Tea: Brewing Up Good Health

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Tea Brewing Up Good Health

• by
• Gabriel Keith Harris, Ph.D.

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(Chinese Character for Tea)
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Presentation Outline

• Tea A Brief History
• The True Teas
• Tea Processing and Consumption
• Known and Potential Health Effects of Tea
• Why Is Tea Beneficial?

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Question

• Where did tea originate?

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AnswerEastern India Western China
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Tea Legend I

• Emperor Shen Nung, the Divine Healer,
  unintentionally made the first pot of tea when
  leaves from the tea plant under which he had
  camped fell into a pot of boiling water he was
  preparing.

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Tea Legend II

• Bodidharma, an Indian monk credited for bringing
  Zen Buddhism to China, chewed tea leaves in order
  to stay awake for 7 years on end.

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Tea History

• Historical references to tea date back 5,000
  years
• Tea was likely consumed even earlier by the
  indigenous peoples of China
• More recent historical events include
• The Boston Tea Party
• The Opium Wars

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Question

• If the United States was founded in large part by
  former British citizens, why is coffee more
  popular than tea?

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AnswerThe Boston Tea Party

• Tea was very popular in the British colonies that
  later became the United States
• ...then a tea tax was imposed (bad idea)
• Britain monopolized the tea trade
• Colonists were forced to buy tea from a single
  company

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On December 16, 1773, a group of colonists raided
a British Ship in Boston Harbor, dumping its
cargo of tea overboard.
...and so a nation of coffee-drinkers was born.
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The Opium Wars

• Britain had been importing tea from China for
  some time when the U.S. war for independence
  began.
• To fund the war against the colonies, Britain
  imposed high taxes on tea being imported from
  China.
• When no money was left to buy tea from China, it
  was traded... for opium.
• Many Chinese people became addicted to opium.
• When the Chinese government confiscated the
  opium, Britain went to war with China.

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The Opium Wars1839-1842

• China loses control of Hong Kong for 155 years
• Hong Kong was not returned to China until June
  30, 1997

The Result?
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Names You Might Recognize

• Cadbury
• Herrods of London
• AP supermarkets

All of the above were involved in the tea
business at one time.
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Question

• Where in the world is tea grown today?

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Answer All over the place!
Ag
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Ag
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Question

• Which country has the highest tea consumption per
  capita?

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Hint

• Think U2
• Think shamrocks
• Think Guinness

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AnswerThats right, Ireland...where people
drink about 4 cups per day on average
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The True TeasWhite, Green, Oolong, Black Tea

• Yes, its true!
• All true teas come from a single plant
• Its called Camelia sinensis

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What About Herbal Teas?

• Lemon Verbeena
• Yerba Mate
• Roobois
• Chamomile
• Mint

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They are not true teas...
...its better to refer to them as

• Herbal Teas
• Herbal Infusions
• Tisanes

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The Tea LeafOrigin of Green, Oolong, Black
Teas
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White, Green, Oolong, Black Teas
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...to here?
So, how do we get from here...
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Im glad you asked!
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Rolling and Drying
Steam or Pan Roast
Green Tea
The Two Paths of Tea Processing
Oolong and Black Teas
Withering
Oxidation aka Fermentation
Rolling and Drying
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Whats Everybody Drinking?
World Tea Consumption
U.S. Tea Consumption
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A Comparison of Chinese and Indian Traditional
Medicine with Western Medicine

• Differences in Philosophy
• Differences in Use

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Chinese and Indian Traditional Medicine Holistic
Approaches

• Tea is used to treat many ailments in Chinese and
  Indian traditional medicine
• Eastern disciplines consider the body as a
  whole
• Believe that an improvement of overall health can
  prevent or treat disease

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In Chinese and Indian traditional medicine, tea
is used for

• improving urination
• speeding bowel evacuation
• treatment of dysentery
• loosening of phlegm
• strengthening of teeth
• treatment of epigastric pain
• treatment of skin fungus
• reducing hunger
• Increasing qi
• longevity

• treatment of insomnia
• calming effects
• mental and visual clarity
• thirst quenching
• detoxification of poisons
• improving digestion
• prevention of indigestion
• sobering effects
• breaking down oils, fats
• body temperature regulation

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Western Medicine Calculated Risks, Specific
Treatments

• Treats organs specifically affected by a disease
• Calculates effects of lifestyle (eg. tea
  consumption) on disease risk
• Searches for specific causes and cures of disease

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For example

• A doctor believes someone has heart problems
• The doctor conducts exams to determine problem
  and calculate patient risk
• The doctor finds that a an arrow has pierced the
  patients heart
• The treatment arrow removal surgery

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Based on Epidemiological Studies, Western
Medicine believes that...
Drinking tea may reduce the risk of Heart
Attack Stroke Cancers Obesity Diabetes
FYI The word may is used because its
impossible prove the benefits of tea through
epidemiology alone.
In-depth clinical studies are needed to prove the
health benefits of tea.
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Clinical Studies with Green Tea

• Increases basal metabolic rate and promotes fat
  oxidation
• Is an effective treatment for periodontal disease
• Enhances insulin sensitivity
• Inhibits formation of cancer-causing
  nitrosamines.

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Clinical Studies with Oolong Tea

• Increases basal metabolic rate and promotes fat
  oxidation
• Reduces blood sugar levels in hyperglycemic
  patients.

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Clinical Studies with Black Tea

• Reduces total and LDL cholesterol levels
• Reduced platelet aggregation
• Inhibits formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines.

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What In Vitro or test tube data and Animal
Models say about the Health Effects of Tea

• Green tea...
• Kills cavity-causing bacteria
• Potential treatment for dementia.
• Causes cancer cells to commit suicide.
• May reduce fat absorption.
• Kills the parasite Toxoplasma
• Has anti-folate properties
• Oolong tea...
• Kills bacteria known to cause cavities.
• Kills the parasite Toxoplasma in mice.
• May exhibit ant-allergic properties.

• Black tea...
• Reduces dental cavity formation in hamsters.
• Antiinflammatory activity.
• Potential treatment for dementia.
• Causes cancer cells to commit suicide.
• Protective against tetanus and botulinum toxins.
• White tea prevents...
• DNA damage
• Precancerous lesions in rats.

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East Meets WestWhere Eastern and Western
Medicine Agree

• All teas appear to improve dental health
• Black tea inactivates toxins
• All teas have antimicrobial effects
• Teas have both stimulant and calming effects
• Drinking tea may enhance longevity

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Why is tea beneficial?

• Antioxidant Activity. Free radicals are highly
  reactive molecules that are capable of damaging
  DNA and other important cellular components.
  Over a period of years, this damage may result in
  reduced function of the organ in question or in
  diseases such as cancer.
• Metabolic Effects. Tea has the ability to affect
  liver metabolism, which may help prevent the
  formation of cancer-causing compounds in the
  body.
• Effects on Digestion. By reducing fat uptake or
  changing the ability to absorb other nutrients,
  drinking tea may act as a kind of mild calorie
  restriction.

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Active Ingredients?

• Caffeine- stimulant found in similar quantities
  in green, oolong, and black tea.
• Catechins- polyphenolic compounds found most
  abundantly in green tea.
• Flavonoids- a general class of polyphenolic
  compounds that includes catechins.
• Theaflavins- the product of the reaction of
  catechins with the enzyme polyphenol oxidase,
  found in oolong and black teas.
• Theanine- an amino acid that can be used to form
  catechins and that opposes the effects of
  caffeine.
• Thearubigins- long chain molecules found in
  oolong and especially black tea.

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(Chinese Characters for Thank You)