The 7 Best Teas To Reduce Inflammation, According To Nutritionists

@k.ard Medicine Ball for only $1.69 each! #medicineball#fluseason#coldseason#starbucksdupe#budgettok#SephoraConcealers#DrPepperTuitionContest#halloween#fall2022♬ Halloween - KenZie DarkStar

TikTok always makes recipes look effortless. So, I took this trusty tutorial into our own hands to compare how good an at-home Medicine Ball could really be against the real one from Starbucks.

Ingredients for the Starbucks Medicine Ball Drink

• Teavana Peach Tranquility Tea Bags
• Teavana Jade Citrus Mint Tea Bags
• Honey
• Lemonade

How can I make a Medicine Ball at home?

1. Heat 1 cup of lemonade in the microwave for 45 seconds to a minute.
2. Add 1 cup of hot water and stir in 1 tablespoon honey.
3. Add one bag of Peach Tranquility and one bag of Jade Citrus Mint, then steep for a few minutes.
4. Enjoy your Medicine Ball!

How I Made The Starbucks Medicine Ball At Home

First, I embarked on an ever-iconic Target run to gather my copycat Starbucks Medicine Ball recipe ingredients. Since they were out of the exact Teavana teas I needed to replicate the TikTok recipe, I picked up two similar ones: first, the Good & Gather Organic Peach Honey Tea, and the Good & Gather Organic Mint Tea. I also picked up a jug of lemonade, and planned to use the honey I already had at home. All together, the three ingredients I needed ended up costing me about $9.50.

Step 1: Heat Lemonade

I measured a cup of lemonade, and just popped my Starbucks mug in the microwave for a minute.

Step 2: Add Water and Honey

While the lemonade was in the microwave, I set some water on in my electric kettle. Once both liquids were heated up, I measured a cup of water and combined it in the mug with a tablespoon of honey. Yum!

Step 3: Steep Tea Bags

Then, I put the two teabags in the mixture to steep. The tea wasn't overly hot either, and I steeped them for about 3 minutes before giving my homemade Medicine Ball recipe a lil' sip.

Is the homemade version of the Medicine Ball as good as the one from Starbucks?

To my surprise, my homemade Medicine Ball recipe was extremely delicious, and it mimicked the Starbucks one so closely. Before tasting, I gave my tea a sniff, and the smell was pretty much identical to the drink made in stores. The flavor hit the exact same mark.

Overall, I rate my homemade Starbucks Medicine Ball a 4.7/5.

The only detracting factors are the temperature of the drink – Starbucks steams their lemonade to make the drink super hot, and mine wasn't nearly as piping. Of course, this is just personal preference, and next time, I can heat the lemonade for a longer duration, or reheat the drink altogether. Another reason for the minimal point deduction is the drink wasn't as sweet as I expected it to be. Again, this is a personal preference, and you can add as little or as much sweetener you desire!

All of this goes to say, that a homemade Starbucks Medicine Ball is just as yummy as the one you can get at a Starbucks cafe. By following the steps above, you can make a copycat recipe that's going to satisfy your hankering for a citrusy, hot tea!

Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Extra

To start my grand experiment, I dove in with a tea whose name makes it sound like the king of sleep aids: Sleepytime Extra. Celestial Seasonings makes a variety of “Sleepytime” teas, including Sleepytime Classic, Sleepytime Honey, and Sleepytime Lavender, but I wanted the top-of-the-line stuff. (Not. Messing. Around.) According to the packaging, what makes this tea “extra” is its content of valerian, an herb known for promoting sleep.

Shortly before bed, I busted out the teddy-bear-adorned box and brewed a cup. As I sipped, I was struck by its surprisingly bitter taste. Having tried products with valerian in them before, I’m familiar with the telltale flavor of this herb, but in this tea, it overpowered any other taste. Still, I finished my whole mug and turned in to bed.

Unfortunately, even after the Sleepytime Extra, I still had trouble falling asleep. Once I did nod off, I didn’t experience any nighttime waking, but come morning, I felt unusually groggy and found getting out of bed extra tough. (No, it was not a Monday.) Apparently, this sluggishness is not uncommon after ingesting valerian. But since my goal is better sleep without side effects, Sleepytime Extra was not my fave.

Lipton Bedtime Bliss

After my first tea’s less-than-delicious taste, I hoped my next night would bring a more appealing flavor. In this respect, Lipton’s Bedtime Bliss did not disappoint. With a citrusy, minty zing, it tasted like a tea I might choose to drink any time, not just to combat insomnia. I had no trouble finishing it as I unwound with some sitcom reruns. The only question now was whether it would live up to its marketing catchphrase and send me to sleep “like a lullaby in a cup.”

I headed to bed to find out. Like Sleepytime Extra, Bedtime Bliss didn’t seem to help me sleep any faster than normal, but once sleep came, it lasted until morning — and this time without any valerian “hangover.” Final verdict: A tasty tea, and possibly helpful for keeping me asleep, but not powerful.

Yogi Soothing Caramel Bedtime

Time for tea number three. Though I adore a good caramel cookie or macchiato, I suspected a caramel flavor might taste unnaturally sweet in a bedtime tea. When I brewed a cup of Yogi Soothing Caramel Bedtime, though, I discovered that the caramel flavor was quite pleasing — sweet enough not to need honey or sugar, but not at all cloying.

