What This Ginseng Tea Is For, and the Caffeine Question
Nutra Boost is the ginseng tea people reach for when the afternoon flattens them and they feel too tired for a third coffee, one to two cups a day. The blend is green tea at 30% and ginseng at 20%, with guarana, liquorice, ashwagandha, rhodiola, gotu kola, astragalus and mace alongside them, twenty bags to a box.
Two of those ingredients carry caffeine, one of them carries a great deal of it, and there is liquorice in here too, which brings its own short list of rules. So the useful things we can do are tell you roughly where a cup sits against the published daily figures, say who should leave it alone, and name the kind of tiredness that wants a blood test rather than a stimulant. All three are below.
Two Caffeine Sources in One Cup
Green tea carries caffeine, and guarana seed carries more of it by weight than coffee beans do. Between them this is a stimulant drink rather than a gentle herbal infusion, and it deserves treating as one.
The published figures for healthy adults are that single doses of up to 200 milligrams of caffeine, and up to 400 milligrams across a day from all sources, raise no safety concerns. For pregnant and breastfeeding women the figure is 200 milligrams a day. For children and adolescents the cautious level is 3 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, which puts this drink out of reach for them entirely. No caffeine content is declared for this blend, so please ask our pharmacist, and in the meantime count your coffee, your cola and your energy drinks alongside it rather than on top of it.
There Is Liquorice in This Ginseng Tea
Liquorice is in the blend without a declared percentage, and it brings the rules that go with it. Four weeks is the published maximum for liquorice, and it is not recommended for anyone with high blood pressure, or with kidney, liver or cardiovascular disorders, or with low potassium, nor in pregnancy, nor while breastfeeding, nor under eighteen.
The blood pressure point is the one to hold onto here, because caffeine and liquorice push in the same direction and this tea contains both. If you take a blood pressure tablet, liquorice may work against it. And the published advice is not to take two liquorice-containing products at once, which matters because we stock several — so if there is a liquorice tea or capsule in the house already, bring it in and let our pharmacist add it up.
Who Should Leave It Alone
- Children and teenagers. Two caffeine sources with no declared amount, and neither ginseng nor liquorice is recommended under eighteen.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding. The caffeine figure is half the adult one, and neither ginseng nor liquorice is recommended at either stage.
- Anyone with high blood pressure, palpitations, an irregular heartbeat or an anxiety condition. Caffeine makes all four more noticeable and the liquorice adds to the blood pressure side. Come and talk to us.
- Anyone whose sleep is already poor. A stimulant in the afternoon is often the cause of the tiredness it is being drunk for, which is a loop worth breaking rather than feeding.
And tell our pharmacist if you take warfarin, a diabetes medicine, a blood pressure medicine or anything else regularly, because ginseng wants checking against all of them.
What Ginseng Is Traditionally For
Ginseng has a traditional use for temporary tiredness and weakness, which is a narrower thing than the word energy suggests. Temporary is the operative word: think of a hard fortnight rather than a year, and our pharmacist will tell you how long is sensible for you.
It is worth saying what that means in practice. If you have been tired for three months, ginseng is the wrong tool, because the tiredness has a cause and the tea covers it over. The next section is the one that actually helps those customers.
Tiredness That Needs a Blood Test, Not a Stimulant
Months of tiredness is one of the commonest reasons people come to us, and it has a short list of findable causes: anaemia, which is very common here, an underactive or overactive thyroid, diabetes, an untreated infection, and low mood. Every one of them is found with a simple blood test and every one of them is treatable.
So please come and see our doctor rather than buying a second box if the tiredness has lasted more than a few weeks, if you are breathless or pale, if your periods are heavy, if you have lost weight without trying, if you are sweating at night, or if the mornings are the hardest part of the day. A stimulant tea on top of untreated anaemia makes a person feel briefly better and leaves the anaemia exactly where it was.
Two Smaller Things Worth Knowing
Green tea reduces the amount of iron your body absorbs from food, which matters if you are anaemic or taking iron tablets. Drink this one between meals rather than with them, and keep it an hour clear of an iron tablet. If anaemia is the issue, ask our pharmacist and we will space things properly, and our lemongrass and ginger tea is the one to drink with meals instead.
And one reassurance, because people read alarming things about green tea and the liver. The concern applies to concentrated green tea extracts in capsules at high daily doses, and the assessment that raised it concluded there is generally no risk from green tea infusions. A teabag is an infusion. If you also take a green tea extract capsule, that is a different conversation and worth having with us.
What We Are Permitted to Tell You
No health claim for ginseng, green tea or guarana is authorised, and every botanical claim submitted in Europe remains on hold. So nobody may promise you energy, stamina, focus or endurance from a teabag, and we hold back from saying it.
What we can give you is the two caffeine sources, the published daily figures to count against, the liquorice and its four-week limit, the groups who should leave it alone, the medicines to mention, the iron point, the honest position on green tea and the liver, and the tiredness that deserves a blood test. A cup of ginseng tea in a hard week is a perfectly reasonable thing to want. For a hard year, come and see us instead. For the evening, our chamomile and valerian tea is the opposite of this one and carries no caffeine at all.
Is This Ginseng Tea Right for You?
Please talk to our pharmacist or our doctor before you buy if any of these apply to you.
- Anyone under eighteen, pregnant or breastfeeding. Two caffeine sources with no declared amount, and ginseng is not recommended in any of those cases.
- High blood pressure, palpitations, an irregular heartbeat or anxiety. Caffeine makes each more noticeable and the liquorice may work against a blood pressure tablet. Ask us for a caffeine-free blend.
