Healing properties of tea. About the medicinal properties of Chinese tea

There is interesting information regarding Japan and the victims of the atomic explosion in Hiroshima. Observations show that the people affected in Hiroshima, who later moved to the Uji area tea production in Japan, we drank a lot of green tea. Not only did they survive, but their health also improved. At that time, Japanese newspapers were full of headlines: “Tea is salvation from radiation” or “Tea – the drink of the atomic age”. Professors at Kyoto University, after conducting research, concluded that tea is a real antidote for poisoning the human body with strontium-90. Strontium-90 is the most destructive reactive isotope that pollutes the air during nuclear explosions. It enters the body through the lungs and through food, mostly vegetables and milk. The body is destroyed, which leads to leukemia (bleeding) or other cancer. Japanese scientists have proven that drinking strong green tea helps destroy excess strontium-90 in the body.

Research by Professor Gorodetsky, at the Bogomoltsev Institute of Physiology, in the city of Kiev, found that mice that got radiation sickness and were given organic parts from tea (kakhetin concentrate) recovered, and mice that did not receive this remedy died. Thus, tea in its totality of ingredients has a beneficial effect on radiation sickness (radiation).

During the study of cahetins isolated from tea, they were found to be similar to vitamin P, which helps increase efficiency in the body, and to vitamin C. But tea itself, especially green tea, also has vitamin C. There is four times more of it in green leaves than in lemons and oranges. Green tea contains a lot of vitamin P, so it has no equal in the kingdom of flora. Currently open approx. 130 components (parts) that tea contains.

Tea softens inflammatory processes in chronic hepatitis.

Tea, especially green tea, is very beneficial. From it, drugs were obtained for the treatment of nephritis (kidneys), chronic hepatitis (liver inflammation), hypotension (low blood pressure).

Tea increases the elasticity of the walls of blood vessels, which is important in the treatment of atherosclerosis and hypertension. This makes it possible to avoid hemorrhage and myocardial infarction.

Tea destroys dysentery and even typhoid fever. Strong tea is used for outpourings in gastrointestinal tract severe form.

An excellent preventive measure against the formation of stones in bladder, liver, kidneys tea serves. It differs from coffee in that it stimulates the skin, and through sweating, the pores are cleaned. Vitamins ( B2, R), which tea contains, make the skin much more elastic, improve color, strengthen the skin walls of capillaries, and remove subcutaneous hemorrhage.

In Russia, tea drinking was and is very popular not only as a pleasant drink, but also like medicine. Ancient manuscripts convince us that tea softens the heart, awakens the mind, refreshes the body, and strengthens the spirit.

The treatise “Bencaoi”, written by Chen Cangqi (Tang era, 7th-10th centuries), says: “For every disease there is its own medicine, and only tea is a cure for ten thousand diseases. Ancient sources contain many examples of tea curing various diseases, and although many of them contain obvious exaggerations, the healing properties of tea are undeniable.

Tea treatment has been used in China since ancient times. Legend has it that more than four thousand years ago, the ancestors of the Chinese collected wild tea and prepared it from medicinal decoctions. Later it was noticed that drinking tea promotes health. So tea from medicine turned into a regular drink.

In the era of the Three Kingdoms (III century), new properties of tea were discovered. The famous physician of that time, Hua Tuo, believed that “ regular use bitter tea stimulates mental activity.” In the Ming era (XIV - XVII centuries), even a whole treatise on tea “Chapu” (“All about tea”) appeared. In this work, Gu Yuanqing comprehensively described the action and use of this plant and the drink made from it. Modern medicine confirms that tea is useful for many diseases, both as a means of prevention and as a medicine. In Japan, for example, tea is generally considered as a “magic remedy and miracle cure” that prevents illness and helps prolong life.

2. Why is drinking tea beneficial?

The World Health Organization has done a lot of work in many countries around the world to identify beneficial and harmful properties various drinks and, in the end, came to the conclusion that the most suitable drink for middle-aged and elderly people is tea. It is easy to prepare, cheap, hygienically clean, removes radioactive elements from the body, supplies it with necessary nutrients, and helps achieve longevity. Tea contains proteins, fats, more than a dozen vitamins, as well as about three hundred types of substances, including fatty polysaccharides, polyphenols and caffeine.

The ability of tea to prolong life is explained by the content of vitamins C, E and D, nicotinic acid and iodine. Due to the presence of phenols in the tea leaf, tea is able to absorb radioactive strontium, including that which has already penetrated into the bone tissue. For this reason, tea was dubbed the “drink of the nuclear age.” Caffeine has a vasodilating effect, speeds up breathing, increases muscle performance without increasing heart rate or blood pressure, stimulates sweating, strengthens the heart, heals the stomach, promotes normal urination and the elimination of toxins. Caffeine and polyphenols, interacting with each other, prevent the increase in cholesterol levels in the blood and have a preventive effect in case of heart attack. In addition, polyphenols cleanse the body of excess free radicals and destroy pathogenic bacteria.

The listed properties of tea leaves have a positive effect on hematopoietic processes, strengthening tendons and bones and the functioning of thyroid gland. These are especially clear positive properties tea appear in middle-aged people, since it is during this period of life that a person begins to gain excess weight, which causes cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and bowel cancer. In addition, tea invigorates and eliminates fatigue.

The numerous healing properties of tea can be summarized as follows:

1) raises tone, improves thinking abilities and memory;
2) relieves fatigue, promotes metabolism, supports the normal functioning of the heart, blood vessels and gastrointestinal tract;
3) prevents caries (according to some doctors, with regular consumption of tea, the likelihood of caries in children is reduced by 60%);
4) contains a large number of microelements useful for the body;
5) suppresses cancer cells;
6) slows down cell degeneration, helps prolong life (the effectiveness of tea in this regard is 18 times higher than that of vitamin E);
7) slows down and prevents the formation of fatty plaques on the walls of blood vessels, preventing the occurrence of atherosclerosis, hypertension and thrombosis;
8) stimulates the work of the central nervous system, enhances motor skills;
9) promotes weight loss, improves complexion (Oolong tea is especially useful in this regard);
10) prevents the formation of cataracts;
11) destroys various bacteria (due to the presence of tannic acid) and therefore prevents and treats stomatitis, pharyngolaryngitis, as well as dysentery, which often occurs in the summer;
12) contains anti-radionuclide substances (if you drink tea while watching TV, the exposure to harmful radiation is reduced and vision is preserved);
13) maintains a normal acid-base balance in the blood (tea contains caffeine, theophylline and other alkaline substances that are quickly absorbed by the body and oxidize, neutralizing acid metabolism);
14) helps withstand heat and lowers body temperature.

