After my medical insurance refused to pay for my treatment for ADD\ADHD ( They wont cover a mental illness- what a bunch of jerks) and I was unable to afford to go to my doctor once a month for my ritalin, I discovered a decent stop gap method for controling my add symptoms- Tea! I drink 8-10 cups of black and green tea a day and I am funtioning, not quite as well as when I was on ritalin but I am having no side effects ( cant say that about ritalin). Plus I am getting a bonus dose of anti-oxidents that are found in tea. I am still looking for a insurance plan that will allow me to go back on meds but with the tea I probally wont need as high a dose. So give tea a try!!! Capt Kylos

Thanks Captain Kylos,

I'll give the tea a try. I really like green tea anyway -- like you say lots of anti oxidants. I'll try uping my quota.

Scattered

That is messed up that your insurance carrier doesn't cover mental illness:( I am glad you are making good progress with your tea.

Thanks pittguy. If you can't fight them ( the insurance company) you have to be flexable and adaptable to treating your condition with out them. Until I can find a insurance company that will help me. Capt Kylos

Have to agree to Pitiguy -- it makes no sense not to cover mental illness. Think how much money it could save in the long run. Oh well, seems you have a good attitutude about doing what you can until something else can be worked out.

Scattered

I agree with pittguy as well, that is wonderful you are making good progress with the tea. I love grean and also black tea and I am definately going to try uping my quota as well (lol) I drink lots of green tea as it is. I have not been given meds yet but still going through the assessing again since I moved out of state before all was done with my first complete assessment. I wish you good luck with many positive vibes to getting a good insurance carrier.
Keep it up !

I never thought tea could help out that much, but you know, I too will give it a go. I have tons of green tea around the house, so at least I can try it out without having to buy anything.:)


Thanks for sharing!

:confused: i have a stupid question. does lipton decafinated tea count as green tea? i hate to sound so dense about this but i truly have no idea!!!! i LOVE my hot tea and actually do drink about 5-6 cups a day but i was just wondering what "green tea" was exactly, and how different it tasted from regular. i hate flavored teas so i don't know if i could stand it...but i'm interested in the concept!

Green tea comes from the same plant as black tea, but it definitly tastes different than black. Green tea has more antioxidants than the black, although the black is still good for you.

They both contain caffiene, which is one of the reasons most people like it.

Lipton decaf tea is probably just black tea minus the caffiene.

Captain Kylos: I don't have insurance either but my generic ritalin prescription is only around 35.00 a month at Wal Mart. I shopped around and its rather inexpensive there.

hi britawn,

so, just so i have this straight....the lipton decaf i'm drinking is black tea, right? i had no idea!:D i just knew my grandmother began making it for me over 30 years ago and i can't live without it to this day!! from now on i'll tell folks i like black tea so as to make myself sound cooler than i really am!!:cool:

Yes, unless the package states otherwise, it should be just plain black tea!

Actually you need to be careful with decaf tea and coffee. They've done studies that show that depending on what process (chemicals) are used to make it decaf can have harmful side effects. Might be especially so for ADHD type folks I suspect, since we tend to react to artifical processes more than most. Water decaf process is best.

There are decaf green teas but they are clearly labeled as green tea. Green tea comes from a steaming process while black tea comes from a fermenting process.

Scattered

Teas (regular not herbal) are all the same plant Camellia Sinesis. The difference is the processing. White tea is the healthiest, then green, then black. Its probably the caffeine in the tea that is treating the ADD. White tea is very high in antioxidants and tastes rather moldy if you ask me! Green tea tastes a little more herbal, black tastes the most like regular tea. All restaurant ice tea and most of the oriental teas like jasmine, oolong, breakfast, ect are all black tea. Decaf Lipton is black tea. The label would state "green tea".I do believe, Lipton does make green tea in decaf and iced packets. Free, your cool anyway! :D

I went searching for info on decaffeinated tea and found this link which was the least commercial:

http://health.yahoo.com/health/ate/drweil/alldaily/2003/09/300785

It seems you can easily decaffeinate your own tea, but like Moonlily I suspect it is the caffeine along with the theanine that is useful for ADD. One mere hint of information was that while caffeine destroys bone density (as do most stims), tea may have some protective properties for bone density.

There is apparently almost a university of info on the web about teas if you include herbal teas. Separating the science from the hype is the difficulty.

