A cup of tea gives a wholesome and refreshing feeling, but are you aware that it has added benefit to your health and well-being. The medicinal value of tea has been known long before it gained popularity as a beverage around the world. The scriptures of Tang dynasty of China (618-907 AD) have records of the medicinal value of tea. In recent years too a number of reports concerning tea and its benefit to human health have appeared.

There are more than 500 chemical constituents present in tea. The ones which are closely related to human health are flavonoids, amino acids, vitamins, caffeine and polysaccharides. Tea also contains essential micronutrients.

Green tea is rich in vitamin C, but most of this vitamin is lost in black tea during manufacturing process. Vitamins of the B group (riboflavin, panthothenic acid, niacin, thiamin, biotin and folic acid) are present in appreciable amount in both green and black tea and 90-100% are extracted into the brew. These vitamins are required for healthy skin and much more. The myth that drinking tea causes dark complexion should be removed. Folic acid helps in formation of new blood cells. Presence of vitamin E, vitamin K and vitamin P in tea is also reported.

Tea plant has an ability to accumulate fluorine and the content of fluorine in old leaves is quite high. The role of fluoride in the prevention of tooth decay is well known. Ingestion of fluorine from drinking tea is beneficial in prevention of tooth decay. Presence of large amount of potassium relative to sodium in tea brew is considered beneficial for hypertensive patients. There are several Chinese traditional prescriptions with tea as a major constituent for the treatment of hypertension and coronary diseases. Black tea stimulates part of the nervous system and can be good for the heart. Tea brew contains low concentration of chemical theophylline which has a relaxing effect on the blood vessels and may even make a heart attack less likely. Tea is also a good source of manganese and zinc.

The ratio of beneficial microflora to harmful microflora determines the health of the digestive tract in humans. Tea drinking play an important role in improving beneficial intestinal microflora and providing immunity against intestinal disorder. Green tea has been found to be much better than black tea in treating severe abdominal, intestinal and cerebral haemorrhages. It also prevents in the formation of stones in the urinary bladder, liver and kidney. Clinical tests have shown that in treating dysentery, tea is commonly preferred to many antibiotics on account of its harmless nature and efficacy.

Oxidative damage of cells and tissues due to per-oxidation of lipids and formation of excessive radical oxygen is one of the causes of ageing in humans. This can be prevented by adequate intake of antioxidants like vitamin C and E. The food remaining in oral cavity during the ingestion process are decomposed and this is the cause of bad breath. Even smoking tobacco causes bad breath. Several investigations have reported the deodorizing effect of tea. Chewing gums and mouth fresheners added with tea extracts have been developed in Japan and Korea for eliminating bad breath.

Caffeine content in tea is about 2.5%. It is the caffeine as a stimulant that acts on the central nervous system that results in increased awakeness and mental activity. Unfortunately, we do not take tea in the same quantity as we do for our meats and vegetables; therefore, the beneficial effects of drinking tea cannot be had in a short span of time. We have to drink more cups of tea over a period of time to gain the beneficial effects.

JPS Bhamra