3. What types of tea exist in China and what effect do they have on human health?

China is sometimes called the “kingdom of tea,” and for good reason, since more than 350 varieties of tea bushes are cultivated there, from which more than 1,000 types of tea leaves are harvested. At the same time, the range of tea products is constantly expanding.

According to the processing method, tea in China is divided into the following types: fermented red (we call it black) tea (the most famous varieties are “Gongfu Hong Cha”, “Qicha” and Yunnan tea); semi-fermented Oolong tea, or dark green tea, which, thanks to strong drying, can be stored for a long time and is valued the higher the older it is (Wuyang, Tie Guanyin), unfermented green tea (the most famous varieties: Zhenmei, “Luntzin”, “Wilochun”); uncrushed and preserving young shoots White tea, produced mainly in Fujian province and represented by the Baihaoyinzhen and Baiyun Xueya varieties; pressed black tea, produced in the form of briquettes, cakes, etc., which facilitates its transportation over long distances and storage (the most famous varieties: “Puercha”, “Fuzhuancha”, “Xiangjiancha”); flower tea, i.e. tea leaves with petals of various flowers, in particular jasmine and magnolia.

Experts in the field of tea production often do not have a common opinion on the classification of types of tea. The above classification is the most common. Sometimes tea is classified according to the varieties of tea bushes, sometimes according to the shape and type of tea leaves, sometimes according to the place of production.

People's preferences for different types of tea depend on where they live. In Northern China, flower tea is preferred, in the southern regions of the country they prefer green tea, and in remote pastoral areas, pressed tea is common. Different types teas contain different nutrients and have different healing effects. For example, green tea, which contains much more vitamin C and polyphenols than red tea, is more effective against any disease. Research shows that green tea is better than red tea at preventing the growth of cancer cells because it prevents the formation of carcinogenic chemical compounds in the body. Thus, from the point of view of beneficial effects on health, green tea is better than red tea. On the other hand, green tea is not very suitable for older people, especially those suffering from habitual constipation, as it aggravates them. Red tea is better for the stomach, urine flow and as an anti-aging agent than green tea.

The type of tea and the place of its production determine its quality. In addition, when choosing tea, you should carefully consider who will be its consumer: which tea is more suitable for a particular person, depending on gender, age, physical condition, nature of work, life habits, etc. Usually, children, adolescents and young men are advised to drink weak tea and rinse their mouths with it; at a young age, when the body reaches its peak of development, it is better to drink mainly green tea, and if it is red, it is not strong. It is useful for young women in the pre- and postmenstrual periods, as well as women in adolescence, when they are overcome by irritability and anxiety, to drink flower tea, which helps to “cleanse” the liver, “streamline” qi and menstrual cycle. Flower tea is also useful for men suffering from prostate pathologies. After childbirth, it is better for women to drink red tea with the addition of a small amount of bastra (yellow sugar). For people with a sick stomach, tea with honey is recommended, for those suffering from liver diseases - flower tea, for those engaged in physical labor - red tea, and for those who work more while sitting - green tea. For weight loss, it is best to drink Oolong or Puercha tea.

Thus, there is a wide variety of teas with very different effects, so maximum benefit You can benefit from drinking tea when you choose the one that’s right for you.

4. Why does tea have anti-carcinogenic properties? Which tea is most effective in this regard?

Among the centenarians there are many tea lovers, most of whom are men. The incidence of cancer in these people is very low. Back in the 50-60s, studies were carried out that led to the conclusion that tea leaves have anti-carcinogenic properties. However, the questions of why this is so and which tea is most effective in this regard have not yet been able to find a convincing answer. Serious efforts and resources are currently being devoted to studying this problem in many countries - China, Japan, the USA, Great Britain, France, Russia, Canada, Turkey and South Korea. Recently, Chinese scientists were the first to establish that tea leaves can prevent the danger of carcinogenic effects of nitrogen compounds on the human body. Researchers believe that green, pressed, floral, red and oolong teas prevent the formation of these compounds in the body, and after a year of storage in a special container, this ability decreases by only 10%. After brewing the tea and keeping it at room temperature in the first three hours this ability drops noticeably, but then the decline slows down. Over 24 hours the reduction is 15–34%. Experimental tests on the human body have shown that 1 g of tea leaf, brewed three times with boiling water (each time 150 ml of water), can partially prevent the formation of nitrogenous compounds, and 3–5 g stop the synthesis of such compounds completely. Animal experiments show that Fujian tea, Tie Guanyin, Hainan green tea, and ground red tea reduce the incidence of esophageal cancer in rats. The tea leaf not only prevents the formation of nitrogenous compounds in the body, but also suppresses their carcinogenic effect. Scientists have also found that green tea has the most effective anti-carcinogenic effect.

At the Research Institute of Nutrition and Product Hygiene of the Academy of Preventive Medicine of the People's Republic of China, the study of anti-carcinogenic effects different varieties Chinese tea has been carried out since 1986. The results of the work done indicate that almost any type of Chinese tea has an effect that prevents the formation of nitrogenous compounds in the body by an average of 65%. At the same time, green tea is more effective than red tea (82 versus 43%). The anti-nitrogen efficiency of many varieties of green tea exceeds 85%. In terms of its anti-carcinogenic effects, green tea not only surpasses other types of tea, but also occupies one of the leading places among food products in general. The Oncology Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences analyzed the anticarcinogenic effects of 108 types of food products. The most striking thing was that green tea had the highest extracting ability. The Research Institute for Cancer Prevention of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region conducted research on six types of edible plants to identify their anti-carcinogenic effect. In this case, priority remained with green tea. What is the mechanism behind this effectiveness of green tea? Through the joint efforts of tea scientists, doctors and pharmacologists, it was possible to establish that green tea owes its anti-carcinogenic effect to the polyphenols it contains (about 20%), which are based on various tannins. They have an antioxidant effect, prevent the formation of certain carcinogenic substances and suppress the growth of cancer cells. In addition to polyphenols, tea leaves contain vitamins C, E, D and fatty polysaccharides, trace elements zinc and selenium. It is likely that the anti-carcinogenic properties of tea are due to the interaction of all its components. From what is known about these properties of tea today, it can be concluded that regular consumption of green tea (especially high-grade green tea) is an effective means of cancer prevention.

