Both black and green teas should be included as part of a healthy lifestyle.

it’s time for tea 101

There’s more to tea than meets the tastebuds

By Melissa Nicol

Tea is second only to water as the most popular drink in the world. Americans alone enjoyed more than 50 billion servings (that’s 2.25 billion gallons!) of tea in 2004. Do you think it’s because tea is refreshing? Or because enjoying a cup of tea has been a worldly tradition for centuries? Or because tea has many medicinal qualities? If you answered yes to any of these questions, well, you are very tea savvy, but you haven’t passed Tea 101 with flying colors yet. There’s more to tea than meets the tastebuds.

Many countries have their own story of how tea was first discovered, but the oldest, dating back 5,000 years, comes from Chinese literature and cites Emperor Shen Nung, known as the “Divine Healer,” as the original tea inventor. Shen Nung boiled his drinking water before consuming it, and it is said that one day leaves from a tree fell into Shen Nung’s boiling pot of water, making the water fragrant and taste remarkably delicious.

Where does tea come from?

You might find it surprising to know that traditional teas are derived from one single plant – the Camellia sinensis plant. Whether a tea becomes green, oolong or black is based soley on how the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant are processed. Oolong and black teas are processed through exposure to oxygen, a process called oxidation. When tea leaves are oxidized, the leaves change in color and flavor, creating what we know as oolong or black tea. Black tea gains its strength because it is oxidized the longest – anywhere from two to four hours. Oolong is partially oxidized, and green tea is not oxidized. Instead, green tea leaves are steamed, then rolled and finally dried.

Another surprising fact – herbal teas lack many of the medicinal benefits linked to traditional teas, and herbal teas do not come from the Camellia sinensis plant but are a result of combining leaves, roots, bark, seeds or flowers of other plants.

Dr. Tea?

We have all heard tea has many medicinal qualities, but what are they? Continuing research is showing leading scientists that both black and green teas should be included as part of a healthy lifestyle.

“Fruits, vegetables and tea all contain important antioxidants. Research suggests these phytonutrients may contribute substantially to the promotion of health and the prevention of chronic disease. For example, recent research studies reveal the antioxidants in tea may inhibit the growth of cancer cells and support cardiovascular health,” stated Jeffrey Blumberg, chief of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.

Tea contains flavonoids, which are believed to have antioxidant properties that fight disease by neutralizing free radials. Scientists believe the antioxidant properties of tea flavonoids help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, instances of heart attacks and stroke and help maintain healthy blood vessel function, lower the risk of certain cancers, help keep your teeth and bones healthy and help support the immune system.

A recent study found tea drinkers who drank a minimum of a half-cup of moderate strength green or oolong tea a day for one year lowered their risk of developing high blood pressure by 46 percent. A bonus – if you enjoy more than two and a half cups of tea per day, you can lower your risk by 65 percent.

Tea is also extremely rich in chemicals called alkylamines. Many germs also carry these same chemicals. A research team led by Dr. Jack F. Bukowski, of Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, recently discovered that alkylamines support some of our most important immune cells and kill germs, plus they also help fight cancer. Alkylamines aren’t just found in tea. They are in mushrooms, apples and wine, too.

Green tea also contains a phytochemical called Glycyrrhizin Catechins, a non-nutrient plant chemical that contains protective, disease-preventing compounds.

Moderation is the key in drinking tea

It is a good idea to stick to a total liquid intake of 10 to 12 glasses a day, keeping in mind this includes tea, water and any other beverage you may consume. Studies show that consuming a limited amount of caffeine per day is acceptable. However, consuming more than your necessary allowance of liquids per day will wash essential nutrients such as potassium, magnesium and even sodium and chloride out of your body.

Brewing black or oolong tea with water, which has just started to boil but not boiled too long is the best way. Green tea should be brewed with water that has not come to a boil. The best way to do this – boil water and set it aside for several minutes until it has cooled before brewing your green tea.

Want to find out more about tea? Take the tea facts quiz at teausa.com

Melissa Nicol is communications specialist for Nationwide Health Plans.

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