Matcha May and M.E Awareness Day!

As you'll now know, it's Matcha May!  

As you can see, teapigs offer a 100% natural, organic Matcha green tea with a super power amount of antioxidants as well as a considerable energy boost..

We talk a lot about the effects of tea on health and I was wondering if the benefits of Matcha may have something to offer those health conditions where energy is equal to striking gold!

Matcha May coincides with M.E Awareness Day today, so it's a good excuse to show how important an energy boost can be in the management of M.E, M.E/CFS and Fibromyalgia.  Whether you're looking at the studies into mitochondrial dysfunction or increased oxidative stress, it's clear to see why some people with these conditions may look at Matcha tea for help.

It contains the amino acid L-Theanine, which works slowly to release Matcha's natural caffeine over a gentle boost of around 4-6 hours.  L-Theanine can help to reduce stress, keeping people calm and focused and it's also meant to help improve learning, concentration and alertness.

However, I do think people are quick to shout about the benefits of tea for health and so it's worth remembering that plants can be quite strong and there are side effects worth noting.  For people with M.E, caffeine is usually a major problem as people find themselves sensitive to it and the effects on the ol' nervous system.  It can also stimulate acid secretion in the stomach, which can lead to indigestion and bowel issues.  So overall, it's worth being cautious as well.

If you use whole leaf tea of another kind, i've heard that rinsing the tea leaves before infusing can help  take some of the caffeine away.  Or in general making a weak brew in between meals may help keep acid levels down.

If you have M.E and caffeine is too much of an issue to gain the benefits of Matcha, teapigs offer a good selection of whole leaf herbal teas, each with their own benefits.  When i'm after a good strong brew but don't want the caffeine, I go for a Rooibos red tea, which also has a lot of antioxidants, and add a splash of soya milk to it.  Other lighter choices are lemon and ginger, which can help with nausea and motion sickness, and a firm favourite Peppermint herbal tea, which may help to settle the digestive system.

I'd love to hear how people are using tea for their health and health conditions so feel free to comment or go to Tea Street's Facebook or Twitter!  Also anyone that has any further useful links then stick 'em in the comments box :-)

For more info on M.E, M.E/CFS click here for The M.E Association 

And for my teapigs Matcha experiments click here