It’s time to spill the anxie-tea. Anxiety is never fun to deal with. It affects a large number of people. According to the American Psychiatric Association, roughly 30 percent of adults will have anxiety at some point in their lives.
If you find yourself with persistent anxiety, please consult your medical provider for the best action plan towards long-term anxiety relief.
If you’re looking for a short term solution for anxiety relief, try drinking a cup of soothing tea.
How can tea support anxiety relief?
Teas, specifically herbal options, have properties that reduce stress.
“Herbal teas [have] properties designed to promote relaxation [and] are a great addition for a person who wants to reduce stress,” physiologist Faust Ruggiero, M.S. told 21Ninety.
The L-theanine in low-caffeine green tea is a great example of how tea has a property that can help with anxiety. The adaptogen can reduce stress and improve the quality of your sleep, according to the National Library of Medicine.
“Adaptogens are herbs that can reduce cortisol secretion and help your body adapt to stress,” registered dietitian nutritionist Lindsay Delk told 21Ninety.
What are the best teas for anxiety?
In general, herbal teas that are caffeine-free are the best teas for anxiety.
“Caffeine can increase nervousness, interfere with sleep, and cause restlessness or other symptoms of anxiety, ” according to Delk.
Ruggiero recommended shopping for mint, chamomile, lavender, rose, and caffeine-free green tea.
Delk highlighted lemon balm as another key tea to reduce anxiety.
“Lemon balm tea can improve mood and cognitive performance,” the nutritionist noted.
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to review 21Ninety’s list of the best teas of anxiety, based on our expert’s recommendations.
Calming chamomile
Ruggiero recommended reaching for a cup of chamomile tea, so why not reach for the BLK and Bold Chamomile Herbal Tea. The chamomile tea can help with sleep regulation, stress reduction, and pain relief.
This Black-owned tea and coffee house makes this loose leaf caffeine-free tea from fair trade-certified floral buds. One three-ounce pack makes around 43 cups of hot stress reducing tea.
After dinner mint
The After Dinner Mint Rooibos Loose Leaf Tea from Firebelly Tea will help you digest and relax before bed.
Rooibos, coca husk, cocoa bean, roasted chicory root, and valerian root are also in the mix of this tea to help you unwind. This loose leaf tea comes in a 3.5-ounce pack that makes up to 35 cups of tea.
Herbal and decaf teas
Enjoy varie-tea? Okay, puns aside, the Twinings Herbal and Decaf Tea Sampler from By The Cup offers enough tea to keep anxiety at bay for weeks. The sampler includes 40 packs of tea so you can sample 20 types of tea, twice! In the mix are lemon, chamomile, and caffeine-free green teas, too.
Along with tef tea bags, you also get a bundle of honey sticks that you can pour into every cup you make
Soothing Strawberry
Pennie’s Tea makes a Strawberry Kisses Loose Leaf Tea that blends floral and fruity ingredients. This stress-reducing tea is full of flavor. Sip on strawberry pieces, papaya petals, black tea, blackberry, chamomile petals, strawberry leaves, lime leaves, and cucumber leaves with each cup.
Along with its calming benefits, this tea can help with inflammation and trouble sleeping. Pennie’s Tea is Black-owned, vegan, caffeine-free, and gluten-free, too.
Relaxing lemon balm
Yogi Tea’s Elderberry Lemon Balm Tea is on the list based on Delk’s recommendation. The 16-bag caffeine-free tea blends lemon balm with ashwagandha which is a favorite ingredient of the expert.
“My favorite tea for anxiety is ashwagandha tea. Research shows that it can improve your resistance toward stress and improve your quality of life,” the nutritionist explained.
This Yogi tea can help reduce anxiety, stress while serving as immune support for days when you’re not feeling your best. It’s also vegan with no artificial sweeteners, colors, or preservatives.
Our editors love finding you the best products and offers! If you purchase something by clicking on one of the affiliate links on our website, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.