5. Does tea help prolong life and longevity?

According to legend, during the Tang era, a 130-year-old monk came to the capital from Luoyang. The emperor who met him decided to find out the secret of the monk’s longevity and asked: “You lived so long, what medicine did you take against old age?” The monk, laughing, replied: “From an early age I lived in poor family and had no idea what medicine was. I just really love drinking tea.” The emperor gave the monk the name "Cha wushijin" ("Fifty jin of tea") and placed him in the Baoshousi Monastery.

Why does tea promote longevity? This is because it contains many benefits for older people. nutrients and can prevent many chronic diseases. By drinking several cups of tea a day, they receive amino acids and various vitamins, precisely those substances that older people may lack in the first place. Tea is also rich in such minerals, such as copper, fluorine, iron, manganese, zinc and calcium, which are rarely found in other products. Tea contains medicinal substances: caffeine, tannin, vitamin P.

The effectiveness of tea as a means of prolonging life can be even higher if you combine its use with taking any strengthening medications. Our ancestors developed many recipes for preparing healing tea that prolongs life, improves the functioning of the liver and kidneys, maintains the balance between yin and yang, and improves intellectual abilities.

6. When did people start drinking tea? How did tea spread throughout the world?

China is one of the places on Earth where the tea tree appeared, and the place where the tea tree and tea leaves were used for the first time in human history. In the 1st century BC. Wang Bao wrote in the treatise “Tunyua”: “All warriors buy tea, which is distributed by a certain Yang”; “...brew a full vessel of tea and cover to steep.” The culture of drinking tea, according to ancient sources, dates back more than two thousand years and dates back to the Chunqiu era (8th–5th centuries BC). This is evidenced by such written monuments as “Yanzi Chunqiu”, “Cha Fu” (“Ode to Tea”), “Cha Jing” (“Treatise on Tea”), “Cha Dao” (“Tea and Tao”), “Cha yang" ("Nursing Tea"). For example, in the treatise of the Tang era (VII–IX centuries) “Cha Jing”, written by Lu Yu, many important comments related to tea drinking are given: “Tea is good when it is not too strong; drink it in moderation; you should not drink a lot of tea after meals; do not drink tea before bed; drink freshly brewed tea.” The Tang era poet Gu Kuan wrote about the benefits of tea in his work “Cha Fu”: “Drinking tea promotes digestion, removes excess fat, and improves tone.” In Tibet, tea, along with ghee and tsam-boy (roasted barley flour), were revered as staple foods. The life experience of Tibetans indicates that tea not only improves digestion, but is also an effective means of counteracting harmful influence on the skin of solar ultraviolet rays in plateau conditions. No wonder the Tibetans say: “You can live three days without milk, but you cannot live a day without tea.”

The spread of Chinese tea around the world began a very long time ago. According to historical documents, tea first began to spread from the northwestern regions of China to the west: primarily along the famous Silk Road from the province. Shaanxi, through Xinjiang, he penetrated into Central and Western Asia (Afghanistan, Persia), and then to Rome. Around the 5th century. tea trade actively developed between China and Turkish merchants in the areas bordering Mongolia. In the VI-VII centuries. the tradition of tea drinking spread among the Koreans; the Korean ambassador arrived in China, taking seeds to grow tea in his homeland tea tree. In European written monuments, the first mention of tea is found in “Notes on the Travels of Marco Polo” and in the opus “Chinese Tea” written by him. In the 17th century Chinese tea began to be supplied to Europe and America, where it instantly gained popularity and began to quickly spread as a valuable and pleasant drink. It was then that the first teahouses opened in London. Since then, Chinese tea and the ways of drinking it have gradually been adopted by all countries of the world, and the fashion for tea has spread everywhere.

7. What's new in tea drinking?

The development of science has made its own adjustments to the methods of drinking tea, which are significantly different from those that existed before. These changes took place and are happening literally before the eyes of those who regularly follow new products in this area, who regularly visit tea shops: tea bags and instant tea have become very popular; Iced tea, flavored teas, and various types of Chinese medicinal tea are becoming more widespread; the consumer highly appreciated the various types fruit tea, tea ice cream, cold drinks based on tea, tea sparkling wines. In China, experimental production of tea yogurt, tea cookies, and tea syrup has been established. It looks like tea is becoming a promising food product.

Now in Japan there is a trend of transition from tea drinking to “tea eating”, which manifests itself in the fact that tea leaf crumbs are added to other products, creating new ones: tea noodles, tea cakes, tea sweets, tea cakes, tea chocolate, etc. In one of famous Tokyo restaurants French cuisine Tea crumbs are also now being added to signature dishes. According to statistics, more than 80% of visitors to this restaurant are happy to order tea ice cream, seafood soup is in great demand, baked potato and tea sponge cake.
They say that such dishes first appeared in Tokyo in 1953, when tea crumbs were added to porphyry soup (a genus of red algae) in one of the restaurants.

The popularity of the tea powder additive is explained by the fact that its bright and vibrant color awakens in chefs the desire to create, and in consumers - a feeling of freshness and sophistication. To the above, we can add that direct consumption of green tea powder promotes better absorption of vitamins, has an antibacterial effect and eliminates bad smell from mouth.

