Prof. R.D. Gupta
In accordance with Chinese Legend, it was Shen Nung, a Chinese Emperor who discovered tea for the first time in 2737 BC. It was quite accidental when he noticed about the blowing of tea leaves into a pot of boiling water. Tea was then introduced in the West by Turkish traders of the 6th century who apparently bartered for it at the Mongolian border. Later, as rulers of the Chinese Song Dynasty (960-1127 AD) realized tea’s commercial value and they actively exported it to Tibet. The beverage gained much popularity in Europe during 17th century and shortly, thereafter, it became a part of American culture as well. Although the value of tea was well known in India since long yet it became more popular when the British East India Company promoted tea market in India as a strategy to weaken China’s competitive advantage in Global tea markets. Interestingly, the iced tea was introduced in 1904 at the World’s fair in St. Louis followed by the use of tea bags in 1908.
Medicinal Values
As a medicinal plant, tea has a long history and even a longer one as a beverage which ranks second only to water in world wide popularity. Tea among other components possesses a lot of polyphenoles and tannins. The main benefits of polyphenols confined to tea are generally attributed to their antioxidant activities. Basically there are three types of conventional tea viz; green tea, black tea and oolong tea which are differentiated on the basis of their manufacturing processes. Black tea is fermented whereas the green tea is not fermented. Contrary to them, oolong tea is semi-fermented as it is obtained with fermentation between 20 per cent and 50 percent. This type of tea takes the better characteristics than those of black tea and green tea. Moreover, oolong tea is unique because its ball rolling processing step, which makes the tea leaves like semi balls. Tea is an effective stimulant as it contains caffeine. The amount of caffeine, however, varies according to the type of tea. A cupful of black tea has 35-150 mg caffeine, whereas the same quantity of green tea has 11-31 mg caffeine. In comparison a cup of coffee has about 185 mg caffeine.
Drinking green tea prevents tooth cavities. What makes green tea so healthy is the manner in which it is processed. Since no oxidation takes place, the antioxidants remain intact in tea, making it extremely beneficial for one’s health. Green tea serves as a tonic to fight the effects of several diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease as well as cancer.
A new research published in the journal of cancer research has found the polyphenols present in green tea help to prevent spread of prostrate cancer. Green tea has also found to help in expanding arteries. Expanding of arteries in turn ameliorate blood flow, thereby, keeping the heart healthy.
Black tea is generally stronger in flavour and rich is flavonoids which are health giving compounds found in vegetables, fruits, certain beverages with beneficial antioxidant effects. Black tea is found to lower cholesterol levels, improve blood circulation, reduce inflammations and control blood sugar level.
Oolong tea is known to lower cholesterol levels, improve metabolism, help weight loss and boost skin health. Rich in antioxidants, oolong tea is one of the best ways to erase the effects of aging from the skin.
Herbal Tea
Herbal tea is simply a combination of boiling water and herbs. Research shows that herbal tea, especially green tea, helps to fight cancer and serves as an antioxidant. It is also a great way to fight unwanted fat, which it metabolises.
Herbal tea was much in vogue long before conventional Indian and Chinese teas came to fore. The herbal tea is simple to prepare and has the added benefit for promoting good health. Unlike conventional tea or coffee, the herbal tea does not possess tannin or caffeine as it is not prepared from the leaves of tea plant (Camellia simensis/Thea sinensis). Herbal tea also called Tisane, can be prepared from a mixture of natural herbs, leaves and flowers of various selected plants as well as spices. It is simply an infusion prepared after adding boiling water from the leaves or flowers of herbs. Herbal tea contains only herbs as no colours, aromatizers or stabilizers are added to it.
Herbal tea is known to maintain good health, improve metabolisms and even increase resistance to various diseases. A cup of a tisane taken after a rich meal is as common as coffee in many parts of the world. A number of herbal teas are now available at health food stores, herbal shops, super-markets etc; either in sachet or in loose forms. In some countries like Japan, Korea, Singapore and HongKong, herbal tea is served at special herbal tea shops.
For preparing a nourishing cup of herbal tea, various herbs having distinct and definite properties are chosen. Some herbal teas with plant names consist of Ginseng tea, Jasmine tea, Ginger tea, Tulsi tea, Mulberry tea, Senna tea etc.
Herbal teas are effective for many medical situations and can be used as preventive therapy. Many herbal constituents like mucilage, glycosides and a number of alkaloids dissolve in water. Water is a better solvent than alcohol for releasing natural vitamins and minerals present in plants. Taking of herbal tea encourages a higher fluid intake, which assists in balancing of electrolytes and naturally flushes the liver and the kidneys. Herbs like peppermint, licorice, ginger, fennel, rose hips, senna leaves, cinnamon, greencardamom (Safed alachi) are commonly added to the herbal tea for its unique flavour. In India, ginger tea, Kashmiri Kahva tea, Maharashtrian gavati tea, lemon tea and tulsi tea are very popular. Other famous herbal teas of the country are Gokul herbal tea having cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon, saffron and ginger.
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