November is Tea Month

Tea has been around for a long time.  Legend has it that in 2737 B.C.E. the second emperor of China, Shen Nung, discovered it when tea leaves blew into his cup of hot water.  Tea was introduced to Japan around the same time Buddhism was. In Japan tea was rare and expensive, enjoyed mostly by high priests and the aristocracy.  During Yuan Dynasty 1206-1368, the Mongols took over China and for the first time tea became a commonplace beverage, never regaining its high social status.

Today, tea is the second most consumed beverage, behind water, in the entire world. 

Many people know of the health benefits of tea.  Zen Monks drink tea to promote concentration, and unlike coffee, which here at Amelia’s we do love, it doesn’t give you those jitters and cravings.  To get the most health benefits out of your teas, choose high-quality loose leaf teas.

Health Benefits of Drinking Tea

      Overall Health

·            Tea contains antioxidants. Antioxidants can help slow down aging and help your cells to regenerate and repair. Teas of all varieties contain high levels of antioxidant polyphenols that can help keep your body healthier and some studies suggest even ward of some cancers.

·            Tea has less caffeine than coffee. While there are some potential health benefits to consuming moderate amounts of caffeine, drinking loads of it is hard on your heart and other organs. Tea can provide the pick me up of coffee but without the high levels of caffeine making you less jittery and helping you get to sleep when you want.

       Mental Health

·            Tea can create a calmer but more alert state of mind. Studies have shown that the amino acid L-theanine found in the tea plant alters the attention networks in the brain and can have demonstrable effects on the brain waves. More simply, tea can help you relax and concentrate more fully on tasks.

·            Tea lowers the chance of having cognitive impairment. Research on Japanese adults who consumed at least 2 cups of green tea daily found that those individuals had cut their risk of cognitive impairment by half.

·            Tea lowers stress hormone levels. Black tea has been shown to reduce the effects of a stressful event. Participants in a study experienced a 20% drop in cortisol, a stress hormone, after drinking 4 cups of tea daily for one month.

·            Tea eases irritability, headaches, nervous tension and insomnia. Red tea, also known as rooibos, is an herbal tea that originated in Africa. It has been show to have many relaxing effects that help reduce a wide range of irritations and inflammations on the body.

·            Tea can cause a temporary increase in short term memory. Not feeling on your game today? Try drinking some tea. The caffeine it contains may give you the boost you need to improve your memory, at least for a few hours.

       Heart and Other Organs

·            Tea may reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. Tea helps to prevent the formation of dangerous blood clots which are very often the cause of heart attacks and strokes. Some studies have even found that black tea drinkers were at a 70 percent lower risk of having a fatal heart attack.

·            Tea protects your bones. You don’t have to put milk in your tea for it to help out your bones. Studies have shown that regular tea drinkers have stronger bones than those of non tea drinkers, even when other variables were adjusted for. Scientists have theorized it may be a benefit of the phytochemicals in tea.

·            Tea may protect against heart disease. While more studies are needed for conclusive evidence, it has been suggested that regular consumption of green and black tea leads to a significant reduction in the risk of heart disease related heart attacks.

·            Tea can help lower cholesterol.A recent study in China has shown that the combination of a low-fat diet and tea produced on average a 16% drop in bad cholesterol over 12 weeks when compared to a control group simply on a low-fat diet. If you’re struggling to get your cholesterol under control, try adding tea to your diet to see if it helps.

·            Tea can help lower blood pressure. Drinking only half a cup of green or oolong tea a day could reduce your risk of high blood pressure by up to 50% and those that drink more can even further reduce their risk, even if they have additional risk factors.

·            Tea aids in digestion. Tea has been used in China for thousands of years as an after-meal digestive aid and it can help you as well due to the high levels of tannins it contains.

·            Tea helps inhibit intestinal inflammation. The polyphenols in green tea have been shown to have an effect on the intestinal inflammation caused by conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome allowing sufferers more comfort from a natural remedy.

