Did you know…                 

• The first cup of tea was made in 2737 B.C. by Emperor Shennong (Shen Nung) – the Father of tea in China.

• The first tea used in the West came from China to England in the mid-1600’s. The UK is still a largest importer of tea in the World.

• Different kinds of teas come from how the tea leaves are processed – especially the length of time of the oxidation period (fermentation): green and white tea are the shortest while black and pu-erh tea is the longest; Oolong and yellow teas are between them. The processing produces are different kinds of Phytochemicals.

• Taste of different kinds of teas is from Polyphenols in teas.

• Color of deferent kinds of teas comes from Flavonoids, the Plant Pigment from teas (also referred as Tannins before).

• If you don’t like the taste of green tea but like its benefits, consider the tea combination of 2 kinds of teas, e.g. green-black tea, green-Oolong tea.

• Drinking 4 cups of green tea daily reduces the development of arthritis by 50%. (source: study by Case Western Reserve University)

• Drinking 4 cups of black tea daily improves 50% impaired blood vessel functioning in heart patients. (source: study by Boston University School of Medicine)

• The main active components in teas are Polyphenols, similar to other Phytochemicals found in many foods like broccoli and carrots, which are much higher in tea up to 36% of dry weight.

• Polyphenols include many chemical compounds. The most beneficial Polyphenols are Catechins which are found more in Green Tea but also in other teas.

• The most effective Catechins found so far are epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and epigallocatechin (EGC). EGCG has been reported to block the envelope of HIV (AIDS virus). (source: Kuzushige Kawai, MD, and colleagues from the University of Tokyo)

• Another antioxidants from tea are Flavonoids included Theaflavis and Thearubigens which are produced from Catechins of Black Tea.

Zapisz