With its impressive list of ingredients, including California poppy plant, l-theanine suntheanine, and a blend of other herbs, I wondered if this tea would be the one to get sugarplums dancing in my head. And finally, my dreams were realized! I could hardly keep my eyes open as I tried to read before bed, I slept soundly all night, and I woke feeling refreshed. It turns out that the California poppy is known for its sedative effects for both insomnia and anxiety — good to know!

Bigelow Benefits Sleep

Last on my list of sleep teas was Bigelow’s chamomile and lavender blend, named simply (and aptly) “Sleep.” A basic herbal blend, this one tasted to me like any standard soothing chamomile. Sipping it pre-bedtime, I definitely felt calm — but not necessarily sleepy. I got into bed and waited for sleep to come… and waited… and waited. To be honest, it was a rough night of the usual insomnia, with fitful waking and mostly surface-level, rather than deep, sleep.

Tellingly, Bigelow’s “Sleep” doesn’t provide a Supplement Facts panel on its packaging, leading me to believe that its benefits are less clinical-grade than some other teas. For my money, this one may have induced some relaxation, but not necessarily sleep.

The Verdict

While Yogi Soothing Caramel Bedtime gets my vote for the most effective (and tastiest) of the teas I tried, everyone responds a little differently to the ingredients in dietary supplements. This holiday season — or any time you experience acute insomnia — try some experimenting of your own to see if a sleep-promoting tea works for you.

2014

Apparently Jason and Kylie Kelce were one of the lucky few who found true love on Tinder because that's how their relationship began (via PEOPLE). The news was shared in the documentary Kelce on Amazon Prime and featured Kylie saying, "Jason won't let me lie about this. We met on Tinder."

Funny enough, she didn't know Jason was a football player until she and her friends said, "Hold my mule" so they could do some deep diving about his background. It didn't take long for the dots to connect even though Kylie didn't want to believe what she was seeing. "It can't be him; it's a catfish."

When they finally met up for the first date, Jason remembers falling for her instantly. "Right away when she walks in the door, the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." However, he revealed a date fail occurred on his part during an episode of New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce. He said he "definitely fell asleep" because he "got a little too inebriated."

Luckily, Kylie didn't think he was a complete loser for turning their first date into a snooze fest.

November 2015

The following year, Kylie shared a cute black and white photo of the couple with the caption, "Thank goodness you swiped right too."

August 2017

The couple continued to date until Jason decided it was time to put a ring on Kylie's finger. She shared another pic of them standing together on Instagram August 7, 2017 where it was clear she was wearing an engagement ring. She wrote, "I'm the luckiest girl in the world 😍." A quick scroll through the comments shows plenty of congratulatory comments which we love to see!

Last year, Jason admitted the way he proposed wasn't something out of a fairytale on his and Travis' New Heights podcast. Not wanting to ruin his plan to surprise her with a proposal, Jason came up with an odd reason to walk back into her parents' house to ask for their permission.

"I couldn’t figure out how to inconspicuously go back into the house…So when we got in the car I said ‘Ky, I’m sorry, I have to take a s–t right now,'" he remembered saying. However, he made her suspicious because his poop sessions don't happen that quickly. She said, "And then he said, ‘This is not the most romantic way to do this, but can you get out of the truck?’ So sweet."

February 2018

When the Eagles beat the New England Patriots in 2018's Super Bowl game, Kylie was there to support her fiancé Jason Kelce (via Page Six). She posted a celebratory photo of them standing on the football field and it was clear they were both ecstatic about the victory.

April 2018

According to this photo, Jason & Kylie Kelce got married April 15, 2018. A year later, she posted a few more BTS photos of their big day and it was clear they had a gorgeous outdoor wedding. She wore a pretty A-line dress and chic veil while looked handsome in a tailored suit.

October 2019

In 2019, they welcomed their first daughter, Wyatt Elizabeth Kelce October 2, 2019. Jason posted a cute picture of Kylie holding baby Wyatt and wrote, "Chunked up the Deuces on her way out," as part of his caption.

March 2021

Their middle daughter Eliotte Ray Kelce was born a couple of years later in 2021. Kylie posted the sweetest photo of her on Instagram, making sure to note, "Elliotte Ray Kelce has arrived. 🥰 🎀" Little one had the chubbiest cheeks that we're sure Jason & Kylie couldn't stop kissing.

February 2023

And just last year, their third daughter arrived before spring! Kylie also posted her cute baby face on Instagram with the caption, "Yesterday little lady #3 joined us. Bennett Llewellyn Kelce. 8lbs. 5oz. and 21inches long."

March 2024

Earlier this year, Jason Kelce decided to retire from the NFL and had the loving support of Kylie (via Page Six). He'd spent 13 years playing for the Eagles so, naturally, it was an emotional time for the former athlete. First his thanked his younger brother Travis by saying, "There is no chance I would be here without the bond Travis and I share...We did almost everything together — competed, fought, laughed, cried and learned from each other. We invented games, imagine ourselves as star players of that time."

He apparently took the moment after that to reminisce about the funny first date he had with Kylie and how it's led to the family they have now.

November 2024

All of that has led to this moment: Jason and Kylie Kelce's family is growing! Kylie announced that she's pregnant, and they're expecting baby no. 4 and couldn't be more thrilled to add a sixth member to their household! We can't wait to learn more news about the new "little lady" that'll be joining them!