GREEN TEA
Cammellia sinensis The herbal beverage known as green tea is made from the prepared leaves and leaf buds of the tea plant, botanical name Camellia sinensis (L.), which belongs to the plant family Theaceae. The plant is a large shrub with evergreen leaves and it is native to parts of eastern Asia and very extensively cultivated in that region. The same plant is used to prepare the common daily beverage black tea, which is processed by slow drying of the fresh leaves and then gradually allowing them to undergo fermentation. The process for the preparation of green tea is different, and this form of tea is far less popular as a daily beverage in the United States, in the case of green tea, the leaves of the plant are dried rapidly. The number of different cultivated varieties of the tea, and the different methods of preparation involved dictate certain important characteristics of the tea, on the average, the caffeine content of different teas ranges widely and differ slightly, these can fluctuate from about 1 per cent to more than 4 percent of different varieties of teas. Some Asian countries have evolved traditional and elaborate ceremonies around the drinking of green tea, so much so, that these ceremonies have assumed the importance of a delicate art and have distinct cultural value. This can be seen as being similar to the way wine sampling or tasting is carried out in France. Finely brewed tea has its own connoisseurs, such individuals can tell what type of water needs to be used, and they dictate the kind of utensils which must be involved in the preparation of the tea and the approximate conditions in which particular teas must be prepared. Some of the green teas served in the Chinese mainland, are so incredibly strong for the palate that they are only served in thimble-sized and delicate cups. One of the benefits of caffeine in tea is that the caffeine compound constricts blood vessels inside the head, and for this reason the tea is able to calm the pain present in a throbbing and swollen head. The Chinese have traditionally drunk different varieties of tea and the beverage has been associated with civilization in China since very early times. European introduction to the beverage did not take place, until the early 1600s when the Dutch introduced it into the continent. The tea as a beverage becomes very fashionable even though it was an expensive drink. The East India Company for example, enjoyed a monopoly over the tea trade in the United Kingdom and the British colonies, and had exclusive rights to tea trade with China until the year 1833. This policy of monopolizing the trade in tea was an attempt by the British government to levy a trade tax on all tea imports into the American colonies, a factor that lead to the Boston Tea Party of 1773 and eventually triggered the American war of independence. Tea is chiefly produced by two former British colonies today, India and Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon. The stimulant alkaloid, caffeine is present in tea aside form another similar alkaloid thein. Tea as a generic term tea is also used as a description for many other local beverages and herbal drinks made using the leaves of a vast array of other plants. PARTS USED Leaves and buds. USES As an herbal measure, tea is helpful in the treatment of various infections affecting the digestive tract of patients. For example, the Indian traditional medical system known as Ayurveda, classifies tea as an herbal astringent, it is believed to induce sweating, and is used as a tonic for frayed nerves. Tea is also used for the treatment of various eye problems; it is used in the treatment of hemorrhoids, to treat physical tiredness and fatigue, and to bring down fever in patients. The leaves of the tea plant can also be used as a topical herbal measure for the external treatment, and to soothe a variety of insect bites and problems like sunburn. Other medical uses Breast cancer, Cervical cancer, Colorectal cancer, Endometrial cancer, Leukoplakia, Ovarian cancer.
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