- Warfarin, a diabetes medicine, a blood pressure medicine, a water tablet or any liquorice product already in the house. Both the ginseng and the liquorice want checking against your list.
- Anaemia or iron tablets. Green tea reduces iron absorption. Drink it between meals and keep it an hour clear of the tablet.
- Tiredness lasting more than a few weeks, breathlessness, pallor, heavy periods, weight loss or night sweats. Please see our doctor for a blood test rather than buying tea.
Where to Buy Nutra Boost in Kenya
Order online and we deliver countrywide, or collect from our pharmacy at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. We send orders to Nairobi and every neighbourhood around it — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Rosslyn, Kitisuru, Lower Kabete, Lavington, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Buruburu, Donholm, Embakasi, Ngong Road, Kasarani, Roysambu, Zimmerman, Githurai, Ruaka, Banana Hill, Two Rivers, Village Market and Pride Lands — and across Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru and Ngong.
Beyond the capital we deliver to Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Athi River, Kitengela, Kajiado, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Bomet, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Vihiga, Webuye, Kitale, Nandi Hills, Iten, Kapenguria, Embu, Meru, Chuka, Kerugoya, Murang’a, Othaya, Nyahururu, Nanyuki, Maralal, Isiolo, Marsabit, Moyale, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Mwingi, Makueni, Emali, Kibwezi, Voi, Taveta, Wundanyi, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi, Lamu and Hola. At one to two cups a day a pack runs for a known length of time, so tell us the pack size you want and we will work out how many months that covers before you order.
Across Africa, ask us before you order. We have sent orders to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and as far as Malawi, and we will quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of the continent. Tell us the destination and we will confirm any import paperwork before the parcel leaves us.
Living abroad? Order from wherever you are and we deliver to your family here in Kenya. Kenyans in the UK, the United States, Canada, South Africa and the Gulf order from us regularly for parents and relatives at home. A herbal tea like this one taken steadily month after month does far more than a single pack, so tell us who it is for and how many months you want covered and we will set up the repeat.
Why Buy Your Nutra Boost from HealthAlone Kenya?
HealthAlone is a pharmacist-led health ecosystem licensed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, and our stock is original, sealed and correctly stored. Kahawa Sukari is a real counter with real pharmacists behind it.
Our pharmacists will count two caffeine sources against the published daily figures before selling you a stimulant tea, and send months of tiredness for a blood test instead of a second box. Our doctor is here too if you would rather have the whole question looked at properly.
It is one more step in our vision: building Africa’s most trusted health ecosystem, accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Nutra Boost Tea: Your Questions Answered
What is in this ginseng tea?
Green tea at 30% and ginseng at 20%, with guarana, liquorice, ashwagandha, rhodiola, gotu kola, astragalus and mace. Twenty bags to a box.
How many cups a day?
One to two, and keep them to the earlier part of the day. Count your coffee and cola alongside them rather than on top.
Does it contain caffeine?
Yes, from two sources. Green tea carries caffeine and guarana seed carries more of it by weight than coffee beans do.
How much caffeine is in a cup?
No amount is declared for this blend, so please ask our pharmacist. The published guidance for healthy adults is up to 200 milligrams in one go and up to 400 milligrams across a day from all sources.
Can I drink it in pregnancy?
Please ask us for something else. The caffeine figure in pregnancy and breastfeeding is 200 milligrams a day, half the adult one, and ginseng is not recommended at either stage.
Can my teenager drink it before exams?
No. The cautious level for children and adolescents is 3 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight, no amount is declared here, and ginseng is not recommended under eighteen.
I have high blood pressure. Is it suitable?
Come and talk to our pharmacist first, and the same goes for palpitations, an irregular heartbeat or anxiety. Caffeine makes all of them more noticeable, and the liquorice in here may work against a blood pressure tablet.
I take warfarin. Does that matter?
Yes, worth checking with us, along with diabetes and blood pressure medicines. Ginseng wants looking at against your list.
How long can I drink it for?
Four weeks at most, because of the liquorice, and ginseng’s traditional use is for temporary tiredness anyway. Think of a hard fortnight rather than a habit.
There is liquorice in it. Does that matter?
It does. Liquorice is not recommended in high blood pressure, or in kidney, liver or cardiovascular disorders, or in pregnancy, breastfeeding or under eighteen, and you should not take two liquorice products at once. Bring any you already have to our pharmacist.
I have been tired for months. Will this help?
Please come and see our doctor instead. Months of tiredness has a short list of findable causes, including anaemia, a thyroid problem, diabetes, an untreated infection and low mood, and each is found with a simple blood test.
When should I see a doctor rather than buy tea?
Tiredness lasting more than a few weeks, breathlessness, looking pale, heavy periods, weight loss without trying, night sweats, or mornings being the hardest part of the day.
Can I drink it with my iron tablets?
Keep it an hour clear of the tablet and drink it between meals, because green tea reduces iron absorption. Our pharmacist will space things for you.
Where can I buy Nutra Boost Tea 20’s in Kenya, and what does it cost?
From HealthAlone, online for delivery countrywide or over the counter at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. The current price is shown above. We deliver across Nairobi — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Kitisuru, Lavington, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Kasarani, Roysambu, Githurai, Ruaka and Banana Hill — and to Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru, Ngong, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Kitengela, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Kitale, Embu, Meru, Nanyuki, Nyahururu, Isiolo, Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Makueni, Voi, Taveta, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi and Lamu. Outside Kenya we have delivered to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and Malawi, and we quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of Africa on request. Tell us how long you have been tired when you order, because past a few weeks we would rather test than sell.
