Rosemary is supposed to promote alertness. Rosemary and peppermint combined makes a nice tea, too.

I have to avoid tea and coffee because of reflux. Instead I drink yerba mate. Matteine (one of its constituents) is a stimulant like caffeine, and the plant is reported to have more anti-oxidents than green tea.
Avoid peppermint if you have any stomach-acid problems.

I second the vote for Yerba mate. You can get it at any natural food store. As far as the caffeine in tea, the green has about 30mg in 8 oz., black has 50mg. Coffee is listed at 135.
Ginseng is also a stimulant, although mellower than some.
Good luck, Lynn

thanks, yes rosmarinus could be good
yerba mate has caffeine too (matteine is a xanthine too, although milder) could be only if I discard the first serve to dimisnish caffeine I think

Bummer about the caffeine in mate'. I wasn't even thinking about that. How about Chicory? Don't know if it's a stimulant, but is a good substitute for coffee with no caffeine in it. Chicory also offers extra health benefits that you wouldn't normally get from your cup of coffee. It is reported to help cleanse the blood and improve the health of your liver.
Cheers! Lynn

Yerba Mate is a marvelous herbal tea, although it contains matiene, which has the same molecular structure as caffeine, it has none of the negative side effects. In fact it is approved for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who do not drink coffee or tea due to the caffeine!
I am disabled, and had a radical masectomy due to cancer, the Yerba Mate is the only thing that gave me strength during the radiation therapy, wish I had known about it during chemo-therapy.
There is an adjustment to the flavor, which is much like dried (not moldy) grass, but after only a couple of days, there comes a craving for the natural flavor of this herb. These leaves provide most all of the vitamins and minerals the body needs, everyone should give it a try; I especially like Taragui, Yerba Mate elaborada con palo from Las Maria's in Argentina. It is one of the few that really give my body the nutrition it so badly needs.
A video on the farming of their products, which can be ordered from many websites, is at www.lasmarias.us and is informative and interesting.

Yerba mate tea is not the answer for the original poster who needed to avoid caffeine. This herb does contain caffeine - more than twice as much caffeine as found in a typical cup of regular tea, and potentially as much as in a cup of coffee. According to one herbal reference:

"In recent U.S. campaigns, yerba mate marketers claim that yerba mate contains no caffeine - rather, a chemical similar to caffeine called mateine. Mateine, they say, possesses all the benefits of caffeine and none of its negative effects (or so they would have consumers believe). Fact: yerba mate does contain caffeine. It has been chemically and scientifically identified, documented, verified, and validated to contain caffeine for many years by independent chemists and scientists around the world ("independent" being the operative term here)."

http://www.rain-tree.com/yerbamate.htm

This is not to say that yerba mate tea doesn't have valid uses. But it does contain caffeine and other pharmacologically active substances (like theophylline, which has been used in prescription drugs), and like coffee, yerba mate tea can cause problems, especially when large amounts are consumed.

Hi guys, for me I think tea is better than coffee. many types of healthy teas. some tea cures illness and even can lose weight. Before I am Coffeeholic, it contain caffeine than made me sleepless at night, and made my palpitation faster. I would like to recommend tea rather than coffee.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chinese slimming tea review

Chicory is added to some coffee to take of the "edge" that caffeine causes. I believe it is considered to be more of a relaxant than stimulant.

In reply to DOES YERBA NATE CONTAIN CAFFEINE, http://guayaki.com/faq.html#171 says:

DOES YERBA MATE CONTAIN CAFFEINE?

There are currently two schools of thought regarding the stimulant in yerba mate. Recent scientific research suggests that the stimulant in yerba mate is caffeine; however, caffeine-sensitive individuals do not experience the harsh side effects (jitters, stomach upset, headaches, addiction) that are common complaints with coffee, black tea, or Asian green tea.

Here is a link that might be useful: Yerba Mate FAQS

I just tried Yerba Mate Tea. I have reflux, too. I would avoid it. It may have less caffeine than coffee but it isn't for me. I trying Rhodiola Rosea next.

kkruecke:

I'm a professional herbalist in Arizona. When I hear someone talk about reflux (assuming you're talking about acid reflux), I get a picture of internal conditions that cause parallel symptoms. May I ask you some questions?

Do you feel a need to eat several times per day in order to satisfy hunger pains?
Do you feel the need to drink lots of water? An excessive thirst for liquids?
Are you a worrier?
Do you dream a lot?
These are all symptoms of Yin deficiency which means the mucous membranes are too dry. I make a tonic that remedies this condition within 1-3 days.
Just curious.
theherbalist