Your afternoon cup of tea is flled with potential benefits

"As far as her mom was concerned, tea fixed everything. Have a cold? Have some tea. Broken bones? There's a tea for that, too. Somewhere in her mother's pantry, Laurel suspected, was a box of tea that said, 'In case of Armageddon, steep three to five minutes'." ~Aprilynne Pike, from "Illusions"

A nice cup of tea has long been touted as a good cure for what ails you. But there is more to that than folk wisdom. Eleven different studies came out in 2013 touting the potential benefits of drinking tea, according to Harvard Women's Health Watch. Among their findings:

* Tea drinking appears to lower the risk for heart disease and stroke.

* Natural compounds called polyphenols in green tea might protect against several cancers, including those of the prostate, GI tract, lungs, breast and skin.

* Caffeine and antioxidants called catechins found in green, oolong and white teas may increase metabolism and promote weight loss.

* Tea polyphenols are thought to strengthen bones and protect against fractures.

* People who drink tea could see improvements in mood, concentration and performance.

Becky Brown, co-owner of Natural Health Organic Foods in Cape Girardeau, says she has to be very careful when a customer comes in looking for a tea to match a specific health issue.

"We are retailers and not licensed health practitioners. We do, however, have teas that are produced by companies who are compliant with FTC regulations on labeling for specific needs," she says. "We carry teas with names such as Throat, Get Relaxed and Blood Pressure. I would say our best-selling medicinal teas would be those for relaxation and laxative teas."

This is all great news if you already enjoy a cuppa, but what if you're not a fan of tea?

"A tea is an infusion of dried leaves, bark or the roots of a plant into hot water. With that being said, not all teas are pleasant tasting," says Brown.

Don't try to make it more palatable by adding lots of sugar or cream. Dr. Howard Sesso, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, states this on the Harvard Health blog: "Sweetened tea beverages introduce calories, fat and other ingredients that get away from the basic premise that the tea leaf may be responsible for any health benefits. You can add a little honey or lemon to taste without compromising the purity of your tea, but stop there."

Or, you might consider trying one of these recipes from The Republic of Tea's online recipe library at the.republicoftea.com:

Gingersnap Chai Tea Latte

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water

1 Chai tea bag

1/2 cup steamed milk

1 tablespoon molasses

1/4 vanilla bean, scraped

Foamed milk

Gingersnap cookies (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat fresh, filtered water to a rolling boil.

2. Place the Chai tea bag in a standard-size tea mug, add heated water and steep for 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Remove tea bag; stir in steamed milk, molasses and vanilla bean.

4. Top with foamed milk and serve with gingersnap cookies. Serves 1.

Matcha Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon Matcha (green tea powder)

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1 banana (peeled and sliced)

1/4 cup milk of choice

1/2 cup ice

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 1 or 2 minutes. Serves 1.