around.
And white tea’s cancer-fighting abilities have been scientifically proven. Researchers from Oregon State University found that white tea is almost as effective as the prescription drug sulindac in preventing colon tumors. White tea does contain some caffeine (between 30 and 55 mg per eight ounce cup), so if you want a little energy boost with your cancer protection, this is the tea for you.
- Dandelion Tea: You probably never would have guessed that the prolific weed that takes over your yard every spring has anti-cancer properties, but it does. And the best way to experience these properties is by drinking tea made from the dandelion root. In scientific studies, the dandelion root has been shown to kill human cancer cells from two different types of cancer: melanoma and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. And it does this without harming healthy cells. So it’s safe to say that brewing a cup or two of dandelion tea per day would definitely be an effective addition to your cancer prevention regimen.
All three of these teas are readily available at nearly every grocery store, so there’s no reason you can’t start sipping on cancer-prevention in a cup today. And remember, when the weather’s hot, you can always turn these teas into a refreshing iced beverage.
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Sources:
Serafini, D. Del Rio, D.N. Yao, et al. Health Benefits of Tea. In: Benzie IFF, Wachtel-Galor S, editors. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press/Taylor & Francis; 2011. Chapter 12.
“The Compound in the Mediterranean Diet that Makes Cancer Cells ‘Mortal’.” Ohio State University. http://researchnews.osu.edu. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
“Tea and Cancer Prevention.” The National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
“Health Benefits of White Tea.” Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. http://www.pacificcollege.edu. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
J. Chatterjee, P. Ovadje, M. Mousa, C. Hamm, S. Pandey. “The efficacy of dandelion root extract in inducing apoptosis in drug-resistant human melanoma cells.” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2011.
Ovadje, C. Hamm, S. Pandey. “Efficient induction of extrinsic cell death by dandelion root extract in human chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) cells.” PLoS One. 2012;7(2).
