Does herbal tea have the same antioxidants as green or black tea?
Not usually. Green tea and black tea (the “true” teas) contain. among other components, polyphenols, which are powerful anti-oxidants. Herbal “teas” or infusions contain extractives from whatever plant was used to make them. Most of those plants do not contain polyphenol derivatives in any abundance (but may have other, less well-studied anti-oxidants depending on the plant). If you want to get the maximum anti-oxidant benefit from real tea you should take it without milk, as the proteins in milk complex the tea’s anti-oxidants and reduce their ability to be ansorbed by the body. There continues to be a debate about whether green tea or black tea is more beneficial. In the lab, they both contain roughly the same amount of anti-oxidants. But black tea, which is roasted, may convert the polypenols into longer chain forms which have a tougher time passing into the bloodstream. Another debate is whether decaffeinated contains the same levels of effective anti-oxidants.
Not usually. Green tea and black tea (the “true” teas) contain. among other components, polyphenols, which are powerful anti-oxidants. Herbal “teas” or infusions contain extractives from whatever plant was used to make them. Most of those plants do not contain polyphenol derivatives in any abundance (but may have other, less well-studied anti-oxidants depending on the plant). If you want to get the maximum anti-oxidant benefit from real tea you should take it without milk, as the proteins in milk complex the tea’s anti-oxidants and reduce their ability to be ansorbed by the body. There continues to be a debate about whether green tea or black tea is more beneficial. In the lab, they both contain roughly the same amount of anti-oxidants. But black tea, which is roasted, may convert the polypenols into longer chain forms which have a tougher time passing into the bloodstream. Another debate is whether decaffeinated contains the same levels of effective anti-oxidants. White tea, which is
