Tea

Tea Is For Travel

by Best You Editors on July 21, 2011

Pack your bags with this everyday antidote

© iStockphoto/Thinkstock

The downside of a trip? Disrupting your daily routine can cause insomnia and fatigue. Heck, just getting to your destination can be marked by nausea and anxiety. Luckily, our jet-setting friend David Katz, MD, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, told us about a little something he tucks into his carry-on to prevent and treat travel woes. Select teas can help ward off a number of these unpleasantries, he says. “For many minor health problems, improving hydration can be a big help,” he says. “Drinking tea can do that, while providing the added benefit of antioxidants.” Plus, he says, certain types give you a medicinal boost. His picks:

Chamomile. Zigzagging across time zones can put your sleep schedule on the fritz, but this floral tea will help you relax and settle in for the night.
Peppermint. You ate way too much at the free buffet. Pour yourself a cup of peppermint tea. It can settle your stomach and calm the muscles that lead to diarrhea.
Ginger. See above. For nausea.
White. A morning pick-me-up. Try white tea—it has the most concentrated dose of antioxidants of any tea, David says.
—For more information about David, go to davidkatzmd.com.