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Herbal Tea Blog

Oct 6
When it comes to tea, organic is even more important
Organic Herbal Tea

It is hard to imagine anyone that honestly does not appreciate the contrast between organic and conventional farming, and what it means to their health and the environment. Crop chemicals have brought us cheaper products that in the end are certainly not cheaper. We’re paying more than the difference in health care costs and a greater impact on our environment than is necessary to grow our food.

However many people argue that conventional farming of some fruits and vegetables is less worrisome because of thick peels or skins. For example, watermelon versus kale. I think there is some truth to that. However, I might argue that the uptake of chemicals in the soil (that have yet to completely breakdown) are equally dangerous. But that’s not the point I wanted to make with this post.

Lets look at tea, and why organic is of such critical importance. You can wash, soak, scrub or peel most fruits and vegetables before consuming them.  But tea is obviously different. You don’... more

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Sep 29
About those antioxidants

Many of our teas are known for having high levels of antioxidants. We have had our Greek Mountain Tea tested by Brunswick Labs (www.brunswicklabs.com), the premier antioxidant test lab. And will test others as we offer them. Brunswick utilizes the most advanced antioxidant testing technology, called ORAC 5.0, which provides measurements of the antioxidant capacity against the five most common Radical Oxygen Species found in humans. Standard ORAC testing only measures one. 

I think this is useful information for consumers and hopefully more companies will start utilizing advanced antioxidant tests such as these to provide factual data about their products. But unfortunately, like all things, this still leaves room for the unscrupulous to use a “sleight of hand” with the facts, and mislead consumers.  One tea brand, for example, compares a serving of their tea (which consists of 3 grams of tea plus 8 oz of water) with 3 gram servings... more

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Sep 15
Greek Mountain Tea in Alzheimers research

Greek herbal teas have been the subject of significant research over the years, and Greek Mountain Tea in particular. My cousin Angelos, who manages our supply chain in Greece, recently sent me a review of a study by German scientists – it was interesting so I thought I would share it with you. 

We are not endorsing the study, we’re just sharing it because we think it is interesting. Clearly more research as well as clinical trials on humans are necessary to make meaninfull assessments of the efficacy of Greek Mountain Tea for AD. Our belief is that our herbal teas, which contain antioxidants and phytonutrients, should be a component of an overall healthy lifestyle with abundant physical activity (regardless of age) and a whole foods diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, healthy fats and proteins (pastured meats, etc).

The gist of the study is that transgenic AD mice which were given an extract of Greek Mountain Tea, showed a meaningful improvment in memory versus AD... more

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Sep 15
Ikaria. Something in the water?

Or perhaps it’s the tea:) Situated in the stunning Agean sea is an island called Ikaria (or Icaria). Unlike other non-touristy Greek islands, Ikaria has received much attention in recent years as a result of its long-lived inhabitants and their superior health. On average they live 10 years longer than their American and European counterparts, and with better mental and physical health.

The NY Times wrote a very interesting piece on the island a couple of years ago, which profiled a mid 60’s, terminally ill Greek-American lung cancer patient who left the US, after his diagnosis (confirmed by 9 different doctors), to return to his original home of Ikaria, to live out the remaining months.

Thirty plus years later, alive and well, at the ripe old age of 97, he was enjoying the easy life on Ikaria. For more on this interesting story I’ve provided the link to the NY Times article; its somewhat lengthy, but interesting and I think you'll enjoy it...with a nice big mug of... more

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