Tea and Remedy

After Thanksgiving break, the annual countdown begins: 15 days until the end of classes with 12 work-study hours, 11 quizzes, 10 Cup ‘O Noodle midnight snacks, nine reserve book readings, eight job interviews, seven Courseworks postings, six office hour meetings, five all-nighters, four presentations, three double-digit-page papers, two belated midterms, and one stressed student in the fray.

Counting down the list, I felt the first pangs of a stress-induced stomachache. Unsure of an over-the-counter drug designed to combat such symptoms, I took a chance with the increasingly popular herbal remedy teas: concoctions of medicinal herbs and fruits infused in hot water.

After considerable deliberation, I chose Yogi Tea’s Kava Stress Relief Tea and Stomach Ease Tea. Kava kava, as the plant is called in its native Oceania and South Pacific Islands, is the main ingredient in the Kava Stress Relief Tea and is said to relieve stress, anxiety and the minor aches and pains associated with them. The Stomach Ease tea contains stomach-soothing fennel, as well as other fauna that boost gastrointestinal function, such as peppermint leaf, cardamom seed, coriander seed, ginger root, and black pepper.

The taste of herbal tea is also thought to be an important part of the healing process because certain tastes are thought to trigger physiological responses. For instance, bitter tastes supposedly stimulate the secretion of saliva and gastric acids that help digestion.

Following the directions on the box, I boiled some water and poured it over the neatly packaged palliatives. While waiting the recommended 10-15 minutes for the tea to steep, I consulted the Yogi Tea Web site about the long wait. After all, most teas only require five minutes of steeping, and during crunch time every minute matters.

As it turns out, not all of the chemicals in herbal remedy teas are readily soluble in water, and some require a longer steeping time than your standard Earl Grey. (If you’re in search of a jolt, on the other hand, steep black tea for only two minutes; most of the caffeine is released in that time, and after that point a chemical called catechin polyphenol enters the mixture and counteracts the caffeine’s stimulating effects.)

While waiting out the last few minutes of the big steep, I read about some other herbs worth mentioning in these frenzied times. Ginko Biloba is said to lessen absentmindedness and mild memory loss associated with aging by increasing the volume of oxygen and blood delivered to brain cells. Yogi Tea produces a Ginko IQ Tea for those suffering information overload in the days leading up to an exam. Echinacea root, believed to boost the immune system, is found in the Yogi Tea Echinacea Immune Support.

Finally, the big moment arrived. I raised the no-longer-steaming mug of Kava Stress Relief to my lips. Expecting something medicinally bitter, I was surprised by its sweet taste, thanks to the Stevia leaf, a non-caloric, naturally sweet herb native to Paraguay. In comparison, Stomach Ease had a mild flavor that delicately balanced bitter fennel, sweet peppermint, and spicy ginger.

So far so good, but how effective would these brews actually be on my stress level and stomach pain? The FDA evaluates none of the herbs in Yogi Tea or any other popular herbal tea brand like Celestial Seasonings, so some skepticism was in order.

Two hours and another cup of Kava Stress Relief Tea later, my stomach still ached and the pangs of stress seemed to be moving into my head. Other brands such as Min Tong, the largest medicinal Chinese herbal tea label from Taiwan, market their products to medical doctors and alternative medicine practitioners rather than the naive consumer in the grocery aisle.

These products might prove more effective, and I will not write off the beneficial effects of herbal teas just yet. But after my first adventure with them, I found herbal teas offered little more than interesting tastes and smells. So, when it comes to the next 15 days, I will probably be self-administering sugar and caffeine, and then recuperating over the long break.