·            Tea can reduce stomach cramps. Properties of red tea cause it to acts as anti-spasmodic agent and allowing it to aid in the relief of stomach cramps or even colic in infants.

       Fitness and Appearance

·            Tea is calorie-free. Tea itself has no calories unless you choose to add sweeteners or milk.

·            Tea increases your metabolism. Is a slow metabolic rate keeping you from losing the weight you want? Some studies suggest that green tea may be able to boost your metabolic rate slightly, allowing you to burn an additional 70-80 calories a day. While this may not seem like much, over time it could add up.

·            Tea helps keep your skin acne-free. The antioxidants in green tea may have an effect on acne, and in some cases have been shown to work as well as a 4% solution of the much more harsh benzoyl peroxide.

·            Tea can help bad breath. A study at the University of Chicago has suggested that the polyphenols in tea can help to keep the bacteria that causes bad breath in check.

       Illness and Disease

·            Tea strengthens your immune defenses. You may want to drink a cup of tea the next time a cold is going around your office. A recent study compared the immune activity in coffee drinkers to that of tea drinkers and found it to be much higher (up to five times) in those that chose tea. While it’s no guarantee against a cold, it sure couldn’t hurt.

·            Tea protects against cancer. While the exact types of cancer tea protects against are debated, recent research has suggested that lung, prostate and breast cancer see the biggest drop when green tea is consumed regularly. Again, there is no surefire way to prevent getting cancer, but having a cup of tea a day may is definitely worth the preventative benefits.

·            Tea can help prevent arthritis. Research suggests that older women who are tea drinkers are 60 percent less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those who do not drink tea. The same effect has not been measured in older males, however, but additional studies may prove otherwise.

·            Tea can help fight the flu. Black tea may bolster your efforts to fight the flu as participants in a study who gargled with a black tea extract solution twice daily where more immune to the flu virus than those who didn’t.

·            Tea helps fight infection. Tea contains chemicals called alkylamine antigens which act similarly to some tumor cells and bacteria, boosting the body’s immune response. It has even been shown to have an effect on severe infections like sepsis.

·            Tea may reduce the risk of Parkinson’s Disease. New studies are suggesting that regular tea consumption may help protect the body from developing this neurological disorder.

·            Tea can prevent food poisoning. Catechin, one of the bitter ingredients found in green tea has been shown to effectively kill the bacteria which cause food poisoning and minimize the effects of the toxins that are produced by those bacteria.

·            Tea can lead to the inhibition of HIV. New research from the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology has found that a substance found in green tea may inhibit the HIV virus from binding and can be a healthy part of a suppression regiment.

·            Tea may help prevent diabetes. There is some evidence to suggest that green tea helps lower the risk of getting Type 2 Diabetes, though future research is needed to confirm the association.

·            Tea can lower blood sugar. Tea contains catechin and polysaccharides which have been demonstrated to have a noticeable effect on lowering blood sugar.

·            Tea can prevent iron damage. Those suffering from iron disorders like haemochromatosis may be helped by drinking tea, which contains tannins that limit the amount of iron the body can absorb.

·            Tea can help with nasal decongestion. If you’ve got a bit of a cold, drinking black tea with lemon may help clear up some of the congestion that’s bothering you. Just make sure your body doesn’t become dependent on the treatment.

written by Meredith Walker for http://www.nursingdegree.net/blog/18/33-health-benefits-of-drinking-tea/

Our Choices for Delicious Teas

Mary’s Pick:

Ceylon: because its good and makes a nice ice tea

Sherry’s Choice:

Yerbe Mate: Refreshing taste and slightly energizing

Amelia Adores:

Jasmine: because it has a delicious smell and taste and is sweet like me.

Carey Craves:

Ancient Forest:

For its deep black flavor.

Cat Loves:

Lapsang Souchong:

For its smoky aroma

Earl Grey: for its fragrant bouquet

Rhoda Reveals:

Detox tea by yogi : because

when taken first thing it

keeps you right.

Oolong: because it’s the

 perfect balance