I have found that if you start with a strong black tea in the morning ( you need the caffeine punch to get you going!) such as english or irish breakfast tea then go to a lighter tea for late in the afternoon and early evening ( such as earl gray or prince of wales) and than switch to green teas for the night. No decaff !( it may not be good for you and the stimulent is what you want for ADD symptoms.) Capt Kylos

For those that have allergy problems (like me) you can help 2 problems ((ADD and Allergies)) at once. Since I have a pollen allergy - I use local honey in my tea's as a yummy sweetner, but it also helps build my tolerance to the pollen/plants in my area.
You can find local honey at most any farmer's market or even some mom'n'pop grocery stores. {local honey is always best to use, you might have a SEVERE allergic reaction to honey that comes from outside your area ... just thought you should know}

:)

I have found that if you start with a strong black tea in the morning ( you need the caffeine punch to get you going!) such as english or irish breakfast tea then go to a lighter tea for late in the afternoon and early evening ( such as earl gray or prince of wales) and than switch to green teas for the night. No decaff !( it may not be good for you and the stimulent is what you want for ADD symptoms.) Capt Kylos
When I recently stopped taking the meds (Strattera , Wellbutrin) I was on because they just simply presented too many side effects I decided to mak some other changes. The stimulants seem to wind me up ...this was the case when I took Dextroamphetamine too.
So, I actually took caffine out of the picture. Caffine winds me up ...so no more coffee. Now I drink one cup of Sleepytime tea (Chamomile, spearmint) in the morning.

The mental benefits from the meds and caffine is gone but I am hanging in there and I actually get tired at night and sleep ( I used to be a night owl). the benefit of sleep has done wonders for me interms of depression and anxiety. Just something to consider/think about.

I use to drink coffee but I found that it made me too jittery ( I belive a cup of coffee has 200mg of caffeine per cup) . Tea does not give me the jitters(black tea has 40mg caffeine per cup.) Everybodys reaction to stimulints are different so you have to adjust the dose for your personal body chemistry. Herbal tea may not give you the caffeine to help with ADD symptoms but it's good for you in a lot of other ways. Capt Kylos

hmmm, so what exactly did you find out?

I think this tea thing is an ongoing experiment. It seem to be helping, but every one is different so it may not work for you. I think the benifits of tea (stronger teeth, possible cancer fighting propertys, maintaining water balance) out weight any risk from the small amount of caffiene found in the tea. Try it yourself and let me know if you have any benifit. Capt Kylos

Hey there. Heard about your situation, and I might have some information for you. You're right, antioxidants are great. I have been taking an antioxidant called OPC-3 since April 2004. This supplement has helped me with my migraines, back pains, menstral cramps, etc. This same product has helped many people (different ages) with ADD/ADHD/OPC and Autism. I have become quite familiar with the product, and have lots of information on it. It is made of grape seed etract, red wine extract, and pine barkextract. I will be happy to forward you testimonials I have received from this product, man of which include reference to substituing Ritalin. You can e-mail me. Check my profile.
Hope this helps. Good Luck!!
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Thank Celi17 for heads up on opc-3 we can probally use all the antioxidants we can get. Working on cup #8 of tea, a nice earl grey. Capt Kylos

Just a quick update, I belive I have found another positive property of drinking tea. My wife and daughter and myself were stricken with the flu and while they were quite miserable I had a very mild form and it only lasted a few days for me. So maybe the tea helped boost my immune system or had some anti-viral propertys to it. Just a thought. Capt Kylos

Tea makes me pee. Caffene is a diuretic. I crash about 2 hours after my first cup of tea. Coffee makes me stay up longer. I have acid stomach so neither is good for that but tea makes it burn. I like Earl Gray and Lapsang Souchong and Jasmine and OOlong.

For me coffee is the one that gives me acid gut but I dont get that from my tea. Capt Kylos

ADD/ADHD is not a mental illness! It's a neurological disorder, i.e. physical. Your insurance company is totally incompetent. Sorry for the expression of my opinion, but any insurance company should have the information on any health issue at their vast fingertips. Sounds like all they really care about is their own profits.

Isn't the main goal of every insurance company to maximize profits and limit payouts? As soon as my policy is up next month I will be seeking a more ADD friendly insurance if there is such a beast. Capt Kylos

I've been drinking green at least three cups a day I also like ool long te if you have eczema that ool long helps with that.

Black tea is way to strong i like earl grey that aint too bad for a black.

coffee and green teas work for me because of the caffeine. Green tea is much better though and being in asia I am lucky, surrounded by all sorts of green teas, from the freshest (soft powder) types as well as derivants like green tea ice cream (which is VERY addictive!)

Soft powder green tea sounds very good. Can you get that in the states? Capt Kylos

Alright, not only the caffiene in GREEN tea helps ADD symptoms, the l-theanine also helps. L-theanine is a amino acid that helps to metabolize dopamine and GABA. It also takes the edge off of the caffiene. That's probably why green tea makes you less jittery.

the difference is that black and red tea are fermented, green tea is not. (but to be honest i still dont exactly understand that myself!)

but green tea is slightly greenish light brown in colour, and does taste very different.

:D Hey tea drinkers what are your favorite brands of tea? I really like Twinings and Celestial Seasonings brands right now but sometimes go with what is on sale. Finding a good green tea can be a tough. Some are just too earthy. Capt Kylos

:D Hey tea drinkers what are your favorite brands of tea? I really like Twinings and Celestial Seasonings brands right now but sometimes go with what is on sale. Finding a good green tea can be a tough. Some are just too earthy. Capt Kylos
tzo they have them at groceary stores other then star bucks the green tips is good , bigelow is the only brand of ool long tea i could find.

