Tea Advisory Panel

Every year, International Tea Day - 21st of May - is observed by the United Nations as an opportunity to celebrate not only tea’s cultural heritage and importance to economies around the world, but also its key health benefits.

International Tea Day 2025 also coincides with the publishing of a new survey[1] of over 1,000 Brits, reviewed by the Tea Advisory Panel (TAP), which reveals gender divides when it comes to the perceived health-supporting properties of our daily cuppa, enjoyed by nine out of 10 Brits. To help us bridge the divide, a TAP expert shares his top Six teas to sip in support of our wellbeing this International Tea Day.

Registered Dietitian and TAP member Dr Carrie Ruxton comments, “Women (36%) were more likely than men (30%) to pick up on the link drinking tea and a reduction in stress and anxiety. In both groups, however, that still leaves a large majority who are unaware of the impact of their daily brew on their stress levels.”

This patchy knowledge exists despite the availability of scientific evidence, including a recent review suggesting that natural bioactive compounds in tea could help reduce the effects of depression, anxiety, and sleep problems. These substances include an amino acid, called L-theanine, a neurotransmitter, called ?-aminobutyric acid (GABA), caffeine and several groups of polyphenols, such as catechins and theaflavins.^[2]

“Interestingly, more men (36%) than women (30%) said they drank tea to support their heart health,” says tea expert, researcher and TAP member Dr Tim Bond, adding, “In this case, unusually, men appear to be looking after themselves better than women, with a recent meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials – the gold standard of scientific evidence – finding that foods rich in a plant substance known as flavan-3-ols, which includes tea, considerably reduce high blood pressure and improve blood vessel function.”^[3]

Over a quarter (27%) said they would switch from drinking black tea to drinking more herbal teas for the health and wellbeing benefits, such as supporting sleep. Again, this was more so the case among the female cohort (30%) than the male (24%).

On the flip side, around a fifth (21% female; 20% male) said they’d made the switch from herbal back to regular black tea for its health and wellbeing benefits. Actually, both are beneficial types of tea.

“Supporting sleep is a benefit of a brew that’s also backed by science,” says Dr Carrie Ruxton, adding, “Indeed, a recent super study of human trials and mechanistic studies found a growing body of evidence that just one or two cups of tea a day, including green, oolong, and herbal infusions, could help support sleep and help us to relax.”^[4]

“In the past year, just one in 10 (11% male; 12% female) Brits have expanded their tea horizons to include a brew aimed at a specific wellbeing benefit, such as improving sleep or even easing menopause-related symptoms. But we’re really missing a trick here, as different teas can provide a wide range of different health benefits,” says Dr Tim Bond, who shares his top six teas to support several key areas of our health:

1. Black tea: the dark pigment in regular tea - called thearubigins – has been shown to lower blood pressure, improve glucose and insulin regulation, reduce inflammation, inhibit some cancer cells and improve digestion.^[5]
2. Green tea: These have much higher levels of simple polyphenols called catechins, which are associated with reduced blood pressure, clotting and inflammation.^[6] Brain scans show that L-theanine in green and black tea increases alpha-wave activity, which induces relaxation without drowsiness.^[7]
3. Oolong tea: The flavonoids in oolong tea improve blood glucose control, help lower blood pressure and cholesterol and protect against inflammation and DNA damage.^[8]
4. Chamomile tea: In clinical trials, chamomile tea has been shown to deliver significant improvements in sleep quality.^[9]
5. Passionflower tea: The European Medicines Agency has approved extracts and infusions of passionflower to help aid sleep and relieve mild stress.^[10]
6. Rose tea: Research suggests that the traditional benefits of rose may include helping to lower inflammation and the risk of period pain, depression and stress.^[11]