I find that caffeine can help with some of my symptoms. I used to not be all that big into coffee or tea prior to becoming ill, but afterwards caffeine seemed to be one of the few things that helps me to function better. Some people can't take caffeine, however.
White, green, oolong, and black teas are all products of
Camellia sinensis. They are just manufactured differently. Here's a neat little
flowchart on how the 6 main types of tea are produced.
Offhand, I know that green tea has
anti-inflammatory properties. Black tea has a
higher caffeine content. Wiki on
white tea benefits and
black tea benefits.
Dr. Oz and
WebMD on specific teas, though I don't have any studies. Harvard on
general tea benefits. The
NYTimes notes that brewing cold can reduce the caffeine level.
Wiki on
negative health effects, which does not include effects from herbal teas. I've heard that some bad substances have been found in tea, but amazingly the tea bags of specific manufacturers seem to help prevent said substances from getting into the liquid. I forget which manufacturers.
Personally, I prefer green tea, but I also drink black and even mix the two. When I was healthier, I visited a tea place which had a good selection of herbal teas, which included wildflower and rose. I liked their wildflower one the best.
