A cup of tea a day keeps the doctor away

TAIPEI (JP): Ever since tea was discovered about 3,000 years ago in China, there have been a heap of claims that it is good for your health.

There is a long list of health benefits you are promised if you drink tea, including good digestion, weight loss, lowered cholesterol and blood fats, prevention of kidney stones, an anticarcinogen, protection from tooth decay, boosted energy ...

The list goes on, depending on the tea variety being promoted. For example, green tea is claimed to be good for longevity and preventing osteoporosis. Impressed?

A Hong Kong Museum of Tea Ware booklet quotes a Chinese proverb, which literally translates as, Drinking a daily cup of tea/Will surely starve the apothecary (A daily cup of tea or more/Keeps you out of the drugstore).

Jane Pettigrew notes in her book The Tea Companion that although tea was found during the reign of Emperor Shen Nung in the year 2747 BC, written records on tea were not available until the third century B.C. Then a Chinese surgeon recommended it for increasing concentration and alertness. An army general wrote his nephew asking him to send some "real tea" because he was feeling old and depressed.

In ancient China and Japan, Buddhists seeped tea to improve concentration during their meditation. So it was -- is -- believed that tea is good not only for the body but also for the soul.

Okakura Kakuzo wrote in 1906 in his Book of Tea, "Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence. It inculcates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of social order".

The mystery surrounding tea has prompted modern-day scientists to study the leaf. Interestingly, many of the claims have been proven true -- tea does benefit health.

The truth about tea is that it is a purely natural product without additional chemical coloring or preservatives. In scented teas, flavoring is added, which is mostly jasmine.

Pettigrew says that the tea leaf is so delicate that in the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618-906), when preparation and service of the drink developed into an elaborate ceremony, cultivation and processing were controlled by rigid rules. Female pluckers' diet and hygiene received utmost attention. Garlic, onion and strong spices were strictly forbidden in case they contaminated the leaves.

Tea that we enjoy every day has three main components, caffeine, polyphenol (widely but incorrectly known as tannins) and essential oils -- each having their own benefits to your health.

Caffeine is said to be tea's most useful property. Proponents say it acts as a genial stimulant to the heart and blood circulatory system, thus helping keep the walls of the blood vessel soft, cutting the possibility of the arteries hardening.

Caffeine in tea, for example, is said to improve alertness and concentration, stimulate digestive juices, improve metabolism and better the functioning of the kidneys and liver.

Yet caffeine may be the biggest drawback for some tea drinkers. The stimulant, although of about 75 percent lower levels than in coffee, has its side effects, such as causing nervousness, insomnia and irregular heartbeat. Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are advised to refrain from drinking large amounts of green tea.

The natural substance in tea said to be good to fight tooth decay and osteoporosis is fluoride, which controls bacteria in the mouth and thus minimizes the concentration of plaque.

Green and black teas are proven to have antioxidant effects which can prevent the formation of cancerous cells. Catechins in green tea can fight cholesterol and promote kidney function.

Black tea, the most popular in Indonesia and most frequently consumed in the West, and is better known as puer in Hong Kong and China, is also often taken to relieve indigestion and diarrhea as well as to reduce cholesterol.

It is commonly stored for a long time but make sure that you consume it before the expiry date. Fungi can grow on tea with poor packaging and storing.

Conclusions from a more recent study by physicist John Weisburger are good news for tea drinkers and producers alike.

Weisburger was quoted on cnn.com as saying that polyphenol is 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times more effective than vitamin E to neutralize free radicals in the body. This probably explains why tea is said to be good to fight heart disease and cancer.

Polyphenol prevents free radicals from damaging DNA and can control the abnormal growth of cells causing cancer. It can also kill the cancer without damaging the healthy cells nearby, he said. (pan)