INNER BEAUTY is all the rage, and we’re not talking about your glowing personality. Beauty supplements have been booming business in recent years, from traditional pills to powders, injections and even gummy bears.

But there’s a simple – and often more affordable – way to get luminous skin and shiny locks by way of your digestive tract. That’s right, we’re talking about the original beauty supplement – tea!

Traditional tea comes in green, white and black from the leaves of the Camellia sinesis plant. Herbal teas – also known as tisanes – are everything else we know as tea.

Not only is this stuff packed with powerful antioxidants, you are spoiled for choice when choosing a tea to drink for specific beauty and health concerns.

Just add water!

Best for Anti-Ageing

White Tea

Trained Naturopath and owner of the London shop Content Beauty/Wellbeing Imelda Burke swears by white tea saying her “favourite for skin would have to be white tea, which has strong anti-inflammatory characteristics – great for skin and ageing in general… and even acne and eczema”.

Burke says that white tea “has high levels of catechins, a polyphenol compound that’s responsible for protecting skin from UV damage”.  And we have science on our side.  A Kingston University study in 2009 showed that white tea has high anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-collagenase, and anti-elastase properties which could potentially slow the enzymatic break-down of elastin and collagen, traits which accompany ageing. Plus, white tea has the highest level of antioxidants of all teas.

Runners-up:

• Green tea (particularly Matcha) boosts metabolism, full of antioxidants
• Rooibos is full of AHAs, vitamin C, Zinc and antioxidants for a health complexion and helps to ease stress and digestive issues.

Best All-Arounder

Nettle

Nettles are packed with vitamins (A, C, E, K…), amino acids and minerals (particularly calcium) and grow like, ahem, weeds in many parts of the world, London included. The taste is smooth and palatable although slightly bitter, which is great to curb cravings and, according to Naturopath-in-training Elspeth Waters, to kick start a liver detox. She says it’s a very cleansing tea, strengthens blood to ensure a steady flow of healthy nutrients to the complexion and acts as a mild laxative.

“If you suffer from under-eye bags, the nettle will help the kidneys drain the excess fluid” she says, because of its gently diuretic effect.

Pair it with Dandelion, Burdock and Fennel for a serious cleanse, which Waters says should help maintain a clear complexion as well.

It’s good for everything from maintaining urinary tract health to use as a hair tonic.

Runners-up:

• Green tea (particularly Matcha) boosts metabolism, full of antioxidants
• Black tea

Best for Calming Complexions

Licorice

It’s super tasty in candy form, but licorice is also a brilliant tea for red, ruddy complexions. It’s naturally anti-inflammatory and can even be found in topical skincare targeting redness, like Eucerin’s Anti-Redness Range. Waters says it’s also a mild adaptogen, “meaning it helps us to deal with stress – vital for looking vibrant and healthy”. The only downside is that it can raise blood pressure, says Waters, so shouldn’t be drunk in excess by those with hypertension.

Runners-up:

• Chamomile
• Valerian

How To Make It:
Waters says that “in general, a therapeutic dose of herbal tea is one heaped teaspoon of each herb or 2 teabags. As with all teas, once you’ve poured on boiling water cover the cup and leave it to infuse for 10 minutes to get the full benefit.”

Learn More:

Resources

• Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine
• Reference Guide for Herbs
• Medline Plus

Articles

• http://www.ivillage.com/top-10-health-benefits-drinking-tea/4-a-108301
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5281046.stm
• http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/14361.php
• http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-2269/Health-Benefits-of-Coffee-Vs-Tea-Infographic.html
• http://www.teausa.com/general/teaandhealth/218g.cfm
• http://www.brighthub.com/health/alternative-medicine/articles/18696.aspx
• http://www.liveandfeel.com/medicinalplants/nettle.html

Studies

• http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/f-w02/tea.html
• http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/benefit_of_drinking_green_tea

Wikis

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_tea