8. Is it good for children to drink tea?

Usually, parents try not to give tea to their children, believing that it is too irritating and can harm the spleen and stomach. In fact, such fears are unnecessary. Tea contains derivatives of phenols, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and aromatic substances that are very necessary for the growth and development of children. In addition, tea is saturated with microelements, such as fluorine and zinc, which are also necessary for the child’s body. The main thing when giving tea to children is to remember the principle of rationality. It means that daily norm should not exceed two or three cups, that it is preferable for children to drink tea during the daytime and that the drink should not be very strong and hot. Children usually tend to consume large amounts of food and often overeat, and tea in this case improves digestion, enhances intestinal motility and the secretion of gastric juice. The vitamins, proteins and amino acids contained in tea are especially useful for lipid metabolism in the child’s body. Tea leaves have the ability to eliminate “fire”. The fact is that children are easily exposed to “fire,” which leads to frequent constipation and sometimes to the appearance of cracks in the anus. Some people relieve the associated pain by eating honey and bananas, but these products provide only temporary relief. You can radically get rid of the causes that cause increased “fire” by drinking tea daily, since it is bitter and “cold”, “weakens fire and eliminates heat.” The popular belief that tea “at the top clears the head and eyes, in the middle eliminates food stagnation, and at the bottom promotes urination and normal stool” is not without scientific merit. In addition, the microelements contained in tea are an integral part of bone tissue, teeth, hair and nails. Tea leaves contain more fluoride than any other plant. Green tea is especially rich in this microelement. Drinking tea in moderation strengthens bone tissue and prevents tooth decay.

Of course, the amount of tea a child consumes should be limited. This is especially true for young children. Excessive use tea leads to an increase in the amount of water in the child’s body, thereby increasing the load on the heart and kidneys. Too strong tea causes overexcitation, accelerates the heartbeat, increases the number of urinations, and causes poor sleep. Childhood- this is the period of growth and development of the body, when the formation of its systems is just beginning; if the child is constantly overexcited and does not get enough sleep, this will cause excess consumption of nutrients, which cannot but affect his development. For example, if you brew tea for too long, the amount of dissolved tannic acid in it increases. Drinking this tea leads to a reduction in the mucous membrane of the digestive tract. By reacting with the protein contained in food, tannic acid forms a solid precipitate, causing a deterioration in appetite, digestion and absorption of nutrients. Too strong tea, among other things, is one of the reasons for a lack of vitamin B1 and impairs the absorption of iron.

9. To whom is tea contraindicated?

Tea is a healthy drink, but when and how much to drink should be decided strictly individually. Tea is not indicated, or shown in limited quantities, to the following categories of people:

1) pregnant women. Tea leaves contain some caffeine, which has a negative effect on the growth and development of the fetus. Some people believe that black tea is harmless, but it is almost no different from green tea. One glass (150 ml) of black tea contains 0.06 mg of caffeine, and a similar volume of green tea contains 0.07 mg of caffeine. By drinking five glasses of tea daily, a woman consumes 0.30–0.35 mg of this substance. According to Japanese scientists, their research has shown that daily consumption of five glasses of strong tea by a pregnant woman leads to weight loss in the newborn. In addition, caffeine and theophylline increase the heart rate, increase the volume of fluid excreted through urination, which is an additional burden on the heart and kidneys of a pregnant woman and can provoke intoxication;

2) suffering from peptic ulcer disease. Tea has a digestive-improving effect, but for those suffering from stomach ulcers, duodenal ulcers and increased acidity this drink does more harm than good. The fact is that the stomach contains a substance called phosphate esterase. This substance inhibits the secretion of gastric juice by the cells of the stomach walls. Theophylline contained in tea inhibits esterase activity, thereby promoting the release of increased amounts of juice. As a result, the healing process of the ulcer becomes more difficult, the disease becomes more complicated, and the pain intensifies. Therefore, people who are prone to peptic ulcer, it is recommended to drink less tea, at least give up strong tea or drink it with added milk and sugar;

3) patients with hypertension and atherosclerosis. Such people need to be very careful. At the very least, completely avoid strong tea during periods of instability. Theophylline and caffeine have a pronounced stimulating effect on the central nervous system, accelerate the process of excitation of the cerebral cortex, cause contraction of the blood vessels of the head, which poses a serious danger for people with poor patency of the blood vessels and provokes the formation of blood clots;

4) those suffering from insomnia, which has many causes, but whatever the origin of this disorder, those who suffer from it are not recommended to drink tea before bed, since both caffeine and aromatic substances are stimulants. A glass of strong tea contains up to 100 mg of caffeine. This is the amount that is the maximum therapeutic dose for an adult. It is clear that a person who drinks a glass of such a drink experiences stimulation of the central nervous system, the heartbeat quickens, the blood flow accelerates, and he cannot fall asleep;

5) when high temperature. High temperature is a symptom of diseases of various etiologies. In patients with high fever, there is dilation of the blood vessels located in the skin and profuse sweating, which causes the patient's body to intensively consume fluid, dielectrics and nutrients. Naturally, a person develops a strong feeling of thirst. In such cases, many offer burning strong tea to patients, believing that it has a good antipyretic effect. Actually this is not true. Recently, English pharmacologists have proven that at high temperatures, strong tea is not indicated, since theophylline has a stimulating effect on the nerve centers responsible for the temperature balance of the body and, as a result, only increases the heat.

10. “Ten is not allowed” when drinking tea?

1) You can't drink tea on an empty stomach, as it “cools the spleen and stomach.”

2) You can't drink hot tea. Hot tea has a strong irritant effect on the throat, esophagus and stomach. If you drink hot tea for a long time, pathological changes can occur in the mucous membranes of these organs; studies by foreign scientists show that regular consumption of tea, the temperature of which exceeds 62 ° C, makes the walls of the stomach quite vulnerable. It is not recommended to drink tea with a temperature above 56°C.

3) You can't drink iced tea. Warm tea promotes clarity of mind, improves hearing and sharpens vision. Cold tea slows down life processes in the body and promotes the accumulation of phlegm.

4) You can't drink strong tea. Strong tea, due to its high content of theophylline and caffeine, causes headaches and insomnia.

5) Don't brew tea for too long. If the tea brewing time is too long, most of the phenols, fats and aromatic substances contained in the tea may automatically oxidize, resulting in the tea becoming cloudy, weakening its aroma, and deteriorating the taste. In addition, during the oxidation process, the content of vitamins C and P and amino acids in tea will decrease, and it will lose its nutritional value. If brewed tea sits for some time, it gets infected from the environment, microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) actively multiply in it, which makes the drink very unhygienic.

6) You can't brew tea many times. Typically, the tea leaves are completely depleted after steeping three to four times. As relevant experiments have shown, during the first brewing, approximately 50% of the extract is dissolved in water, during the second brewing - 30%, the third - 10%, and the fourth - 1–2%. Further brewing can lead to the release of harmful substances contained in tea, since harmful microelements begin to be released last.

