Health Benefits of Drinking Tea

Tea drinking is a culture for people all over the world irrespective of ethnicity. Although with the western influence of alcohol and other carbonated beverages as alternative options, tea is still rated as first rank of preference beverage that is irreplaceable.

 The history of tea drinking can be dated back 2737BCE by the Chinese emperor Shennong. It is said that emperor Shennong preferred his drinking water to be boiled so it is clean to consume. One day while emperor Shennong was travelling, his servant begins boiling water for him to drink. A dead leaf from the wild tea bush suddenly fell into the boiling water unnoticed. Emperor Shennong drank it and finds it very refreshing, and so from there on he names it Cha (meaning ‘Tea’). Tea was only introduces to the West about 400 years ago.

Tea drinking was such a phenomenon with millions of people around the world enjoying their tea on a daily basis. It has already become so well known that the word ‘tea time’ is used to address the time when people went for drink during evening break - although they drink coffee, it is still called ‘tea time’. Tea has played an important role in cultural ceremonies and social customs regarding how, when and where to drink it. For example the traditional/original way of Chinese tea drinking - there’s a process of cleansing and warming up the teapots and cups, ensuring the flavor of the tea penetrates the tea cups and pouring pitcher. The first brew is never for drinking and even when the tea is ready for drink, you have to pour it into the pitcher first before serving the tea into the sniffing cups (there are cups for you to sniff the tea and we are not  suppose to drink from the sniffing cups), then to the tea cups for drinking.

 If you can see it, there are actually steps and ways created to serves tea. Tea is used as a worshiping beverage to ancestors and god. It is also used for special occasions like wedding and other traditional ceremonies among Chinese. I take Chinese as an example because it is one of the largest nation that drinks tea and tea is part of their culture – actually I know better because I’m one of them. Well it is just an example - of course other nation drinks it too (in fact – the whole world). This has proved that the status of tea is extraordinarily special.

Besides its reputation, were there any benefits on drinking tea? It is said that tea drinking has health benefits. What kind of health benefits it gives us? History tells that the legendary founder of herbalogy emperor Shennong had tasted hundreds of herbs in the span of his research, including poisonous herbs in order to differentiate those which had medicinal value from those which did not. He actually drank tea to counteract the effects of taking poisonous herbs. 

The health benefit of drinking tea

1. Tea helps to refresh mind, enhance alertness and boost concentration. 
2. Promote body fluid production, quench thirst, clear heat and phlegm, promotes digestion and urination
3. Relieve indigestion and smooth bowel movements – I’ve experience it myself when drinking Pu Erh.
4. An antidote to clear toxic heat evils by promoting bowel movements and urination.
5. A concentrated decoction of tea is used to expel phlegm due to wind evil and heat invasion.
6. Studies claim that the polyphenol content of green tea has antioxidant properties that can help prevent cancer, however research is ongoing.
7. There is also a suggestion that it can increase endurance in exercise by improving fat metabolism.
8. Unwanted blood clots formed from cholesterol and blood platelets cause heart attack and stroke. Drinking tea may help keep your arteries smooth and clog-free, the same way a drain keeps your bathroom pipes clear. A 5-6 year study from the Netherlands found 70 percent lower risk of fatal heart attack in people who drank at least two to three cups of black tea daily compared to non-tea drinkers.
9. Tea can be the replacement of coffee because it has caffeine – but have less caffeine content than coffee.
10. Drinking tea may help your body's immune system fight off infection. When 21 volunteers drank either five cups of tea or coffee each day for four weeks, researchers saw higher immune system activity in the blood of the tea drinkers.

Little that I know initially that tea drinking has such an enormous amount of benefits to our health. All this while I drink because my parents drink it and sometimes when friends come out for dinner, we will just order a pot of tea (that’s our culture). After knowing the health benefits of tea drinking, it is really an eye opening and I see tea differently now. Will surely precious my time more on the art of tea drinking and tell everyone about its health benefits. Of course different tea suits different people – whether it is taste, smell, effects on one’s body and etc. We really have to try it in order to know it. Happy tea drinking to all.