The Tea Thread/The Tao of Tea

[EasternPriest]

Tea Time? Black Tea May Help Heart

A growing body of evidence suggests tea drinkers are less likely to develop coronary artery disease, which can lead to heart attacks and stroke.
By Mark Moran , MPH





July 9, 2001 -- A growing body of evidence suggests tea drinkers are less likely to develop coronary artery disease, which can lead to heart attacks and stroke. But why?


Now, a study appearing in the medical journal Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association provides a possible answer. The study indicates that drinking black tea may improve functioning of cells lining blood vessels in the heart and elsewhere-- known as endothelial cells -- which help regulate flow of blood. Abnormal functioning of these endothelial cells has been shown to be a key step on the path to the artery hardening disease atherosclerosis, which causes coronary artery disease.


Study author Joseph A. Vita, MD, says black tea appears to have beneficial effects on endothelial cells in both the short term and the longer term. "There is benefit two hours after drinking black tea, and if people continue to drink tea for a month the benefit is sustained," Vita tells WebMD. "Our study provides a plausible explanation for why tea may be beneficial for coronary artery disease."

He is professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.


Black and green teas contain antioxidants, which are believed to neutralize the harmful effects of the body's own natural chemical processes when cells are oxidized. Antioxidants are found in a host of foods, in addition to tea, and have been linked to reduced risk for heart disease, osteoporosis, and some cancers.


But Vita cautions that the study does not prove drinking black tea will prevent heart attacks and stroke. "We can't conclude that you should drink tea to prevent heart attacks, but the study gives us some insight into how tea might be working," Vita tells WebMD.


In the study, 50 patients with coronary artery disease were randomly assigned to drink either tea or water. Two hours after drinking about two cups of either beverage, ultrasound imaging was used to measure the ability of the brachial artery -- an artery that runs down the arm -- to dilate and allow blood to flow. Longer-term results were determined using the same method after drinking about four cups of tea or water daily for four weeks, according to the report.


Results indicate that both short- and longer-term consumption of tea improved function of the artery, while consumption of water had no effect.


The study was supported by the Tea Trade Health Research Association, which is funded by tea manufacturers. Vita is a paid advisor to tea maker Lipton Inc.


"It's promising, but not conclusive," says nutrition and heart disease expert Barbara Howard, PhD, who reviewed the report for WebMD. "Endothelial function is one piece of coronary artery disease, and it is an area where antioxidants have been said to act."


She is president of MedStar Research Institute, which is the research arm of the MedStar Health System, with hospitals in Washington and Baltimore, Md.


Howard stressed that drinking tea is only one part of a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, and grains. "Just drinking tea is a not a substitute for a balanced diet," she tells WebMD. "People want a magic bullet. They want to drink 10 cups of tea then go to McDonalds all day. That won't cut it."


© 2001 WebMD Corporation. All rights reserved.

[EasternPriest]

The Tao of Tea

The dowdy cup of tea has gained newfound medical respect for its powerful antioxidant properties. These free-radical scavengers may help ward off cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis -- and with 50% more of them than green tea, South African Rooibos is poised to become the newest tempest in a teapot.

By Mark Moran , MPH



June 4, 2001 -- Green tea, red tea, black tea -- by this time you may be swimming in tea and news about its purported ability to prevent cancer and heart disease. Now, American tea drinkers browsing the shelves of health food stores are liable to come upon a new one -- Rooibos tea, from South Africa.


"I drink it all day," says Jerry Hemelka, of San Pedro, Calif., who operates a trading company that imports Rooibos around the world. "It's excellent stuff, very mild with an aromatic taste."


Rooibos (pronounced ROY-boss) appears to be matching -- and possibly besting -- the health benefits claimed for other more established teas. A favorite among South Africans for years, the beverage is said by some to have 50% more antioxidants than are found in green tea. Antioxidants are the organic substances believed to scavenge "free radicals," the toxic by-product of natural biological processes that can damage cells and lead to cancer.


According to Hemelka, a long-time resident of South Africa, the tea is made from Aspalathus Linearis, an indigenous shrub that grows only in the mountainous region close to the Cape of Good Hope. Rooibos was discovered by the local inhabitants a long time ago, but commercially traded only since 1904, he tells WebMD.