7) You can't drink tea before meals. Tea consumed before meals reduces the concentration of gastric juice, temporarily impairs the absorption of protein by the digestive organs, and makes food tasteless.

8) You should not drink tea immediately after eating. As already mentioned, tea contains tannic acid, which, when added to the reaction with protein and iron supplied with food, forms a solid precipitate. As a result, the body does not receive required quantity these substances.

9) You can't take medicine with tea. Tannic acid also negatively affects medications: it causes the release of sediment and interferes with their absorption, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the medications. It’s not for nothing that people say that “tea decomposes medicine.”

10) You can't drink daily tea . In tea that is brewed and left overnight, vitamins are destroyed, and proteins and carbohydrates are converted into a nutrient medium that promotes the growth of bacteria and mold. Despite this, daily tea is used in medical practice, unless, of course, it is spoiled. For example, such tea, due to the presence of acids and fluoride compounds in it, stops capillary hemorrhages and is indicated for inflammation of the oral cavity, sore tongue, weeping rashes, bleeding gums, furunculosis, etc. A good effect is obtained by daily washing the eyes with daily tea for hemorrhages on the whites and increased tearfulness. Rinsing your mouth with daily tea in the morning before or after brushing your teeth, as well as after meals, freshens your breath and strengthens your teeth.

Although tea is healthy, it should be consumed in moderation. Generally speaking, for an ordinary middle-aged and elderly person daily norm makes 4-5 cups of weak tea. Some people don't like weak tea because it doesn't have enough flavor. Such people can be advised not to forget about the dangers of strong tea. If they really want stronger tea, then the recommended amount is 1–2 cups of medium-strength tea per day (2.5–3.0 g of tea leaves per cup). It is better to drink tea more often than a lot. You need to brew tea in such quantity that you can drink it right away, and not save it for next time. In addition, it is not recommended to drink tea early in the morning and before bed. At this time, it is better for middle-aged and elderly people to drink some plain boiled water (it’s good if it is freshly boiled but chilled water).

12. How to drink tea depending on the time of year?

The effect of tea on the body depends on the time of year, so to achieve the maximum beneficial effect You should choose tea that suits the season.

It is better to drink green tea in summer because the clear infusion of bright green leaves gives a person a feeling of purity and coolness. Green tea helps reduce the “heat” due to its strong astringent effect and high amino acid content.

Black tea is perfect for fall. In terms of its qualities, it is between green and red tea; it is neither “cold” nor “hot”, therefore it eliminates excess “heat” and promotes “restoration of saliva”. You can also mix red tea with green tea, achieving double the effect.

In winter, it is best to drink red tea, which activates yang qi in the body, giving a feeling of warmth, which is further enhanced by adding milk and sugar to it. Red tea, due to its high content of proteins and carbohydrates, promotes digestion and fat removal.

13. What is fresh tea? What is aged tea? Which one is better?

Fresh tea is tea harvested in the current year, but buyers usually recognize it as fresh if it goes on sale no later than April-May. Tea that is harvested more than a year ago is considered aged. People say: “Wine becomes more aromatic as it ages, but tea only loses flavor as it ages.” Just on sale fresh tea distinguished by glossy color, pure aroma, excellent taste. Therefore, fresh tea is in great demand in China. However, drinking this tea in large quantities is fraught with an “intoxicating” effect. This happens because freshly picked tea leaves still contain active biochemical substances such as tannic acid, caffeine, and alkaloids. In the case of drinking strong, freshly brewed tea in large quantities, it leads the human nervous system into a state of high degree of excitement, accompanied, as in the case alcohol intoxication, increased blood circulation, increased heart rate and a feeling of anxiety. In addition, the physiological processes in the body are strongly influenced by the active alkaloids contained in fresh tea, as a result of which a person’s temperature rises, dizziness begins, limbs weaken, cold sweat appears, sleep disappears, and in severe cases, muscles begin to tremble. Fresh, short-stored tea contains a large amount of non-oxidized polyphenols and aldehydes, which irritate the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines. This tea can cause pain and bloating in people with weakened digestive function, especially those suffering from chronic gastritis. To avoid harm to health, you must be very careful when handling fresh tea that has been stored for less than two weeks. As the tea is stored, the amount of irritating substances it contains gradually decreases and it becomes more suitable for consumption.

14. Which tea is healthier: strong or weak?

If we answer this question from a medical point of view, taking into account the need to promote health and prevent diseases, then priority should be given to weak tea. And in weak tea contains a sufficient amount of theophylline, which helps cleanse the mind, restore strength and does not affect sleep.

IN strong tea a lot of caffeine, which causes excessive stimulation of the nervous system and can lead to disruption of its normal functioning. Strong tea drunk in the evening can cause insomnia in people who are not accustomed to tea or who suffer from neurasthenia. Frequent drinking of too strong tea causes the formation of a solid sediment, which is formed as a result of the interaction of tannic acid and protein entering the body with food. This may cause poor appetite or constipation. Strong tea causes increased heart rate and the release of excessive amounts of gastric juice, and this is very harmful for patients with tachycardia, arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation and coronary insufficiency, as well as for patients with stomach and duodenal ulcers. Since theophylline increases the temperature, drinking strong tea by patients can neutralize the effect of antipyretics.

Scientific research has found that a cup of strong tea contains approximately 100 mg of caffeine, which is equivalent to a clinical therapeutic dose. When drinking only two cups of strong tea a day, 10% of adherents of this drink experience increased nervous sensitivity, anxiety and low mood. If you drink 10 cups of strong tea daily, then another 10% experience symptoms such as tinnitus, circles before the eyes, mild delirium, rapid heartbeat, intermittent breathing, muscle tension and tremors. The lethal dose of caffeine is about 10 g. To get this dose, you need to drink 200 cups of strong tea within a short period of time, which, of course, is impossible. However, caffeine has one very unpleasant property - it is addictive. Approximately 50% of tea drinkers are in danger of falling into this trap.

Of course, we cannot fail to mention the special role of strong tea in the treatment of diseases. For example, it is very effective in slowing the pulse, weakening breathing and inhibiting the nervous system resulting from poisoning. A compress of strong tea relieves pain from sunburn. Therefore, strong tea should be used only for therapeutic purposes and not as a daily drink.

