Herbal Teas: One lump of peppermint, or two?

If you offered me a herbal tea last year, I would of pulled a face and politely declined - you health hippy you. Roll on this year, I can't get enough. Just what happened? After suffering awful stomach cramps and bloating I turned in haste to the natural healing properties of peppermint tea. It felt a tad odd at first, then soon enough it started working wonders and then - I got addicted. Swapping my morning builders brew for a cup of peppermint has become a permanent fixture in my morning routine ever since.

Amazed with the wondrous properties of peppermint tea, this January I embarked on a tea-tox. I half made it up, half went along with it. For the whole month I shunned fizzy drinks and alcohol (see small print below) opting for strictly herbal teas, water and cranberry juice - girls gotta have some flavour. So off I skipped down the tea aisle and hastily added the following in my basket..

∙ Peppermint - Really refreshing and calming, peppermint tea does wonders for your digestive system. It helps sooth tummy cramps and beats the feeling of nausea, perfect if you're on your period, travelling or feeling nervous. It also does wonders for bloating and stress.  

 ∙ Fennel - Strangely smelling like Katsu curry, Fennel tea is another great one for aiding digestion. Flushing out all the toxins and very cleansing, it's also highly praised for improving your metabolism. 

 ∙ Ginger and Lemon - Very warming on a cold day, ginger tea is very soothing. Ideal for fighting off unwanted colds and flu, it's jam-packed full of antioxidants. 

 ∙ Peppermint & Nettle - I don't really taste the nettle to be honest, but with all the goodness of the peppermint tea, nettle surely does put a spring in my step mid-afternoon with uplifting and engerising properties.

 ∙ Green Tea - All hail green tea. The super herbal concoction that basically aids everything, it protects from heart disease and diabetes, to speeding up your metabolism to burning fat - just don't forget to take the tea-bag out after a minute or you'll be left with a pond water stew, ew. 

So what did I learn after gulping back the herbs?

My stomach felt less stressed, my water intake was much higher which meant clearer skin, the health boosting properties impressively gave me a lift come mid-afternoon at work and well.. I peed a lot. I must have really flushed and cleansed my body. I found it really easy to slot the teas in to my daily routine, mainly because my work colleagues and I are champion tea drinkers. I even found myself ordering a herbal tea in Pret on a weekend, props to me right? 

I definitely found myself feeling more active and felt that the health benefits were actually doing something. I'll bow down to a peppermint tea bag anyday. Plus you really can't knock teas for improving your water intake levels. I will certainly be keeping up herbal tea-tox lark for sure.

What herbal teas do you drink? Would love to know some recommendations. Anyone tried Matcha tea? I'm intrigued. Or if not, would you swap your coffee fix for herbal anytime soon?

Small Print: Ok, so I totally had two glasses of coke (water and a kebab don't cut it) and I may have been sucked in by a glass of processo, but that back fired when I got so excited it came out of my nose.