Health benefits of tea
- Dahlia Lindsay
- Mar 7, 2018
- 2 min read
“Prevention is better than cure,” the old adage says, and while this is certainly true we still seem to focus mainly on finding cures for all illnesses or diseases rather than finding a permanent method of prevention. As a native Jamaican, the cure to all my ailments and woes is simply: tea. To many cultures these three letters hold such value and yet this beverage is often overlooked; mainly thought about in the American culture whenever the time is extremely cold or whenever our friend or family members have the flu. With a culture whose ideal breakfast undoubtedly had to include tea, I grew up hearing from as old as my grandparents that the leaves, stem or root of a herb or plant were able to mend even a broken heart. A Shrub's Dynasty
The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics in one of their recent articles titled, “The Health Benefits of Tea,” referred to the origin of tea from 2737 B.C., when Chinese Emperor Shennong unexpectedly had leaves from an overhanging Camellia sinensis plant fall into his cup of boiling water. Currently, this beverage has grown to become a remedy through its capacity to soothe, refresh and restore. The article also highlighted that the Tea Association of the USA, Inc. postulates that over 159 million Americans are believed to drink a cup of tea on any given day, with the trend expected to increase rapidly, at least until the next 5 years.
Whether you prefer your tea on the darker side or the clear and colorless side the benefits are said to be relatively the same with few differences in caffeine content. Health Benefits
Perhaps one of the most known benefit of drinking tea is its significance in heart health. In fact, studies report that black tea displayed decreased heart attack in patients, while green tea was associated with higher HDL levels and lower LDLs, total cholesterol and triglycerides. Another famous belief is that properties with each tea decrease the odds of losing a tooth and the growth of periodontal bacteria, due to its ability to decrease the pH of the of the tooth surface.
Perhaps the greatest fascination with tea now lies with its properties in supporting weight loss and its fight against carcinogenic cells, since the main antioxidant in green tea (EGCG) helps kill cancer cells through the destruction of the cells’ mitochondria. In fact, evidence from a study found that women who consumed the equivalent of 2.5 cups of tea per day had a 60% reduction in rectal cancer risk, compared with women who drank less than 1.2 cups of tea daily.
The last yet most profound belief on the benefits of drinking tea is its supposed ability to treat acne. After reading the main article I found myself researching tea more in depth and came across a teenager who now utilizes green tea and honey as acne treatment for cystic acne. The article may be found here : https://www.allure.com/story/green-tea-honey-cystic-acne-skin-care-routine. While some readers criticized the validity of her claims and regimen, all that can be said is... well, if it works for her... So whether you prefer green, black, yerba mate or herbal just remember to tilt your cup back and stick your pinky finger out.
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