Tea has penetrated so deeply into our culture and cuisine that many simply cannot imagine a modern feast without this delicious drink. Tea can be sweet, tart, strong, black and green, invigorating and relaxing, and it can also be useful and not very healthy. We will talk about the main properties of tea.

The main property of tea is that if you brew good tea correctly, it will be beneficial, but at the same time, if you brew the same tea incorrectly, it can be unhealthful and even harmful. We'll tell you about important properties tea and what substances are contained in tea, how tea is brewed in its homeland, why there are more healthy and slender old people in China than anywhere else, and we will also tell you why you can’t leave the tea leaves overnight and whether hypertensive patients and heart patients can drink tea.

List useful substances tea

Vitamins contained in tea

Tea Soluble Substances

Carbohydrates: glucose, sucrose, maltose and fructose.
Essential oils: aromatic substances, they give an excellent aroma to tea and at the same time help to cope with inflammation.
Pigments: the coloring substances in tea, thanks to which tea has a different color that is pleasing to the eye.
Alkaloids: stimulating substances, in tea this is primarily theine, a substance similar to caffeine, but discovered a little earlier. Theine has a milder effect, but lasts longer than caffeine.
Proteins: During the tea production process, many proteins become amino acids. Green tea contains the most proteins.
Tea amino acids: about 17 substances that affect the aroma and nutritional value drink
Tannins: have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial and disinfectant properties.

Insoluble substances in tea

Enzymes: more than 10 different substances that catalyze chemical reactions in tea.
Pectins: these are the substances that remove radionuclides from the body. Most of the survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki drank large quantities of green tea. Under normal conditions, tea copes well with the level of typical pollution in modern cities.

Does tea invigorate or relax?

Doctors are well aware of the ability of alkaloids in small concentrations to strengthen and heal. At the same time, many useful and harmless products excessive use may cause harm. Tea proves this best by its own example. There are two extremes here: a weak infusion or old stale tea is more likely to relax than invigorate, and overbrewed tea is bitter and strong, and even if the tea is fresh and good quality will bring excessive and exhausting sleepless vigor.

The active invigorating substance in tea is called theine, it is similar in properties to caffeine, but in tea it binds to polyphenols and other active substances and therefore has a noticeably milder effect on the body than caffeine. In addition, theine does not accumulate in the body and does not cause heart problems. Tea is definitely safer than coffee, but within reasonable limits.

Known in narrow circles, “chifir” can cause serious harm to health, and not only because of the large number of active substances. When brewed for a long time, completely unnecessary harmful substances are released from the tea leaves. That is why tea in its homeland is not brewed for long, and cooled tea is not brewed again, much less left to brew overnight.

Can I drink yesterday's tea?

A Chinese proverb says “yesterday’s tea is like a snake”; in Japan, 24-hour tea is compared to a snake bite. And this is really very important: the same tea can help or harm. It depends on how we brew it.

Overbrewed tea becomes cloudy, loses its aroma and develops a thin film on the surface. When brewed for a long time, valuable vitamins and amino acids are oxidized, and the tea loses its clarity, taste and aroma. Instead, astringency and an oxide film appear. This film is based on protein molecules, nitrogenous bases in the form of guanine, a substance completely unnecessary to us. Once in the body, this insoluble film envelops the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, interfering with the absorption of nutrients and irritating the entire gastrointestinal tract. This leads to poor peristaltic activity and the accumulation of “undigested” food in the intestines. This is followed by fermentation, rotting and development nutrient medium for fungi and pathogenic bacteria. In the worst cases, ulcerative-erosive processes may appear. Don't drink old overbrewed tea!

The benefits of yesterday's tea

Yesterday's tea has useful side. It has good wound-healing properties; it is used to rinse the mouth (but do not drink!) for bleeding gums, inflammatory processes and ulcers; old tea is used to wash the eyes, reducing redness, and even relieves the symptoms of conjunctivitis. Daily or simply overstayed tea is used exclusively externally.

Is it possible to drink tea with high blood pressure?

Continuing the theme of the benefits of tea, this question can easily be rephrased as “can I drink strong tea in a pre-infarction state? or “will tea save me from a heart attack?” and every heart patient secretly wants to be told “yes, you can, drink as much as you want,” “it will save, it will help,” but here, as above, proportions and measure are important. Tea can help if you drink it in moderation, in small portions, only fresh, and throughout your entire adult life. China's elderly surprise scientists with their extremely low rates of heart disease for precisely these reasons. However, the same tea, brewed stronger, for about 10 minutes, and with 4 spoons of sugar (didn’t you know that sugar increases blood pressure?) can seriously worsen your well-being. Therefore, when some say that tea is beneficial for hypertensive patients, and others say that it is harmful, everyone is right. There are too many details to consider when talking about the benefits of tea. But we can choose what tea to drink and how to brew it.

Which tea is the healthiest?

Fresh, in low concentration (not strong), in small quantities, without sugar, after a meal, green tea stimulates the entire body, giving a reasonable load, training the heart muscle and strengthening the walls of blood vessels. This simple workout, almost a habit, helps people in Asia stay healthy longer. Moderation, freshness and regularity are the main conditions for healthy tea.

Tea stimulates digestion

This is undoubtedly true, tea can help you find lightness after a heavy meal, and the constant bowl of hot green tea after fatty pilaf in Central Asia is a vivid example of this. And again, it’s worth taking a closer look: what kind of tea it is and how it’s brewed. Before and after meals, drink coarse green tea, weakly brewed, sweet and fragrant, without sugar. Green tea here acts similarly to wine in European culture, it increases acidity and temperature, forcing the stomach to cope with food more intensively. In the case of heavy animal fat, for example, lamb, tea significantly eases the sensations after eating. In addition, tea’s own vitamins are better absorbed in a fatty environment, and the benefits are double.

There is also back side or a complete misunderstanding of the effects of tea. For example, if you drink black, strong and sweet tea, and even one that has been brewed for a long time, you can give yourself true torture by eating a dense, fatty meal afterwards. We remember that such tea envelops the walls of the stomach and intestines, interfering with the absorption of food. The situation is no better with sweet black tea after meals. After the same pilaf or fried pork, the stomach will need at least an hour before it can accept sweet tea and dessert. Tea is quite good friends with sweets, neutralizing its influence, but only if the tea itself is unsweetened. But with a sweet piece of cake, sweet tea, and after a hearty dinner, is completely impossible to cope with. Same tea, completely different results.