Already commonplace in Japan, Germany, the Czech Republic, Holland, and England, Rooibos will soon sweep America, he predicts.


"It's totally unique and unknown in the United States," Hemelka says. "The United States could become the biggest market for Rooibos. If it takes off, we won't be able to supply enough to meet the demand."


Hemelka says there may be as many as 20 suppliers of Rooibos to the U.S. and more on the way. "A lot of people want to get on the bandwagon," he says.


Rooibos is sometimes used as substitute for milk with colicky babies, says Alvaro Viljoen, PhD, of the department of pharmacy at the University of the Witwatersrand. And the health benefits of Rooibos are bound to make it a favorite, he says: rich in antioxidants, rich in vitamin C, caffeine-free, and low in tannins, the residue in teas that can sometimes cause digestive problems.


"Rooibos has got all four of the buzzwords," Viljoen tells WebMD. "If you don't capture a market with those attractions, I don't think much else will sell it."


Tea Totaling


Experts agree that even without the advent of Rooibos, tea has become a veritable health phenomenon, as reports of its beneficial effects have spread in the media.


Nearly three million tons of tea are produced worldwide, according to the U.K.-based Tea Institute. Tea drinkers consumed nearly three cups a day in 1999, or a million more cups than the year before, according to the Institute.


A Medline search of articles on tea and its health effects yields scores of reports in the medical and scientific literature in the past several years. What emerges is a significant body of literature from animal studies showing that green tea may prevent heart disease and cancer. Other studies have also suggested that it may help avert osteoporosis, a condition characterized by fragile bones, and that it might have beneficial effects on skin when applied topically.


Experts emphasize that the primary thrust of scientific research has been on the pure tea products -- green, black, or oolong tea, derived from a plant called Camellia sinensis. All of the many other "herbal" or "medicinal" teas found in supermarkets and health food stores may be tasty, and may be good, bad, or indifferent for your health -- but they haven't been the focus of concentrated research, says John Weisburger, PhD, of the American Health Foundation.


"That's an area where consumers have a right to be a little frustrated," agrees Dave Ringer, PhD, scientific director for the American Cancer Society. "While the various mixtures of herbs and teas may be beneficial, they are not proven."


And not all the science has been favorable to tea. A report in the March 1 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine looking at green tea consumption in humans, found no effect on stomach cancers once adjustments were made for other factors that could affect risk. Those other factors included sex, age, history of stomach ulcer, use of tobacco or alcohol, and other dietary habits.


Reality Check


With this flood of tea and tea-related health news, consumers may want to know: What's real? What isn't? And what might be real, but is yet to be proven?


"Scientists can always say something remains to be proven," says Lenore Arab, PhD, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health.


Studying the effects of tea is difficult because the pattern of consumption varies from country to country -- and even within countries. And understanding the long-term health effects of tea requires long-term studies, she says.


In spite of the difficulties, there is a "large and convincing body of evidence that tea is chemo-preventive," Arab tells WebMD. "What has impressed me most recently is the accumulating evidence of tea's protective role in prostate cancer."


And now Arab says she and other tea researchers are seeing a protective effect against colon and rectal cancer among tea drinkers in Russia.


With regard to heart disease, Arab says a recent analysis pooling the results of 12 studies looking at tea consumption in a quarter million people, found that people who drink more green tea than others have less incidence of heart attack. Intriguingly, that effect was greater in Europe than in the U.S., she says.


Tea advocates say most of the health effects derive from "polyphenols," which are the antioxidants in tea. Weisburger explains that it is the oxidized form of cholesterol, for instance, that damages the surfaces of veins and arteries, leading to heart disease. "It turns out that polyphenols in tea prevent oxidation," Weisburger tells WebMD.


Weisburger was keynote speaker at this year's International Scientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health, sponsored by the U.S. Tea Council in Washington. A similar symposium will be held again next year, he tells WebMD.


The American Cancer Society has weighed in with a cautious statement on tea as a cancer preventive. Some animal studies have been shown to reduce risk, "but beneficial effects in people are not proven," according to a 1996 ACS statement on the subject.


"It's only in the last 10 year that Western science has tried to look at antioxidant activities of tea," says Dave Ringer, PhD, scientific program director at the ACS. "It's a young science. Generally, it is felt that tea can inhibit the initiation of cancer and delay its progression in animal studies. But we don't really have large well-controlled epidemiological studies to look at this yet [in humans], because you need to correct for the effects of other dietary components."


