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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.
Studies have linked a wide range of health benefits to green
tea including lowering the risk of certain cancers and heart disease as well as weight loss and protection against Alzheimers.
One way to measure the strength of an antioxidant is by its Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity or ORAC value.
The ORAC value is a measure of the capacity of the product to subdue free radicals that damage cells. Green tea has
a very high ORAC value, outranking blueberries and more than two times as powerful as pomegranates.
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 New York Academy of Medicine held a symposium on
"Pharmacological and Physiological Effects of Tea" in 1955 and found that,
for reasons they could not explain, tea, unlike coffee, does not cause
nervousness, insomnia, or stomach irritation when drunk 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 alike.
The Tea Cure
For years, studies in China
and Japan have shown that the folklore about tea does contain some truth --
it does promote longer life. Japanese smokers have only half the lung cancer
rate as American smokers. In areas of Japan where the most tea is drunk, the
rate of stomach cancer is the lowest. In a study of 6,000 Japanese women,
those who drank 5 cups or more of green tea
per day cut their risk of strokes by 50 percent. "Drinking tea with meals in
Japan and China," says a cancer researcher at the University of British
Columbia, "is thought to be a major reason for low cancer rates in these
countries."
Long-term consumption of
black tea -- the kind that most Americans
and Europeans drink -- and of other foods such as apples containing chemicals
called flavonoids was associated with a much lower risk of stroke in a study
of 552 Dutch men. Flavonoids are natural vitaminlike compounds. They make
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 intake had a 73 percent lower risk of stroke during 15 years of
follow-up, compared with men with a low intake of flavonoids. The men in the
study got about 70 percent of their flavonoids from drinking black tea.
Men who drank more than 4.7
cups of tea a day had a 69 percent reduced risk of stroke compared with men
who drank less than 2.6 cups a day, said the researchers of the National
Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection in Bilthoven, the
Netherlands.
Tea also helps prevent tooth
decay in several ways. It contains a solid dose of fluoride and works better
than the antibiotic tetracycline. According to researchers at the Tokyo
Dental College, it fights the kinds of bacteria in the mouth that cause
gum disease and the eventual loss of the teeth. It also kills 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 skin cancer. A study by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organization revealed that mice made to sip black tea suffered 54
percent fewer cancers than those that drank water. Both sets of test animals
were exposed to levels of ultraviolet rays that an average Australian
receives.
Earlier studies on black tea
have shown that it can be effective against some forms of cancer and may
even prevent heart and liver disease. Properties in green and black tea
called antioxidants are thought to be active agents against skin cancer.
In the past 10 to 15 years, a growing body of research has shown that foods
and vitamins with a strong anti-oxidant effect may reduce the risk of many
diseases, including cancer and aging.
Human trials using black tea
as a preventative against skin cancer began in Australia in 1997.
Pu-Erh Tea
Pu-erh tea (pronounced POO-air), from Yunnan
province in China, has long been considered a special delicacy and an
indispensable part of daily health care. Many give this remarkable tea
credit for restoring and maintaining good health. Generations of Chinese
have drunk this tea after rich meals to "cut the grease." In the 1970's
Chinese doctors in Kunming reported clinical experiments in which drinking
pu-erh was shown to lower cholesterol levels in the blood stream.
French researchers at St. Antoine Hospital in Paris duplicated these results
and found that three cups of pu-erh a day for a month brought lipids
down 25 percent in 20 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.
Many report that drinking it after meals relieves any overstuffed feelings
and aids digestion. The Chinese claim that pu-erh also can lower
blood alcohol after drinking, prevent dysentery, and stimulate
secretions from the spleen and other organs.
Iced Teas
Iced
tea works as well as hot tea in bestowing health benefits. An American
invention and very rare in the rest of the world, 80 percent of the tea
drunk in America is iced. Keemun
is one of Holy Mountain's teas that works well over ice.
Herbal Teas
Research has shown that green
tea may contain cancer-fighting agents, and certain herbal teas claim to
combat or soothe many maladies.
Herbal teas, called tisanes, technically are
not teas at all, but infusions of various herbs, flowers and spices instead
of Camellia sinensis leaves. Many herbal
teas use catchy names and packaging to enhance their appeal. Among them are:
Allergy Season Tea by The Yogi Tea Co., Herbal Throat Tea by Celestial
Seasonings, Steady Stomach by Herbal Comfort, and PMS Tea by Traditional
Medicinals. As with anything, herbal teas should be consumed in moderation.
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