Teas with a twist

Refreshing, revitalising and calming - Amanda Ursell gives you the lowdown on the benefits of herbal and fruit teas.

If you enjoy nothing more than a good old-fashioned cup of tea to set you up for the day, you are not the only one.

In the UK alone we drink 185 million cups of tea a day - that's 3.4 cups per person over the age of 10, in case you were wondering. And the good news is that it's one habit the health experts won't be asking us to change. For tea, as scientists are discovering, is a positive cocktail of protective antioxidants, including substances with tongue-twisting names such as 'epigallocatechin gallate'. These flavonoid antioxidants seem to bolster the body, helping to keep us healthy and fight disease. But it's not just the familiar cuppa that can do us good. Alongside the packs of traditional black tea, you'll find a range of herbal and fruit teas waiting to unleash their goodness on you. Refreshing, revitalising and calming - there's a variety to suit every taste, every mood, and any time of the day.

Used for hundreds, some for thousands, of years to soothe and stimulate, heal and promote good health, now the benefits of herbal and fruit are just a tea bag away. Here are just a few from the selection that you'll find on the shelves at Waitrose.

Waitrose Organic Camomile Tea Bags

With its gentle apple aroma, camomile's calming properties make it an ideal beverage at any time of day. It should be sipped slowly to relax muscles and ease away tensions. Treasured by herbalists for encouraging sleep, a cup of camomile tea can also soothe a queasy stomach and melt away mild heartburn.

Waitrose Organic Peppermint Tea Bags

Known to folk healers for hundreds of years, mint medicine is now gaining credibility with 21st-century doctors. The refreshing, bright flavour reflects the tea's glowing colour. It's good after a meal as it relaxes the digestive system. You can also sip it hot or cold to perk you up, or combat travel sickness or nervous headaches.

Waitrose Rosehip Tea Bags

The delicate, fruity aroma of this beautiful pink tea stimulates the body and mind. Known by Chinese doctors for its purifying qualities, it should be sipped to cleanse the system and lift the spirits. To appreciate this tea's full beauty serve it hot in delicate china cups or chilled in elegant tall glasses.

Twinings Lemon And Ginger Tea Bags

A tangy, hot, flavoured tea, this is sure to add spice to the day. Warming on brisk spring mornings, it can also settle the stomach after a night on the tiles. Ginger-based teas help clear up the leftover winter snuffles and are particularly good for morning sickness during pregnancy, and for travel sickness.

London Herb And Spice Company Camomile and Honey Tea Bags

This is a blend of two of nature's great relaxants in one cup - just what the herbalist ordered to soothe away the irritations of the day. Whether you need to wind down at work or home, inhaling the sweet aroma and sipping this fruity blend of herbs and honey will chill you out in no time.

This article was first published on Waitrose.com in March 2001.