Dean Ornish, MD, says he believes some prominent medical journals, like The New England Journal of Medicine, have a bias against studies showing positive benefits of alternative treatments. Meanwhile, the "performance bar" for studies showing the positive effects of a pill or biomedical procedure is liable to be much lower, Ornish suggests.


Between a drug -- whose side effects may be known or unknown -- and a cup of tea, which is the more radical intervention, asks Ornish, director of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute, in Sausalito, Calif., and clinical professor of medicine at the University of California School of Medicine.


Ultimately, the best reason to drink tea -- whatever its real benefits -- may be that it tastes good and there's virtually nothing wrong with it, he says.


"My attitude is if there is a potential benefit, even if not yet fully proven, and the downside is minimal if at all, why not do it?" says Ornish.


So drink up, by all means. Alvaro Viljoen, of South Africa, downs six to seven cups of Rooibos a day.


"It's nice to have before you go to bed, as well," he says. "It's very relaxing, with a bit of lemon."

[Lavender]

When buying green tea, buy small amounts. The leaves lose their flavour after about six months or so. Store in airtight containers. Don't buy green tea in tea bags. These are usually made with small bits of lower grade tea & tea leave dust. The best way to infuse your green tea is to let it float free in the teapot. Don't use a teaball.

The beauty of drinking green tea is not just in the drink itself but in the preparation of the tea.

[Silver Venus]

Originally posted by Wildchild
The beauty of drinking green tea is not just in the drink itself but in the preparation of the tea.

I totally agree and also think its in the actual drinking too ~ imagine peace and harmony flowing into and through your body.
Thanks for the info EP ~ I love Green Tea (Gunpower is my favourite), Peppermint and Camomile.... boiling the keetle as I type now :D
Wildchild do you have any good mixtures or tea recipes? As Id love to experiment more with my tea :)

[Lavender]

Here's a couple of recipes...

Herbal sports drink
1 part each dried nettles, oatstraw, red clover, alfalfa, & rosehip.

Mix & store in an airtight container.
Use 1 cup of herb mixt to 1 quart boiling water. Cover & steep 4 hours. Strain & add honey if you like. You can also add fruit juice to it as well. Use 2 parts tea, 1 part cranberry juice & 1 part apple cider.

Spicy Chai
2 cups water
2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 cinnamon sticks, broken into bits
4 peppercorns, whole
8-10 cardamon pods
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 cup milk or almond, rice, or soy milk
powdered nutmeg (optional)
honey (optional)
Combine the first 6 ingredients & simmer covered ~10 mins. Add milk & simmer another 10 mins. Strain & add honey if you want. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Relaxation tea
2 tsp chamomile
1 tsp elder flowers
1 tsp hops
1 tsp valarian roots*
3 tsp peppermint
Mix together & use 1 tsp per cup of boiling water. Steep 15 mins & strain. Add honey if you like.
*Don't drink more than 1 cup per day & not to be used regularly more than 3 weeks. This tea usually puts me to sleep.

[Spirahl]

I admit being totally addicted to the stuff, and I don't feel a bit guilty!

[ladyrowan]

If anyone hasn't tried them, I've found green jasmine tea to be very addictive - it's lovely stuff :)

And someone at work told me it's supposed to keep you young looking too, at the rate I'm drinking it, i'll look about 3 soon hehe!

BB

[moonflower]

And someone at work told me it's supposed to keep you young looking too, at the rate I'm drinking it, i'll look about 3 soon hehe!


I have heard that Green tea does that too, apparently it enhances the skins natural elastins. Thats why asian women have such beautiful skin. I don't know if this is fact or fiction, but I love tea, and green tea has such a nice mellow calming 'aura' to it. That would definitley be an added bonus though! :D

[kittiepoetrygod]

What is everyone's favorite tea recipe? Do you use it for ritual? Do you use it for any specific purpose?

Mine is simple:
2 parts lemon peal,
1 part taragon,
1 part tea leaves
1/2 part dandelion root,
1/4 part rose petel
1/4 part rose hip

I haven't died because of the rose parts yet, someone told me thee were poisonis, but i haven't had any problems with it. BTW, is this safe to drink? I made it out of whim, and most of the stuff is found commonly, so i didn't think to check if it was somehow dangerous. Is it?

