5 Ways Tequila Can Become Your BFF

For some, tequila brings back the worst spring break memories (or lack thereof) and while known for its super powerful liquid courage and killer hangovers, it also has great health benefits and hence, can become your best friend forever. Now, one must approach tequila like the sea: you might love it, but you have to treat it with respect. The first and most important thing to check is that the label says 100 percent agave. One would think all tequilas are made like that but some in the US have as low as 49 percent of the plant, so watch out! Of course you know that to enjoy any health benefit from an alcoholic drink such as beer or wine, moderation is key. Now on to the good part:

1. Sit back and relaaax: Tequila aids relaxation, therefore can help reduce stress-related headaches and ease us into a sounder sleep (by which we don’t mean passing out drunk.)

2. Bon appetite! We won’t call “stimulating appetite” a benefit because who needs to be hungrier and eat more? Not me. But experts say tequila can also act as a very effective digestive aid for which, having a small amount after a large dinner is a great idea.

3. Cold, cold, go away: We all know lime juice has lots of vitamin C and that lime and tequila go hand in hand, but what we probably didn’t know is that a tequila concoction was prescribed by doctors in the 1930s to cure colds and flu. Agave can soothe soar throats and even kill bacteria.

4. Colon cure: Researchers at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico said they’ve struggled to find ways to transport medication to the colon without being destroyed by the stomach first; enter blue agave! Tequila can actually be a helpful source to deliver those drugs to the colon in order to treat colitis, IBS, Crohn's disease, and even cancer.

5. Blood sugar: Experiments conducted in the Polytechnic Institute of Guanajuato in Mexico showed that agave has a sugar called agavins which has a good source of dietary fiber that can keep your blood sugar down. Now, when the plant is distilled to make tequila it loses most of the agavins; quick fix? Sweeten your margarita with agave nectar!

Bonus: In some years, tequila might just become our best environmental friend forever as scientists have conducted tests that resulted in calling tequila “the next bio-fuel.” This means we could very well one day be pumping tequila instead of gas into our cars. So remember, drink good tequila in sensible amounts and you're golden!