Word of widsom stay away from the liption mint green it was awful.

i tried green tea for a while, but it gave me headaches.
then i tried black tea, and then i could not survive a day without it.
then i tried coffee, and i had it every day (weekday) last week and not at all on the weekends, and it worked... but the 'come down' off the coffee was just awful.

i didnt drink it thismorning, i just had tea. i decided that tea is still my 'drink', and the coffee isnt a 'drink' at all, it's just a .. well for want of a better phrase, it's a weak liquid medication that i dont need a prescription for!
i had coffee with lunch, about half an hour ago. it's starting to take into effect now.

green tea is good but... didnt help me focus. i know it's healthy for you (people in general) though, and i do enjoy it.
but it gives me worse headaches than coffee does!

I tried a new brand today Stash Tea. The English Breakfast was pretty good but their green tea is not so good. It has a strange smell and after taste. Mccoffee is right stay away from the Lipton brand. Yuck! Capt Kylos:rolleyes:

any one try any good organic teas I'm looking for a new green tea. Capt Kylos:confused:

Growing up in the South I have drank ice tea nearly everyday since I was kid.I now drink a blend of green & black teas as a workout supplement.

my buddy gave me a green caspulse supplament.

How are those green tea capsles? Dotheycontain just the active L-theanine or do they have caffeine in them to? Capt Kylos

this one had caffine i forgot the rest i think had 35mg of caffine but it was only like 10 a bottle or something like that.

I've been a tea drinker for years, mostly green. Love the taste, but have never found that it significantly helps my concentration and focus. (I find a Diet Coke better for that purpose, although I hate putting all those nasty chemicals in my body). They also claim that tea, particularly oolong, can increase your metabolism and help you loose weight. Never found that either. Your mileage may vary.

I wonder if the diet coke has some "secret" ingredient that might help you focus, but the nuclear-sweet fake sugar can't be good for you. I think I will stick to tea. Capt Kylos:p

Any one out there drink organic tea from unbleached tea bags? I'm thinking about switching to organic tea. Capt Kylos

Try this black if you get a chance it's called drjeeling blend by biglow you can get orgranic it's kinda like a earl gray but it's very refreshing when you drink it it's odd i just had a second cup i want more at 12am but i have to be up at 8am.

thanks ya guys I learned alot about tea tonight. I also like the earl grey and green tea. I will have to try the oolong tea for exzema since I have had it since birth. Are ya guys drinkning the decafe teas. just to get it straight.

i dont' mess with the decafe but i probably should

Like Mccoffee I dont mess with the decaf, most of the processes that they use to decaf it are probally not good for you. And one of the reasons we drink tea is for the health affects. Capt Kylos:)

Wow I tried Bigalow brand tea yesterday and it is very good. They wrap the tea bag in a foil pouch that keeps it fresh. Nice! Capt Kylos:)

what type of tea did you by from the biglow just wondered

Thanks for the info on teas, everyone!

But I am wondering about herbal teas? Does anyone try these? How about calming teas like the ones with chamomile, passion flower, cat nip, or any combination of the many calming herbs??

Mccoffee I tried the english blend from biglow, very nice tea. I think that the organic drajling is next on my list. I love herbal teas way too flightly. Among my favorites are celestial seasonings Sleepy Time and of course Morning Thunder. Capt Kylos:)

my next to try is irish breakfest blend

If you get the chance try the Twinings vareity pack. It has both English and Irish breakfast blends, Earl Gray, Lady Gray(very nice)and Prince of Whales( a nice blend of chinese black teas). Capt Kylos

My favorite place to order green tea (or black tea) is from Rishi Tea on the web (www.rishi-tea.com (http://www.rishi-tea.com)). (No, I'm not connected with them in any way). They have lots of organic green teas and the teas are conveniently packaged in self-sealing pouches that keep the tea fresh. Ito-En and Upton Tea (both also on the web) are also good sources for green teas.

Boy, do I love my tea. I just wish it helped me focus, but I can't say that it does. Maybe I need less green tea, and more black tea.

Assuming the only solvent involved in the decaf process is ethyl acetate I wouldn't worry too much about the method of decaffing.

I read somewhere 300mg of caffeine daily is ok - may have been an EU figure. One cup of home-made coffee contains about 50mg caffeine, coffee shop can be 100-200+mg depending on the drink.

While tea contains large amounts of caffeine it is not as bio-available as with coffee (I can't remember why though - I think it is in a non-water soluble form in the leaves, or relates to dry weight).

Tablets for taking caffeine are good as they avoid that horrible over acidic stomach feeling.

green tea is really good.

Fuze white tea citrus is very tasty. The same amount of anti-oxidents as 3 servings of green leafy veg. And it taste great. Kylos

I just ordered some "Paklum Tips" white tea from Upton Tea. http://www.uptontea.com The Wall Street Journal did a blind tasting of white teas (sort of like a blind wine tasting) and this is the one that rated the highest. It is very tasty, although still does nothing for my ADD symptoms.

I'm drinking mostly black teas nowadays because I'm on Adderall and Vitamin C is said to interfere with Adderall absorption. Both green and white teas are said to have a lot of Vitamin C.