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!

Amla - Super Vitamin C from Indian Gooseberry

Amla is an ayurvedic super food worth adding to your diet. Amla or Emblica Officinalis is an antioxidant considered to be the richest natural source of Vitamin C. The fruit also contains cytokine like substances identified as zeatin, z. riboside, z. nucleotide. Amla's traditional uses include being a cardiotonic, aphrodisiac, antipyretic, antidiabetic, cerebral and gastrointestinal tonic. It raises the total protein level due to positive nitrogen balance. It has been found to have an anabolic effect. The list continues with Amla's antibacterial and astringent properties preventing infection and helping in the healing of ulcers. A native plant of India, Amla has been used as a valuable ingredient in various Ayurvedic medicines. Although only one inch in diameter, the Amalaki fruit has the same antiscorbutic value as two oranges.

Composition

Amla is highly nutritious and is an important dietary source of Vitamin C, minerals and amino acids. The edible fruit tissue contains protein concentration 3 times an apple and ascorbic acid concentration 160 times an apple. The fruit also contains higher concentrations of minerals and amino acids compared to apples. The amino acids include glutamic acid, proline, aspartic acid, alanine, and lysine. The pulpy portion of fruit, dried and freed from the nuts contains: gallic acid, tannin, sugar, albumin, cellulose, and minerals (chromium, zinc, and copper).

Check out Pubmed.gov for the clinical studies if you are feeling extra scientific. Here are the key active constituents contained in Amla: Emblicanin A&B, Puniglucanin, Pedunculagin, 2-keto-gluconolactone (Vitamin-C equivalents). Ellagic acid, Hexahydroxy-diphenic acid and conjugates, and super oxide dismutase (possible anti-aging benefits).

Ayurvedic Remedies

Indian Gooseberry or Amla is used for all Pitta diseases, all obstinate urinary conditions, anemia, biliousness, bleeding, colitis, constipation, convalescence from fever, cough, diabetes, gastritis, gout, hepatitis, hemorrhoids, liver weakness, to relieve stress ,osteoporosis, palpitation, spleen weakness, tissue deficiency, vertigo, rebuilds blood, bones, cells, and tissues. It increases red blood cell count and regulates blood sugar. It is a heart tonic, cleanses mouth, stops gum bleeding, stops stomach and colon inflammation...amla cleanses intestines, strengthens teeth, aids eyesight, balances acidity, eye and lung inflammations, ulcerations, G.I. disorders, painful urination, and internal bleeding.

Want to give it a try?

I discovered amla in my search to avoid synthetic vitamins. I personally like Pure Planets Amla-C Plus. They have both tablets and powder making it easy to incorporate into your daily regime. Amla is a whole food so you can take it on an empty stomach or with a meal. If you are lucky you may even find jars of this tangy fruit in an international market. Join me in using this elixir of good health. The medicinal value of this fruit is practically endless.

The Wonders of Wheatgrass

Numerous benefits come from daily consumption of wheatgrass. Wheatgrass is one of the cereal grasses which also include barley grass, alfalfa, etc. Ann Wigmore is credited with bringing wheat grass back into the spotlight after curing her own untreatable colitis in the 1960’s. She became the champion of wheatgrass and went on to found the Hippocrates Health Institute which has treated and cured many people of serious health conditions.

THE PROPERTIES OF WHEAT GRASS
Wheatgrass has only about 10-15 calories per teaspoon. It has no fat or cholesterol. It has nearly a gram of protein per teaspoon, and includes all eight of the essential amino acids, as well as 13 of the remaining 16. The amino acids it doesn’t contain are easily made within the body.

It contains Vitamins A, B1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 12; C, E and K. A teaspoon of wheatgrass contains around 15mg of Calcium, 8mcg Iodine, 3.5mcg Selenium, 870mcg Iron, 62mcg Zinc, and many other minerals.

There are four other special components of wheatgrass, which make it particularly valuable.
These - not in any particular order - are:

• Superoxide Dismutase (SOD)
• P4D1
• Muco-polysaccharides
• Chlorophyll

Following are some excerpts of the benefits taken from Ann Wigmore’s The Wheatgrass Book.

Wheatgrass increases red blood-cell count and lowers blood pressure. It cleanses the blood, organs and gastrointestinal tract of debris. Wheatgrass also stimulates metabolism and the body’s enzyme systems by enriching the blood. It also aids in reducing blood pressure by dilating the blood pathways throughout the body.

Wheatgrass stimulates the thyroid gland, correcting obesity, indigestion, and a host of other complaints.

Wheatgrass restores alkalinity to the blood. The juice's abundance of alkaline minerals helps reduce over-acidity in the blood. It can be used to relieve many internal pains, and has been used successfully to treat peptic ulcers, ulcerative colitis, constipation, diarrhea, and other complaints of the gastrointestinal tract.

Wheatgrass is a powerful detoxifier, and liver and blood protector. The enzymes and amino acids found in wheatgrass can protect us from carcinogens like no other food or medicine. It strengthens our cells, detoxifies the liver and bloodstream, and chemically neutralizes environmental pollutants.

Wheatgrass has remarkable similarity to our own blood. The second important nutritional aspect of chlorophyll is its remarkable similarity to hemoglobin, the compound that carries oxygen in the blood. Dr. Yoshihide Hagiwara, president of the Hagiwara Institute of Health in Japan, is a leading advocate for the use of grass as food and medicine. He reasons that since chlorophyll is soluble in fat particles, and fat particles are absorbed directly into the blood via the lymphatic system, that chlorophyll can also be absorbed in this way. In other words, when the "blood" of plants is absorbed in humans it is transformed into human blood, which transports nutrients to every cell of the body.

Join me in my journey of health by raising a glass of this wonderful green elixir.

Cheers!