[Yvonne Belisle]

Lipton :lol: :boing: :D :p :rolleyes:

[kittiepoetrygod]

Thats where i get my tea leaves ;).

[Mairwen]

Originally posted by kittiepoetrygod
I haven't died because of the rose parts yet, someone told me thee were poisonis, but i haven't had any problems with it. BTW, is this safe to drink? I made it out of whim, and most of the stuff is found commonly, so i didn't think to check if it was somehow dangerous. Is it?

Rose petals are only poisonous if you eat/use the kind out of the garden where pesticides have been used. There may be certain types of roses which are dangerous if ingested, as well, but I'm not sure.

[kittiepoetrygod]

I checked with celtic connection, and it says they're ok. Whats your favorite tea?

I use white and red roses, btw. I get them from a florest, I think they're long stemmed, but i'm not eating them, so I don't think I'm in any danger as of yet.

[Mairwen]

But you're boiling them and drinking their tea, right? I'd check with the florist and ascertain 100% that the petals have not had ANY contact whatsoever with ANY chemicals.

[Earth Walker]

Tea? :eek:

[kittiepoetrygod]

I will check, no doubt. I'll update you if I'm alive tomarrow ;).

So, enough about me, what is your favorite tea?

[loopy]

My favorite is Barnes and Noble raspberry flavored. :D

But coffee is my first choice. ;)

[Emy]

I just love Green Lime tea!! yummie
for ritual, hmmm well, just about any tea will do fine :)

And BTW Loopy, I just love your new avatar ( I know, I know, I'm a bit late to comment it, you've had it for a while now... ) :). It 's sooooo cute! :) :D

[Arduinna]

The Republic of Tea, Ginger Peach is my favorite. Although I love hibiscus tea cold.

[Mairwen]

Earl grey with a slice of lemon.

[Shadowulfe]

Lipton instant tea heavy on the sugar!!

[Lavender]

I love tea! Especially the herbal ones that I make up from my garden. I'm not sure if I have one favourite tea. I just make up a blend of whatever I feel like at the moment. Currently, it's a combination of fennel, peppermint, rosehips & nettles. 1 tsp of each & store in a airtight container. Use 1 tsp of the mixture in 1 cup boiling water, steep for 10-15 mins & strain. Add honey if you have a sweet tooth & enjoy! :)

There's an old Tea thread hanging around that had some great tea info & recipes as well. I'll see if I can find it.

[kittiepoetrygod]

I called up the place, and they said that only organic fertilzer was used ... and i'm pretty sure thats harmless. They grow all the stuff inside a building, so locusts and the like aren't really a problem.

Anywho, I'll keep the stuff about green tea in mind, i like to drink it, and so does my dad. However, i did taste pure green tea once, and maybe the bland stuff is for me!

[Lavender]

*bump*

[FaeRain]

Celestial Seasonings Green Tea Chai is da bomb baby!! Mmmm, add some half & half and some honey....yeah, I think I'll have some now!

[HerbGurl]

:boing: :boing: :boing: :boing: :boing:

OOH!! I LOVE Tea!! (I hate coffee. :razz: )

One of my father's co-workers goes to China three or four times a year and he always brings me back loose tea. :D So far I have several canisters of Green, one of Jasmine, (which is VERY GOOD, BTW), and one canister of black. The black canister has a picture of Kuan Yin on it, and it is really pretty.

My father also went to Disney World for a business trip a few months ago. He brought me back tea from the English Tea Shop from the Wolrd Showcase in Epcot. It is black- currant flavored and makes wonderful iced tea. He goes to Chatanooga several times a year. They have a British Tea House there and the last time he went, he brought me back something called PG Tips, and the tea bags are shaped like pyramids!! Cool!

For everyday use I also drink Celestial Seasons peppermint or Chamomile. I drink Red Rose too. When I get a chance, I dry my own herbs (Chamomile, Lemon Balm Hyssop Horehound Beebalm and catnip.)

I found a shrine to tea on the Net!! Here it is http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/3960/index.html

Blessings,
Herbgurl

[Yvonne Belisle]

bump