Jasmine tea is a popular beverage that is made of green, black, or white tea as a base, flavored with the jasmine flower (Jasminum officinale) to create a unique taste and scent.
While making the tea, blossoms from the common jasmine are put alongside the regular tea leaves to let the aroma infuse.
Apart from the aroma, jasmine tea is widely popular due to its incredible health benefits, that mostly come from the nutritional components in the organic tea used as a base.
This flavorful tea is a wonderful way to include some unique antioxidants in your system, such as epicatechins and catechins, which can have numerous beneficial effects on your overall health.
This article looks into some amazing health benefits of jasmine tea. You will also know about some potential side effects you may experience by drinking this flavored tea.
Health Benefits of Jasmine Tea
1. Jasmine Tea May Promote Weight Loss.
Jasmine tea can be an excellent addition to your weight loss as it can increase your metabolism.
A review published in 2010 shows that green tea, the most common base for jasmine tea may burn up to 100 calories per day by increasing your metabolism by 4-5%. [1]
Besides, the caffeine and the polyphenol EGCG found in jasmine tea may improve each other’s fat-burning effects. [2]
2. It is Rich in Antioxidants.
Jasmine tea contains a significant amount of polyphenols that can act as antioxidants and protect your body from free radical damage.
Research has shown the link between chronic oxidative stress and several age-related diseases such as cancer. [3]
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a powerful antioxidant component in green tea that has been shown to provide numerous health benefits such as blood sugar control, weight loss, and improving oral and heart health. [4, 5, 6, 7]
3. Jasmine Tea May Protect Your Heart.
The high polyphenol contents in jasmine tea may protect you from several heart diseases.
Oxidization of LDL cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease. It could clog your blood vessels by sticking to your artery walls and forming plaques. [8]
Several test tube and animal studies have confirmed that polyphenols in tea can prevent LDL cholesterol from being oxidized. [9, 10]
A research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry shows that tea polyphenols could reduce the plaque formation in hamsters by 68%, thus decreased the risk of heart disease. [11]
Drinking 3 cups or more green tea or black tea may reduce the risk of heart disease by 19-21% and the risk of stroke by 36%. [12, 13]
As jasmine tea is made using green or black tea, drinking it regularly may give you similar health benefits.
4. It May Improve Your Oral Health.
Catechins, the group of polyphenols found in jasmine tea can kill the plaque-forming bacteria called Streptococcus mutans and protect you from cavities or tooth decay. [6, 14]
The catechins are shown to stop Streptococcus mutans from producing acid, which could damage your teeth’s enamel. [6]
In fact, catechin-based mouthwash was proved as effective as an antiseptic mouthwash in reducing plaque. [15]
Drinking this flavored tea may also reduce bad breathe by killing the odor-causing bacteria. [16]
5. Jasmine Tea is Good for Your Brain.
Caffeine, as well as other chemical compounds in jasmine tea can boost your brain function.
Caffeine can block the inhibitory neurotransmitter adenosine — a chemical component in your body that acts as a central nervous system depressant, thus stimulates your brain function. [17]
Besides, caffeine can improve your mood by releasing mood-enhancing neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. [18]
6. It May Protect Your from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
Jasmine tea made from green tea contains a high amount of EGCG, which can neutralize free radical damage and reduce inflammation — two key factors that are responsible for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. [19, 20]
Several studies show that EGCG can stop brain protein from clumping and misfolding, reducing the risk of inflammation and nerve damage. [21, 22]
A number of clinical trials have discovered that drinking jasmine green tea could reduce the risks of both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. [23, 24]
7. Jasmine Tea Can Lower The Risk of Diabetes.
More than 422 million people around the world have diabetes, with type-2 as the most common type. It happens when your body fails to use insulin effectively. [25]
Green tea is a popular choice when it comes to reducing the risk of diabetes, as EGCG found in this tea can help your body to use insulin properly and lower the blood sugar level. [26]
A 2013 research shows that consuming green tea regularly significantly decreased insulin and fasting blood sugar levels. [27]
A review of 12 studies found that drinking 3 cups or more of tea every day could reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes by 16%. [28]
8. It May Reduce The Risks of Cancer.
The high level of antioxidants found in jasmine tea can fight free radicals and reduce the risk of certain cancers.
Several research have shown that polyphenols like EGCG could reduce tumor size, stimulate cancer cell death, and inhibit the spread of cancer cells. [29, 30]
A research published in 2018 states that polyphenols could stop the growth and spread of bladder cancer cells. In fact, the antioxidants could induce cancer cell death in different test-tube and animal studies. [31]
Another 2015 review published in the Journal of Cancer Prevention concludes that drinking green tea could reduce the recurrence of cancer cells in people with colon cancer by 51.6%. [32]
Besides, regular consumption of jasmine tea may also reduce the risk of prostate and breast cancer. [33, 34]
Side Effects & Precautions
Although jasmine tea is usually safe with no harmful side effects, the caffeine content may cause some problem if over-consumed.
- Too much caffeine intake is associated with anxiety, jitters, stomach problems, and restlessness. [35]
- Catechins in jasmine tea may reduce the risk of anemia as it lowers your body’s ability to absorb iron from foods. [36]
- Drinking too much of jasmine tea may increase the risk of miscarriage. Hence pregnant women should drink it moderately.
Bottom Line
Jasmine tea is a delicious flavored tea with incredible health benefits. The antioxidants and caffeine contents found in this tea can improve your brain function, promote weight loss, reduce the risk of cancer, and many more.
However, over-consumption may lead to some health problems. So, limit your tea intake to 2-3 cups per day.
Moreover, jasmine tea is easy to make, meaning that you can easily add it into your regular diet and enjoy its health benefits.
