In General

A flurry of discoveries about tea's health benefits, plus renewed appreciation of its ancient heritage, has pushed tea to the fore. Its antioxidants appear to lower cholesterol levels, improve cardiovascular health and help guard against some cancers. And some experts believe its flavenoids may inhibit the growth of plaque on teeth. Tea's active ingredients are caffeine in combination with the tannin that gives it its pungency and much of its aroma and flavor which essential oils also enhance!. The "ew #or$ Academy of %edicine held a symposium on &'harmacological and 'hysiological (ffects of Tea& in )*++ and found that, for reasons they could not explain, tea, unli$e coffee, does not cause nervousness, insomnia, or stomach irritation when drun$ in quantity. The scientists' tests showed a cup of tea gives both an immediate and a delayed lift without secondary depressing effects later on. They agreed tea is a good agent for relieving fatigue and aids clearness of thought and digestion ali$e.

The Tea ,ure

-or years, studies in ,hina and .apan have shown that the fol$lore about tea does contain some truth // it does promote longer life. .apanese smo$ers have only half the lung cancer rate as American smo$ers. In areas of .apan where the most tea is drun$, the rate of stomach cancer is the lowest. In a study of 0,111 .apanese women, those who dran$ + cups or more of green tea per day cut their ris$ of stro$es by +1 percent. &2rin$ing tea with meals in .apan and ,hina,& says a cancer researcher at the 3niversity of 4ritish ,olumbia, &is thought to be a ma5or reason for low cancer rates in these countries.& 6ong/term consumption of blac$ tea // the $ind that most Americans and (uropeans drin$ // and of other foods such as apples containing chemicals called flavonoids was associated with a much lower ris$ of stro$e in a study of ++7 2utch men. -lavonoids are natural vitaminli$e compounds. They ma$e blood cells called platelets less prone to clotting, and act as antioxidants, countering the artery/damaging potential of highly reactive free radical chemicals. In the study, men with a high flavonoid inta$e had a 89 percent lower ris$ of stro$e during )+ years of follow/up, compared with men with a low inta$e of flavonoids. The men in the study got about 81 percent of their flavonoids from drin$ing blac$ tea. %en who dran$ more than :.8 cups of tea a day had a 0* percent reduced ris$ of stro$e compared with men who dran$ less than 7.0 cups a day, said the researchers of the "ational Institute of 'ublic ;ealth and (nvironmental 'rotection in 4ilthoven, the "etherlands. Tea also helps prevent tooth decay in several ways. It contains a solid dose of fluoride and wor$s better than the antibiotic tetracycline. According to researchers at the To$yo 2ental ,ollege, it fights the $inds of bacteria in the mouth that cause gum disease and the eventual loss of the teeth. It also $ills the greatest cavity/causing bacteria in the mouth, Streptococcus mutans.

In addition, researchers in Australia announced that a cup of tea could be the next weapon in the fight against s$in cancer. A study by the ,ommonwealth <cientific and Industrial =esearch >rgani?ation revealed that mice made to sip blac$ tea suffered +: percent fewer cancers than those that dran$ water. 4oth sets of test animals were exposed to levels of ultraviolet rays that an average Australian receives. (arlier studies on blac$ tea have shown that it can be effective against some forms of cancer and may even prevent heart and liver disease. 'roperties in green and blac$ tea called antioxidants are thought to be active agents against s$in cancer. In the past )1 to )+ years, a growing body of research has shown that foods and vitamins with a strong anti/ oxidant effect may reduce the ris$ of many diseases, including cancer and aging. ;uman trials using blac$ tea as a preventative against s$in cancer began in Australia in )**8.

Pu-Erh Tea

Pu-erh tea pronounced &'>>/air&!, from #unnan province in ,hina, has long been considered a special delicacy and an indispensable part of daily health care. %any give this remar$able tea credit for restoring and maintaining good health. Generations of ,hinese have drun$ this tea after rich meals to &cut the grease.& In the )*81's ,hinese doctors in @unming reported clinical experiments in which drin$ing pu-erh was shown to lower cholesterol levels in the blood stream. -rench researchers at <t. Antoine ;ospital in 'aris duplicated these results and found that three cups of pu-erh a day for a month brought lipids down 7+ percent in 71 hyperlipidemia patients, while those on other teas showed no change. These tests showed pu-erh performed at least as well as clofibrate, the most advanced medicine for the purpose, without the drug's side effects. It has since been shown to help reduce body weight by increasing the metabolism. %any report that drin$ing it after meals relieves any overstuffed feelings and aids digestion. The ,hinese claim that pu-erh also can lower blood alcohol after drin$ing, prevent dysentery, and stimulate secretions from the spleen and other organs.

Iced Teas

Iced tea wor$s as well as hot tea in bestowing health benefits. An American invention and very rare in the rest of the world, A1 percent of the tea drun$ in America is iced. @eemun is one of ;oly %ountain's teas that wor$s well over ice.

;erbal Teas

=esearch has shown that green tea may contain cancer/fighting agents, and certain herbal teas claim to combat or soothe many maladies. ;erbal teas, called tisanes, technically are not teas at all, but infusions of various herbs, flowers and spices instead of Camellia sinensis leaves. %any herbal teas use catchy names and pac$aging to enhance their appeal. Among them areB Allergy <eason Tea by The #ogi Tea ,o., ;erbal Throat Tea by ,elestial <easonings, <teady <tomach by ;erbal ,omfort, and '%< Tea by Traditional %edicinals. As with anything, herbal teas should be consumed in moderation.