Green and Black

• While discussions about health benefits of tea always seem to focus on the green variety, green and black tea actually come from the same plant, and the substances, most notably polyphenols, that seem to relieve arthritis pain are present in black tea, as well. So black-tea drinkers most likely receive the same arthritis relief as green-tea drinkers. In fact, WellGen, a U.S. biotech company, has patented an extract of black tea that has anti-inflammatory properties.
  
  

How It Works

• Green tea contains a polyphenol called epigallocatechin 3-gallate, or EGCG. Polyphenols are antioxidants, and in teas, they take the form of tannins, which are unique as polyphenols because they are not only responsible for eliminating free radicals but also may have antibiotic properties, as well. EGCG actually helps stop the interleukin-8 gene from developing, which is central to the arthritis inflammation response, so when polyphenols in green or black tea enter the system inflammation is curtailed.
  
  

Coffee Is a No-Go

• Coffee can make matters worse for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers. A study by Dr. Maarku Heliovaara of the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki followed 19,000 healthy men and women for 15 years, starting in the 1970s, and determined that coffee provided no benefit.
  
  

What About Herbal Teas?

• Herbal teas are more properly called infusions, and they can have medicinal benefits. Some, such as cannabis, turmeric, stinging nettle, ginger and ginseng, may relieve arthritis pain.