The habit of drinking tea every day, as nutritionists assure, can even be useful if you choose high-quality varieties that have not only enchanting taste and aroma, but also useful properties. For example - tea with bergamot, excitingly exotic and attractive with many positive qualities.
Bergamot tea - the benefits of citrus fruit
Among flavored teas, the one with bergamot is known all over the world.
This very bergamot is a fruit of crossing citron and orange, grown mainly for the sake of precious oil.
And it is noteworthy that although it was known at the beginning of the eighteenth century, for a long time only perfumers highly appreciated this product, and the chefs did not even think about it.
But over time, it is not known exactly under what circumstances black tea appeared with the addition of bergamot oil.
And especially it was tasted and passionately loved in Victorian England. And again, it’s not possible to understand exactly how, but the Prime Minister of this country, Lord Charles Gray, influenced the popularity of tea with bergamot, and from the second half of the 19th century, the second name - Earl Gray (EarlGrey) was firmly entrenched in it.
The background component may be Indian, Ceylon or Chinese tea, green or black tea, and also maybe red, yellow or white.
There are also drinks with bergamot, without the usual tea, but with a variety of herbs (for example, with mint, fireweed, thyme).
Speaking about the benefits of tea with bergamot, you should definitely consider the features of other non-citrus components, for example:
· Black tea (due to caffeine) invigorates well, replacing depression and distraction of attention with a surge of vital energy and increases stress resistance;
· Green tea (due to antioxidants) rejuvenates the body and helps to remove toxins from it.
But the main attention, of course, must be paid to the properties of bergamot itself, which, in particular, can be considered as:
· A mild analgesic that relieves headaches, pain with rheumatic diseases and aches in muscles overworked by physical exertion;
· Anti-inflammatory, effective in almost any disease;
· A tool that normalizes the work of the heart and significantly affects the reduction of manifestations of its chronic diseases;
· A regenerative remedy, and this applies to many things - gastric mucosa affected by gastritis, broken bones and lungs, weakened by smoking;
· A natural (and harmless) antibiotic that can, in particular, prevent an infectious disease when eating poor-quality food;
· A means for removing cholesterol, which logically translates into the prevention of atherosclerosis.
Bergamot improves the functioning of internal organs and, among other things, it supports the maximum functioning of the liver, which is responsible for blood coagulation, its purification and iron accumulation (consumed from it according to the current needs of the body).
In what other cases will the benefits of tea with bergamot be
Watching weight and figure, tea with bergamot is able to impress with the fact that the biologically active substances in its composition block the processes of accumulation of fat in the body, urging the human body to quickly spend the accumulating excess of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
The already mentioned antimicrobial and wound healing properties of bergamot are also useful for the oral cavity - an often drunk cup of this drink reduces the risks of periodontal disease and caries, reduces bleeding gums and even tooth mobility, and also reduces bad breath.
During the winter season and the cold rainy off-season, tea with bergamot strengthens the body's natural defenses, including increasing its inaccessibility to influenza and tonsillitis pathogens.
For those who still get sick, the drink will be useful properties to neutralize the symptoms of fever, and even if only slightly, but for a long time, lower body temperature.
How to make and drink with maximum benefit tea with bergamot
For starters, we note that it is possible to fully enjoy the taste and aroma of tea with bergamot only if it is 100% quality and natural.
And the same can be said about extracting from the drink the multifaceted benefits for the body and mind.
The fact is that some manufacturers, to reduce the cost of goods, replace bergamot essential oil with its zest, and this substitution deprives the drink of the lion's share of positive qualities. If the manufacturer goes further and chooses an artificial flavor to replace it, it’s just right to speak not about the uselessness, but about the dangers of tea with bergamot, if, of course, this product can be called that.
Therefore, it is very important to choose good brands and study the composition of the goods.
In the process of preparing Earl Gray, you should be guided by the rules for brewing the "background" component, that is, plain tea. And usually they include the following recommendations:
· Before pouring the tea leaves into the teapot, they warm it up, pour boiling water for a moment (and drain water immediately);
· Tea leaves need to be taken at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 1 cup of drink;
· Despite the fact that many varieties of tea do not lose their taste and benefits when re-brewing, each serving of Earl Gray is brewed only once;
· The aroma and taste of bergamot melt away rapidly, so it is undesirable for the drink to stand idle for longer than 60-90 minutes.
Tea with bergamot can be safely drunk when you like, it is good both scorching hot and chilled, in its pure form and with the addition of sugar or cream.
Used with rich, heavy and fatty foods, the drink promotes their speedy absorption and prevents stomach discomfort when overeating.
And it’s also useful to note that tea with bergamot can not only be served with something, but also cook on it that is very tasty to serve with tea, for example, muffins. The drink not only conveys its marvelous aroma to baking, but also significantly improves the quality and ease of the dough.
Which bergamot tea can be harmful
Bergamot tea is definitely contraindicated for allergies to citrus fruits, but even if such a reaction has never happened, something similar can occur if you simply abuse this drink (for example, if you drink a dozen cups for several days in a row).
True, these manifestations (skin rashes, rhinitis) will bother exactly until the body naturally clears a large number of tea components, that is, abandoning it, you just need to wait a couple of days (and at this time do not consume more potentially allergenic).
The probability of negative perception of tea with bergamot is especially high for children under 12 years old and women in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Restrictions on treating this drink, in order to avoid harm from tea with bergamot, are imposed with certain diagnoses:
· Hormonal disorders;
· Chronic heart disease;
Diabetes mellitus;
· Acute diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
Inflammatory kidney disease.
Still, tea with bergamot is not recommended for drinking at night - this can turn into insomnia.
