Fresh Cup Magazine, providing specialty coffee and tea professionals with unique insight into the trends, ideas, products and people that shape their world.
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fter nearly 15 years in the tea business, I'm still amazed that the questions I hear most frequently are not about the leaf but about its health benefits. Our 21st century lives are ever more busy and stressful, but we're living them with more and more of an eye on general wellness. Fitness and nutrition truly matter to many consumers, and in many cases, their physicians and alternative healers recommend drinking tea as part of a larger regimen of more vibrant living. In addi- tion, media outlets continue to buzz loudly about the many health benefits of tea. As companies scramble to capitalize, their marketing machines make a dizzying number of claims regarding all that tea might be good for. It can be confusing to sort through all the hype. In the first part of "Leafing Through the Health Benefits," published in Fresh Cup's September issue, I cov- ered the history of tea and health as well as the "fab five" components that make tea so healthful. In this installment, I'll review the specific health benefits of tea. While there are innumerable herbs that can have a profound effect on the body when infused and drunk, for the purposes of this article I will speak only to tea—that is, Camellia sinensis and Camellia sinensis assam- ica, the leaves of which pro- duce all white, green, oolong and black teas. Over the years, I have received many questions about the benefits of tea and have done extensive research to find the answers. Much of what I have learned comes from my connection with the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, founded by Dr. Andrew Weil. The facility focuses on educating physicians on the practice of healing-oriented medicine to address mind, body and spirit. I am blessed to speak there once a year about tea and its benefits with Dr. Tieraona Low Dog, who is the director of the fellowship at the center as well as one of America's premier herbal- ists and a respected physician. Her knowledge of both the current science as well as the older anecdotal evidence of tea's benefits is vast. As she puts it: "Tea drinking is very old. Science is very young. People have been drinking tea for thousands of years and have all of this life experience of what it feels like when they drink it. Now science is just being able to help explain why." THE ORIGINAL PHARMACEUTICAL Tea has long been known to alleviate and assist with several ailments of the body. Before the creation of modern pharma- ceuticals, physicians and healers prescribed tea for a variety of conditions, including: Wound treatment. Quickly applying a freshly brewed tea bag or loose tea leaves as a poultice to a burn or wound has long been recommended and proven to help prevent infection, reduce blistering and speed healing. Tea leaves contain compounds called tannins (they give strongly brewed tea its bitter, acidic bite). Tannins are also a potent astringent that cause the constriction of skin tis- sue, and this attribute can help speed skin's restoration. Many chefs know that tea has a role in the kitchen as a burn care. Dental care. Long before NOT JUST FOR SIPPING, brewed tea can address ailments such as heart disease, asthma and diabetes. dentists, toothpaste and flu- oridated water, one of the most highly recommended mouthwashes for oral care was a strongly brewed tea. The astringent tannins are effec- tive at reducing bacteria, tight- ening up gums and prevent- ing tooth decay. The tea plant also has a remarkable ability to concentrate fluoride from the soil and surroundings into its leaves. And having healthy teeth allows a person to eat an increased variety of nutri- tious foods, further propagat- ing health and well being. Of course, tea drinking also can bring with it a dental concern—stained or darkened teeth. Asthma and emphysema. For many years, the medicine of choice for asthma and emphysema was a compound known as theophylline, which was actually extracted from tea leaves and used as a drug to help patients with respiratory troubles. Today's concentrated medications are more potent, but the fact remains that tea is still an excellent source for theophylline. Drinking three to four cups of black tea can have a relaxant effect on bronchial muscles, thereby easing conditions related to asthma. continued on page 40 freshcup.com October 2011 39 NICOLE O'BANION