In a world where convenience and timesaving are coveted, when many of us want to make a cup of tea, we’ll reach for the closest teabag in the cupboard without much thought. As tea is considered a health food and is increasing in popularity, we can be forgiven for thinking that we are doing something good for ourselves when we enjoy our tea from a teabag. Too often when it comes to convenience, there are hidden sacrifices to be made. By better understanding exactly what we are putting into our bodies, it empowers us to make more conscious choices as consumers towards a healthier and more sustainable life.

If you are choosing a herbal tea for its health benefits, there are three key details to consider:

-          Is the tea loose leaf?

-          Is the tea organic?

-          Is the tea and brand of tea sustainable, supporting the local economy and eco-friendly?

LOOSE LEAF TEA VS TEABAGS

Tea has been enjoyed by humans all over the world for thousands of years and had its humble beginnings as dried plants steeped hot water. Tea is meant to be enjoyed this way, and there are many reasons to go back to loose leaf tea. Although teabags can be convenient and are often the first way that people are introduced to tea, they do come with hidden toxicities and negative environmental impacts.

The biggest issue with conventional teabags is that they are typically made from a type of plastic. According to a recent Canadian study at McGill University, steeping a plastic tea bag in a single cup at 95 degrees Celsius releases around 11.6 billion microplastics into the water [1]. Microplastics are not what you want to be drinking from your teacup as they can carry a range of harmful contaminants such as trace metals and harmful organic chemicals. These plastics can also have carcinogenic properties, which means that they can potentially cause cancer [2].

It is easy to see why it is paramount that when drinking herbal tea for the health benefits, to opt for loose leaf tea blends and avoid teabags. The best and easiest way to enjoy a cup of loose leaf tea is in a teapot, if you’re making a few cups, or with a METAL SPRING JAW INFUSER if you’re only making one.

ORGANIC TEA VS NON-ORGANIC TEA

When drinking herbal tea to improve your health, ensuring that the tea you are having is organic is vital. If your tea is not organic, you are not only exposing yourself exposing to harmful chemicals but are also supporting the negative health impacts on the growers and to the planet. Pesticides can wreak havoc majority of our body systems, such as the skin, digestive system, neurological system, the lungs, the reproductive system and our hormones [3, 4]. If you experience any symptoms from these body systems, drinking tea that is not organic may unfortunately only worsen them.

Here at Lewin Naturopathy, we do not see the value in choosing to drink tea for health that is laden with pesticides, artificial flavourings, and chemicals. Choosing tea that is not organic undoes the great intentions you had and defeats the purpose of tea completely. We only seek 100% organic herbs to ensure our local teas work in harmony with the Earth, rather than further polluting our beautiful planet in which we grow these plants.

CONSCIOUS AND ECO-FRIENDLY SHOPPING

If the past two years have taught us anything, it has been how important it is to support local businesses by shopping local. According to a 2020 Australian survey from CouriersPlease, 9 in 10 Australian consumers are more likely to purchase ethical and sustainable products [5]. Many more of us are becoming conscious about how we shop and the brands that we choose to support. By choosing to buy local tea, you are supporting your local economy, a supporting a small business and are even reducing the environmental impact on transportation. Whether you are from Melbourne, Victoria or anywhere within Australia, by buying Melbourne tea you’re supporting the Australian economy.

Conscious consuming includes choosing brands and products that are sustainable and eco-friendly. Here at Lewin Naturopathy, we are committed to providing products that are kind to the Earth. Our packaging for our tea is compostable, recycled and recyclable. The herbs used in each tea blend are 100% organic and can also be placed straight into the compost as they are loose leaf. No plastic laden teabags or plastic packaging here!

If you are ready to try out our organic, loose leaf herbal tea blends that have been lovingly formulated and hand-blended by our Naturopath Maddie here in Melbourne, head to our shop to peruse each blend.