To summarize: tea perfectly invigorates, lifts the mood, saturates with vitamins, helps digest heavy, fatty and sweet foods, strengthens the heart and blood vessels, nourishes with important vitamins, strengthening the immune system and general health, preserves youth. But all these beneficial features tea appear only when brewed correctly.

How to brew tea correctly

Regardless of the variety and type of tea, the rules for preparing it are simple. In a nutshell: you need fresh tea, the infuser is heated, add more tea, brew for a short time, do not dilute the tea with water, do not add sugar, do not leave the tea to over-brew, and especially do not drink tea on the second day.

In Asia, they drink tea like this: take 7-10 g of dry tea (a little more or less than 1 tablespoon) into a small porcelain teapot with a volume of 100 ml (or any other dish of suitable volume), put the tea in a heated teapot, pour hot, but not boiling water. water, leave for a few seconds and pour into cups. Brewing can be repeated 5-10 times until the tea retains its taste and aroma. Water is not left in the kettle for a long time, tea is not allowed to cool, and cooled tea is not re-brewed. Properly brewed green tea should be sweetish, it may be slightly bitter or a little choking in the mouth, the color of the green tea infusion is very delicate, the tea is almost transparent, this is absolutely normal. When brewed correctly, black tea is very aromatic, slightly tart, but without bitterness, with a bright and clear infusion.

Drink only high-quality fresh tea, and all its beneficial properties will be yours. Be healthy!

Healing teas

Drinking tea gives the body not just pleasure, but also carries enormous benefits. Chinese tea has been known for almost 500 years. Monks considered tea a sacred drink, doctors - healing agent. And the Chinese Emperor Kien-Long even issued a special decree, which obliged him to write his poem about tea on all porcelain cups.

Even practical Japanese try to turn every tea party into a holiday. “Then the drink will be useful not only for the body, but also for the soul,” they say. It is not surprising that in Japan, drinking tea is considered as an internal cleansing that helps achieve harmony, peace and mental balance. “Every sip should be enjoyed,” the Japanese advise. “This helps you quickly forget about troubles and tune in to the best.”

They loved to treat themselves to tea in Rus' too. Here they drank tea from a samovar. I thought it tasted better this way! And samovars themselves are a Russian invention. The first of them appeared in the middle of the 18th century. They were of various shapes: balls, barrels, with two sections, etc. Well, Tula samovars became famous throughout the world!

Beneficial and healing properties of tea

Since ancient times, tea has been revered as a cure for many diseases in India and Greece, Turkey and Italy, China and Russia. Tea in every corner of the globe cures ailments, quenches thirst and relieves fatigue, warms from the cold and saves from the scorching heat.

In ancient times, young tea leaves may have been used as food and the older, fleshy leaves as medicine. Therefore, in many ancient books the medicinal value of tea is recorded. It is said about tea that it has a healing nature, adds intelligence to a person, makes it possible to sleep less, makes the body lighter and clears the eyes.

The ancient Chinese called tea “the fire of life.” At the beginning of the 18th century, a physician of the Japanese imperial court noted that “drinking tea helps purify the blood, cleanses the mucous membrane of the eyes, regulates the functioning of the liver and spleen, relieves drowsiness and lethargy, revitalizes the muscles of the body...”

Modern science fully confirms the statements of ancient healers that tea eliminates the harm from wine. Strengthens the stomach and sexual ability in people with a cold nature, tea liquefies and crushes matter, opens, brings matter to maturity, acting softly, without sharpness and harshness, causes sweating, drives urine, quenches false thirst and soothes headaches that occur by cold. Tea cleanses the blood and complexion, brings medicinal substances to the depths of the body, cleanses the stomach and brain, eliminates bad breath, as well as the smell of wine, garlic and onions. Tea calms the heartbeat, is good for heart diseases, improves and expands breathing. Tea is useful for jaundice, dropsy, for diseases arising from blockages - for hemorrhoids and urinary retention and for the leakage of urine drop by drop, which occurs with weak kidneys.

Ancient scientists counted more than 24 medicinal effects of tea, including neutralizing poison, removing fat, strengthening teeth, and even healing the voice.

But the most important two advantages of tea: the ability of tea to synthesize what is rare in nature and dissolve it into something useful. The tea plant takes from the soil and synthesizes the most diverse and rare substances that are useful for humans. Nature did not stop there and generously endowed the finished tea with another, no less amazing ability - to give into the solution its best, most valuable, most useful part for humans. We have every reason to look at tea as a miracle.

Almost any tea contains more than 130 substances of varying complexity. They make up approximately 10 more or less permanent groups, which determine the quality of a given type and variety of tea. Almost half of them are extractive substances, that is, capable of transferring into hot water.

Brewed tea gets its dark, sometimes red-brown color and astringent, tart taste primarily due to tannins - tannins. In dry tea there are up to 16% of them. Essential oils, the content of which in tea leaves reaches 0.007%, give the tea leaves a unique, specific aroma. Tannins also include catechins. All tannins, and especially catechins, help increase the elasticity of the walls of blood vessels and thereby reduce their fragility and permeability, which is of exceptional importance in the prevention and even treatment of atherosclerosis. For diseases of cardio-vascular system tea has a calming effect, dilates blood vessels, eliminates spasms, thereby facilitating blood circulation, and normalizes blood pressure.

For hypertension, tea catechins lower blood pressure and in all cases relieve headaches and tinnitus. Catechins bind in the intestines a number of metabolic products that are undesirable for the body, which, together with the action of pectins, helps to improve the health of the intestines, maintain tissue turgor and is very useful in a set of measures to prevent premature aging. The tonic effect of brewed tea is due to the alkaloids it contains - caffeine and theobromine. IN the best varieties tea contains up to 4%.

An abundance of vitamins has been found in tea. It contains vitamins A2, B1, B2, pantothenic acid, P, PP, K, C (150-230 mg). IN fresh leaves tea contains 4 times more ascorbic acid than lemon and orange juice. Green tea contains 10 times more ascorbic acid than black tea.

Tea, being a unique drink in the sense vitamin composition, can be called the elixir of life, contains the entire alphabet of vitamins.

