User:JoelStickler

In the old times, European explorers came to China looking for teas, spices and silk.uptontea.com Now, some myths about tea still remain in the Western world. For all practical purposes, tea is just a cup of water with something dissolved to make a different taste, or a different effect. There are basically two categories: herbal and common teas. What's the difference between them? Herbal tea tastes yucky and serves as medicine. It is made from brewing raw medicinal herbs in a pot for some time. The result is a brown or black solution, never green. The Chinese drink common tea for pleasure because of the good flavors. It is made by just pouring boiling water over the processed tea leaves or bag you put in a cup. Over a hundred varieties exist with different smells and tastes.


The great majority is brown or black in color. Some are green or reddish. It is available in the supermarket or restaurant. For the expensive and exquisite varieties, you can only buy them in a special Chinese teashop. Depending on the uniqueness of taste, the price ranges from a few dollars a kilogram to hundreds of dollars. Most Chinese drink the inexpensive varieties at home or in the restaurant. Some favorites are: Jasmine, Chrysanthemum, Po Li, even the English brand Lipton. Is common tea good for health? You may say so because it is flavored water and water is good for health.


Also, the taste makes you feel good so it must be good for your health. How about green tea? The same logic applies. Strictly speaking, it is not a medicinal herb and is not documented in the herbal dictionary. Businessmen advertise many good things about green tea. Many people want to believe in its magic. Some medicinal herbs that have a sweet taste and easily soften in hot water are also used at home or in the restaurant. Examples are Gou Qi Zi and Chrysanthemum. However, their health effects are limited because they are not strong enough when being used singly. If not diluted, it can help ease digestion. Try it after you've had a heavy meal.


It also helps dissolve some fat in the food. The Cantonese must drink it with Dim Sum, a tasty, colorful, but oily food. Wash your fingers with it after you've eaten crabs. It helps getting rid of the fishy smell from your fingers. If you drink it everyday like you drink water, it will have a good cleansing effect on your digestive system. It may help you lose some weight, too. The Chinese like to talk about the different flavors of common tea. Their interest is not in the health effect which is not clear and scanty. However, when a foreigner is around and asks about the health effects, the Chinese are always prepared to entertain the foreigner with the myths of their ancient culture, tea being one of them.


But as time passed, the drink was more widely spread among the people of China and Japan. It was introduced into the US by Europeans involved in the tea trade from Asia. And grew rapidly in popularity, making tea a very important part of the trade market in the new world. Green tea has only one side effect, due to its amount of caffeine; however, green leaf tea actually contains less caffeine than some other teas and coffees. But some people are sensitive to caffeine, and may experience insomnia, or other side effects involved in excess of caffeine. But the amount you drink is sometimes a question for scientists. A study by the Saitama Cancer Research Institute in Japan, discovered that there were fewer cases of breast cancer in woman who drank five or more cups daily. Another study discovered that drinking at least four cups a day, can help prevent some types of arthritis, and can also reduce the symptoms in patience who already have arthritis. Some people might say that green tea is a natural healer, but further research is still needed to prove the point!


For more than thirty years, Western researchers have known that the occurrence of solid tumor cancers is far less in countries where populations consume large amounts of green tea. Cultures that are endowed with a long tea tradition have much to contribute to individual and global health. However, this applies only to green tea. Regular black tea, presently very popular almost everywhere, has not much to do with real tea. Real tea is derived from the tea plant Thea sinensis or Thea asoncica, not to be confused with herb teas such as peppermint, chamomile or fennel. Both black and green teas originate from the same tea plant, but their methods of processing are different.


The breaking of the leaves of the plants and exposing them to the oxygen of the air produces black tea. The resulting natural fermentation process destroys the most important biological ingredients of the tea - the tannins. By contrast, during the production of green tea, the leaves are stabilized through exposure to both humid and dry heat. This eliminates fermentation-producing enzymes and safeguards the nutrients. Due to fermentation, black tea assumes drug-like qualities. Since tannins and other important nutrients are no longer present in the tea, its caffeine appears in free and unbound form. The stimulating effect of the quickly released caffeine causes the addictive effect of black tea.


It triggers a 'fight or flight' response in the body. Since the body treats the ingested caffeine as a nerve toxin, the adrenal glands naturally respond by secreting the antidote adrenaline. This defense response by the body has a stimulating and enlivening effect. However, as the effects of the caffeine and adrenaline diminish, the body starts feeling tired and may end up exhausted. Green tea works in a different way. The large amounts of tannins in green tea make certain that the caffeine is taken to the brain in only small and well-dosed amounts, which actually harmonizes the energies in the body.


Unlike black tea, the original green version of the tea makes the body's own energy-use more efficient. This helps the consumer of green tea improve his vitality and stamina without having to experience the 'up and down' effect so often accompanied with the consumption of black tea. The value of tannin has been studied for centuries all over the world. Besides its ability to bind caffeine, it also has healing properties. Green tea is particularly helpful with intestinal disorders and high blood pressure. Since green tea is highly alkaline it naturally helps combat hyperacidity.topteagarden.com People who drink green tea also suffer less from arteriosclerosis. It also keeps the blood thin and prevents coronary heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.


Furthermore, researchers from the University of Osaka, Japan, have been able to prove that green tea kills microbes responsible for cholera and tooth decay; it also destroys salmonella germs before they even have the chance to enter the stomach. A substance called 'EGCG' has been found to retard tumor growth. The Botikin Hospital in Moscow reported that green tea is more effective against infection than antibiotics, without producing any harmful side effects. The best green tea comes from the Shizuoka area in Japan; it grows organically and has no additives. People living in this area have a much lower cancer rate than those living in other areas of Japan. A reliable brand is Sencha sold by Kurimoto Trading Co., Japan.


With over 130 ingredients, it is the richest of all green teas. Other brands are Ocha or Bancha; you should be able to find at least one of them at a good health food store. Note: The effectiveness of green tea depends on how you prepare it. Take 1½ teaspoons of green tea for 2 cups of tea. Bring water to a boil and turn the heat off. Put the tea into a pot and pour the boiled water over the tea as soon as the water has stopped bubbling. After no longer than 35-45 seconds, pour the tea through a sieve into a teapot, otherwise the tea loses much of its effectiveness.


You may use the same leaves a second time by applying the same procedure. Does Green Tea Contain Toxins? Some web sites on the Internet claim that tea is very high in fluoride content. Fluoride in tea is supposedly much higher than the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) set for fluoride in drinking water.uptontea.com Another site confirms that information, adding that the typical cup of tea exceeds one milligram of fluoride, which is well over the recommended amount for fluoridated drinking water. On yet another site, it says that fluorine and its compounds in food are entirely different from chemically-produced sodium fluoride.


theteasmith.comMy blog post :: premium-chinese-tea