Health Effects of Tea

A tea is either made by infusion or decoction. The typical way to make a tea is by infusing herbs with water. An infusion is made by using the soft leaf or flower parts of the plant. Decoction is the process of making tea from the hard parts of a plant. Decoction requires a much longer boiling and steeping process than a tea infusion. However, no matter which process is used to make a tea, the many health benefits of tea can still be enjoyed.

Flavonoids
Black tea contains flavonoids. According to Dr. Gaby, coauthor of "The Natural Pharmacy," flavonoids "support health by strengthening capillaries and other connective tissue, and some function as anti-inflammatory, antihistaminic and antiviral agents."

Tannic Acid
Black tea also contains tannic acid. Tannic acid has both antibacterial and astringent agents. Tannic acid can have a good effect on toothaches, ulcers and wounds. Some dentists tell patients to place cool tea bags on the area of the mouth where a tooth has been pulled to help decrease the chance of infection.

Curative properties
The-color-of-tea.com provides studies done by researcher Milton Schiffenbauer of Pace University that show the many benefits of black tea. Schiffenbauer concluded that black tea helps to destroy many viruses that are found in the mouth. It can prevent and shorten the length of diarrhea, pneumonia, cystitis and skin infections.

Preventative properties
There are also several preventative benefits from drinking black tea. These include the the possible prevention of prostate cancer, breast cancer and stomach cancer. This is mainly due to the fact that the compound TF-2 is found in tea. TF-2 has been shown to deter the growth of cancerous cells. Black tea may also prevent tooth decay, relieve arthritis, and help burn excess fat.

Tea and Heart Health
Cancer Weekly published an article in 2001 entitled "Two New Studies Support Health Benefits of Black Tea." This article quoted data from a research study conducted in Saudi Arabia where the benefits of tea were noted in 1,764 women. The study showed that tea drinkers were 19 percent less likely to suffer from any kind of cardiovascular disease.

This study also showed that Saudi women who consumed at least six or more cups of tea a day had lower cholesterol, triglycerides and lower LDL cholesterol than non-tea drinkers.

Iman Hakim, M.D. PhD, of the University of Arizona was especially excited about the findings. Cancer Weekly states that Dr. Hakim said that "We were able to demonstrate a significant inverse relationship between tea drinking and blood lipid levels and that tea drinking can potentially affect the incidence of heart disease in a large group of women. This certainly seems to point to a protective effect of regular tea drinking on heart health that warrants further investigation."

Source: http://www.ehow.com/about_5399069_health-effects-tea.html

Health Benefits of Tea

All teas can be beneficial if they displace the role of drinks that are known to be harmful, such as coffee, liquor or sugary sodas.
Teas come in many varieties, but one variety that has clear health benefits is green tea. Green tea has been studied extensively, and has shown promise in reducing the risk of heart attacks, reducing hot flashes and disordered sleep in menopausal women, and also helping to prevent the common cold and flu, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Identification
Green tea itself is more of a category of teas rather than only one specific type of tea. Green tea is known by its Latin name, Camellia sinesis, an evergreen plant that grows all year round.
Black and oolong teas are made from green teas. Teas are commonly named after the area from which they come from, and also how they are prepared. For example, there is tea from Darjeeling and Ceylon, and gunpowder tea is rolled, while pekoe is cut. India and Sri Lanka produce very large commercial quantities of tea.
Japanese green tea contains small amounts of caffeine, and it has been touted as a weight loss aid by helping to reduce appetite. Any tea with caffeine may contribute to weight loss if you consume enough to create satiety to displace less healthful calories.

Benefits
According to the National Institutes of Health, there is some evidence that drinking green tea might lower the risk of heart attacks and clogged arteries. However, NIH states that more studies should be done before a recommendation is made.
NIH also reviewed a study on green tea that claimed that consuming green tea could help prevent flu and cold. Again, NIH recommended more studies be done to support this theory.
NIH reviewed a study that demonstrated that menopausal women found relief from hot flashes and sleep disturbances when they drank green tea, but, again, NIH recommended further study (see Resources below).

History
Tea as a beverage can be traced to China about 5,000 years ago; it was later brought to the West by Turkish traders.
Traditionally, tea was consumed by Buddhist monks to stay awake during long meditation sessions. Green tea does contain some caffeine, but it is much less than what a cup of coffee contains: there is about 15 mg of caffeine in an 8-oz. cup of green tea as opposed to around 100 mg in an 8-oz. cup of coffee.
A Buddhist story about the origins of tea recounts how the Buddha, unable to stay awake during mediation, tore off his eyelids and threw them to the ground out of frustration. Where the eyelids fell, tea plants sprouted and helped him and his monks stay awake during meditation.

Misconceptions
The greatest misconception about tea is that, since there are so many varieties that have health benefits, that all teas are good for you, regardless of quantities consumed. Drinking too many cups of black tea, for example, may not really help other than quench your thirst, and may in fact cause you to consume too much caffeine. Caffeine is a strong stimulant, and drinking a lot tea (unless it is decaffeinated) is not appropriate for people with hypertension, for example.

Warning
If you are pregnant or have any serious medical issues, do not consume any new types of teas. Some herbal teas are not appropriate for pregnant women, for example, since they contain substances that may be harmful to the fetus, or may otherwise be contra-indicated for pregnancy. Always check with your physician first.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/about_4705963_health-benefits-tea.html