Tikachu's Kitchen

I can still vaguely remember when I was 7 or 8, my parents brought me to the national theatre and we watched a historical movie about an Emperor in China who used all the resources he could muster to find a special herb that was rumored to be the key to immortality. I guess you already have an idea what it might be: yep. Tea. The emperor was a bit overdramatic because he died soon after, but he indeed left an infamous legacy of herbal tea-drinking, and tea DOES help prolong your life in a way. I will tell you why ;)

But first, let me introduce you to this healthy, second most widely consumed drink in the world (the first is plain water of course). Tea was first cultivated in China around 2700 BC. It has been a national love affair since then . There are at least six varieties of tea: white, yellow, green, oolong, back and pu-erh. They all come from the same species of plant, just processed differently.

Benefits of Tea:

1. Anti-cancer: Studies have suggested that green tea protects against several types of cancer such as lung cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer, proved by significant decrease of cancer cell growth rate after 2 or 3 cups of tea. Using tea on your skin also protects it from UVA and UVB (photoaging and carcinogenesis).

2. Increased Metabolism: Tea is proved to raise metabolic rates and speeds up oxidation of fat. It also contains catechin polyphenols which increases heat production in the body, making your body burns more calories (green lamp for dieters!).

3. Anti-Diabetes: Tea improves insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, and drinking hot tea without sugar also helps lower ur blood sugar.

4. Mental Alertness: The amino acid L-theanine found ONLY in tea plant is found to actively alter the attention part of the brain, leading to high level of awareness, yet calmer attitude.

5. Increased Immunity: Sounds superpower, I <3>

6. Cognitive Prolonging: A study in 2006 showed that Japanese elders who consumed more than 2 cups of green tea a day had 50 percent lower chance of having cognitive impairment and Alzheimer =)

7. Fights off stress: Black tea is known to lower the stress hormone, cortisol, immediately after consumption. It also relieves blood clotting and lowers the risk of heart attacks.

8. Anti-HIV?: Recent study stated that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) found in green tea can bind HIV virus and can be used as a complementary therapy for HIV patients, but is not necessarily a cure.

9. Anti-inflammation: the polyphenols in green tea is known to reduce intestinal inflammation.

10. Bad Breath, Go Away!: Researchers at the University of Illinois stated that polyphenols help fight off bacteria in your mouth that can cause bad breath.

11. Iron Overload: A daily cup of black tea is potent for stopping excess iron from damaging the bodies of people suffering from hemochromatosis.

12. Safe level of Caffeine: A cup of green tea contains 15-50 mg of caffeine, a safe and lower level of caffeine compared to coffee. Caffeine lowers the chance of Parkinson’s disease and temporarily increases short term memory. Caffeine is also linked with physical performance, healthy weight loss, reduction headaches and treatment of ashtma.

13. Anti-fungal: White tea is especially effective in treating infections from Penicillium chrysogenium and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

14. Anti-venom: Tannin contained in tea can be used as a first aid for snakebites.

15. Stroke: Drinking three or more cups of tea per day can reduce the risk of stroke as much as 21%.

16. Cardiovascular: Drinking just one cup of black tea per day helps protect your body from cardiovascular disease.

17. Warts: Sinecatechin, an extract of green tea, is effective for treating warts when used topically (external use).

18. Anti-depressant: A study on green tea consumption found an association between tea and low psychological distress. Recipe: drink 2-3 cups of green tea a day.

So what are you waiting for? Start drinking tea (diverse between green, black and red tea) for extra years of prolonged life. A word of caution though, lime is known to neutralize the good effects of tea, making your body unable to absorb the healthy chemicals in tea. So avoid drinking lemon tea ='(

Tika’s recommendation: JIAOGULAN Tea, known to the western world as the “herb of immortality” is a tea made from a special Chinese herb (not from the common tea plant). It is known to have various good effects for your body. You can find it sold in supermarkets in the form of tea bags, mass-produced =)

Related Posts:

I'm reading: A Thing or Two (or a hundred) About Tea (Yes, it’s a pretty long article)