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I am known, to love a cuppa tea, (and to be honest my comfy pants and Ugg boots) and I regularly cite tea as one of my leading stress management techniques after a difficult day at work.
Science has validated my strategy. And not just because of tea's wondrous ability to create a mindful moment. Or for its heart warming aroma, or for the opportunity to appreciate beautiful porcelain. Black tea may have more hard science for those die hard critics who argue against the fluffy nature of psychology and mindfulness. In fact, the scientific community are coming to find that tea benefits us, in part, by aiding stress recovery.
Black Tea has been found to reduce Cortisol by 47% compared to reductions in Cortisol of 27% in non tea drinkers, 50 minutes after a stress test. Researchers found black tea didn't assist 'in the moment' to reduce stress, but aided in a faster recovery.
In a second study, compared with placebo, 6 weeks of tea consumption was found to lower post-stress cortisol and achieve greater subjective relaxation, together with reduced platelet activation.
It is thought that the mechanism of this stress relief is through it's action on platelets.
This is great evidence that a cuppa tea, after a stressful event, is an evidence based strategy to destress yourself or a colleague.
For super geeks like me, the original abstract can be found here.