In medical practice, tea is known to have a beneficial effect on kidney function. Experience shows that people suffering from kidney diseases tolerate tea well; it does not cause harm even in acute and chronic nephritis with the manifestation of renal failure. The beneficial effect of tea in these cases is that it relieves general weakness and lack of appetite characteristic of these diseases. The beneficial effects of tea in diseases are known respiratory system. This is explained by the fact that when drinking tea, cellular metabolism in the respiratory tract occurs more intensely. Therefore, tea is a useful diaphoretic and stimulant for all colds respiratory organs. Tea contains a lot of fluoride. Therefore, it is a means of protecting teeth, preventing the occurrence of caries.

Everyone can drink weak tea. Strong tea can lead to increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, increased nervous excitability, irritability. Strong tea is not recommended for young children.

Modern ideas about the physiological effect of tea and its medicinal properties open up prospects for the active use of tea as a mass health remedy. It is quite clear that if tea has a complex healing effect on all internal organs involved in the processing and metabolism, then it should have a beneficial effect on the overall metabolism in our body, act as a kind of metabolic regulator, and therefore prevent diseases associated with with a violation of this exchange.

Until recently, most researchers proclaimed that green tea, popular mainly in Asia, was richer in antioxidants than regular black tea, which is mostly drunk by Europeans. Indeed, there are more antioxidants of one type, catechins, than in black. However, new research shows that black tea has different antioxidants than green tea that provide just as much antioxidant effectiveness. Thus, black and green, as well as oolong - the three main varieties of real tea - are equally effective in the fight against free radicals and aging. Black tea is simply green tea leaves that have been dried and heated, which changes the taste and color; The oolong is partially dried and heated. Instant tea also has active ingredients, and iced tea is no worse than hot or warm tea. The tea bags have the same antioxidant potential as bulk tea, as long as you keep them in water for the same amount of time.

In the morning, instead of coffee, we recommend drinking acidified water with lemon and honey, as well as herbal tea. By drinking such teas in the morning, you can kill three birds with one stone.
Firstly, clean water or warm herbal tea to dilute thickened, contaminated blood overnight. Mucus and toxin plaque from the walls of blood vessels are washed away.
Secondly, adding acid causes waste and toxins in the intestines to be diluted. It is best to acidify such teas with a tablespoon of good apple cider vinegar or a slice of lemon per 200 grams of water. In addition to the antitoxic properties, lemon and apple cider vinegar contain many vitamins, especially necessary for activation immune system. Apple cider vinegar is also rich in potassium, which is so necessary for the muscle tissue of the whole body and the smooth muscles of our eyes.
And thirdly, including a tablespoon of honey will not only add vitamins, microelements and many nutrients and healing substances to the body, but will also launch the body’s self-cleansing mechanism. Honey is known to be an excellent natural cleanser.

It would seem: what drink could be more ordinary than tea? Meanwhile, its beneficial properties continue to surprise researchers.

Green, white, yellow, blue-green, red and black... This classification of tea is generally accepted in China, the homeland of this plant. There, tea has long been perceived as soothing, aromatic and delicious drink, which has medicinal properties. Now the healing properties of tea have been scientifically confirmed.

Such a healthy drink

“A common mistake among our consumers is drinking green tea on an empty stomach. Please do not do this, because there is a chance of getting a stomach or duodenal ulcer. It is advisable to drink green tea an hour after meals,”- speaks Elena Braylovskaya, director of the Yellow Phoenix tea club.

Beneficial features:

Tea enhances immune functions.
Helps digestion and metabolism processes.
Helps reduce “bad” cholesterol levels.
Helps increase “good” cholesterol levels.
Lowers blood pressure.
Prevents the development of caries and gingivitis.
Reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Reduces the risk of cancer.

What does tea contain?

Tea contains catechin. The highest concentration of this antioxidant is found in white and green teas. Black tea contains a lower concentration of catechin. However, the concentration level does not differ significantly. Tea also contains some types of phenols and tannins, as well as theanine, caffeine, theobromine and theophylline.

Potential Therapeutic Properties of Tea

Tea is rich in beneficial microelements, relieves fatigue, invigorates and has a bactericidal effect.
Thanks to vitamins C, E, D, nicotinic acid, as well as iodine, tea has a reputation as a longevity drink.
Tea has a diaphoretic and diuretic effect, stimulates the kidneys, helps eliminate toxins, and also strengthens the heart and stomach.
Phenols contained in tea leaves remove even strontium-90 (a radioactive substance) deposited in the bones from the body. Phenols also help improve vascular permeability, like vitamin D.
Theine helps dilate blood vessels, activate oxygen metabolism and improve muscle tone without increasing blood pressure or increasing heart rate.
Tea also improves metabolic processes, thermogenesis and energy expenditure.
Tea improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Drinking tea can help prevent diabetes.
Tea reduces the risk of cells degenerating into cancerous ones.
L-theanine contained in tea increases mental activity.
Research has also shown that drinking tea can lead to a reduction in the stress hormone cortisol.
Tea extracts are effective in treating bacterial and fungal infections and also help in treating rheumatoid arthritis.
Melanin obtained from black tea helps in treating snake bites.

From the history of tea...

The historical homeland of tea is China. The earliest mention of this drink dates back to the Han Dynasty, the first millennium BC. Tea bushes were discovered as early as 5,000 to 6,000 years ago in China. Tea has been grown purposefully for over 2000 years. About 40 countries around the world produce tea, mostly Asian countries, which account for 90% of total production.

The first mention of tea in Europe dates back to 1559. In the beginning, tea was positioned as a medicine and was sold in pharmacies. Some healers advised adding sugar and ginger to tea. One way or another, tea gradually came into use. By the end of the 17th century, Europeans learned to appreciate its taste and aroma. Tea began to be sold in ordinary grocery stores, and since then, it has been available to everyone, healthy and sick, rich and poor.

Today, the taste of tea is familiar to everyone, because it is the most popular drink in the world. Each country drinks it differently. Which tea to prefer and in what volume you need to drink it in order to improve your own health is a purely individual question. It can be two cups of aromatic drink, or ten, it all depends on the state of your health. It is for this reason that it is impossible to answer this question unambiguously. One thing is true - everything is good in moderation.