Tea Time Anyone?

History of Tea

Tea has been a medical treasure for over five thousand years. The legend starts in an ancient Chinese Medical text from 2737 B.C. praising tea as a health tonic. According to the story a gifted emperor, Shen Nung, put in place far-sighted edicts revolving around hygiene, including boiling drinking water. One summer day while visiting a distant region of his realm, he and the court stopped to rest. In accordance with his ruling, the servants began to boil water for the court to drink. Dried leaves from the near by bush fell into the boiling water, and a brown liquid was infused into the water. As a scientist, the Emperor was interested in the new liquid, drank some, and found it very refreshing. And so, according to legend, tea was created. The first definitive book on tea was by the Chinese tea master Lu Yu in 780 A.D. Lu Yu’s work raised him to near sainthood in China and laid the foundation for tea service becoming an art form. The Japanese Buddhist priest Yeisei, saw the value of tea in enhancing religious mediation while in China. This exposure inspired him to take tea seeds to Japan. He is known as the "Father of Tea" in Japan. Because of this early association, tea in Japan has always been associated with Zen Buddhism. Tea received almost instant imperial sponsorship and spread rapidly from the royal court and monasteries to the other sections of Japanese society. This royal sponsorship coupled with growing trade routes became the spring board that catapulted tea’s fame around the world. Fast forward to the end of the 20th century, scientists identified hundreds of beneficial phytonutrients within the tea leaf that were shown to dramatically enhance immune and cardiovascular functioning and prolong healthy life. The benefits associated with the consumption of tea are too many to cover in one post so we will start with the cardio- and nuero-protective benefits.

Cardiovascular Benefit

A number of studies have established a positive correlation between green tea consumption and cardiovascular health. The major polyphonic compound in green, Catechins, provides protection to the vascular system through multiple mechanisms, including anti-oxidative, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, anti-thrombogenic, and lipid lowering effects. Tea catechins present antioxidant activity by scavenging free radicals and activating antioxidant enzymes. Tea catechins inhibit the key enzymes involved in fat biosynthesis and reduce fat absorption in the intestines, thereby improving the blood lipid profile. Catechins regulate vascular tone by activating endothelial nitric oxide. Catechins prevent vascular inflammation that plays a critical role in the progression of atherosclerotic lesions. Catechins inhibit proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells by interfering with vascular cell growth factors involved in atherogenesis. Catechins suppress platelet adhesion, thereby inhibiting thrombogenesis. Taken together, catechins may be novel plant-derived small molecules for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Neurological Benefit

The amino acid, L-theanine, found almost exclusively in the tea plant, actively alters the attention networks of the brain. It has been proposed that theanine is absorbed by the small intestine and crosses the blood-brain barrier, where it affects the brain's neurotransmitters and increases alpha brain wave activity resulting in a calmer, yet more alert, state of mind. The mechanism for the neuroprotective effect of theanine is related not only to the glutamate receptor but also to other mechanisms such as the glutamate transporter. One of the onset mechanisms for arteriosclerosis, a major factor in ischemic cerebrovascular disease, is probably the oxidative alteration of low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The oxidative alterations of LDL were shown to be prevented by tea catechins. The neuroprotective effects of theanine and catechins contained in green tea are gaining attention, but further research is needed with regards to the amount of theanine needed for benefit. But further research is needed to determine the beneficial amounts of theanine. Look for a product that has Suntheanine’s patented L-theanine extract if you are interested in trying theanine(they have a list of brands containing their extract). Otherwise you will have to consume a ridiculous amount of green tea to replicate the amounts of theanine used in the clinical studies.

Time for Tea!

My favorite tea is the Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearl. I was first introduced to this special green tea by a Chinese exchange student. He did not know the English translation and it took me several years to find it. Since that time it has become quite popular. Now you can even find jasmine pearls at your local Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, but I have to warn you it is expensive. So here is a little history on this particular tea to help justify plunking down $20 for four ounces. This tea enriched with the fragrance of jasmine flowers has been a favorite since the Sung Dynasty ruled China 800 years ago. The jasmine plant was brought to China from Persia before the third century. These flowers first made their appearance in tea around the fifth century. Dragon Phoenix Pearl gets its name from the tea bushes "climbing the hillsides like a Dragon rising from the waters". It is grown in a mountainous, often fog shrouded area near the border of the Fujian and Jiangxi provinces. Dragon Phoenix Pearl is one of the finest jasmines shipped from the port of Foochow. The tea is plucked in April and May and stored until August when the finest jasmine blossoms are in bloom. Night blooming white jasmine flowers are picked in the morning when the tiny petals are tightly closed and kept cool until nightfall. In the early evening the flowers begin to open. Once open, the "mating" of the jasmine and tea leaves takes place in several applications, each taking up to four hours, after which the jasmine petals are removed. Once the petals are removed each leaf and bud set are hand rolled into a tiny pearl size ball. The tea is then wrapped in silk mesh and dried to set the form.

If you are ever in Ohio please stop by and I will share some tea with you!