According to the British a good cuppa tea is the answer to any of life’s problems. I’ve always drunk tea. I love tea! I started drinking tea when I was young and have continued ever since. Little did I know that by following such a tea drinking tradition I was also benefiting myself with one of histories most beneficial drinks!

According to legend the first cup of tea was an accident – in China leaves dropped or flew into a cup of hot water and the rest is history. Can you imagine an industry and empire was built on such a small quirk of fate?

Once tea had been “discovered” the Chinese quickly figured out the medicinal benefits and these were in great demand before it became a popular drink. When tea arrived in Japan the Japanese took tea-drinking one step further and made it into an art-form with tea houses and tea ceremonies.

Fortunately for us the Chinese and Japanese secret did not stay a secret for long (only about 900 years or so!). According to history Europeans eventually were introduced to tea as an exotic medicinal drink by the Dutch East India Company in 1610.

Popularity of tea in Britain began about 40 years later with tea being advertised as a health beverage and that’s where my interest comes in now. The claims were and still are true – tea contains powerful antioxidants needed by our bodies to help fight the famous “free radicals” that are in the body just ready to mess things up and harm our healthy cells causing heart disease and cancer among other things.

 

Is one kind of tea better than another? The answer to this will depend on who you talk to. All true teas (those made from the tea plant) are rich sources of antioxidants. The richest is Green tea mainly because of the way it is prepared – it is the least processed of the three. It is made solely with the leaves of the tea plant that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing whereas the more popular black tea is partially dried, crushed and fermented. For more information about Green tea and its multiple benefits  Click Here! and check out the Complete Guide to Green Tea. Recently scientific and medical studies have been conducted on tea, (of any kind so long as it is from the tea plant), to find the benefits of the drink as it pertains to our health. Among some of its “medicinal” benefits tea may: lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, slow down the spread of prostrate cancer, lower risk of some skin cancers, reduce risk of hypertension, and boost the body’s defenses. 

Who would have thought that lovely cuppa that I have been drinking for most of my life actually was a good thing for me? A cup of tea nowadays is far more reasonably priced than when it first appeared in the coffee-houses of England but the natural health benefits are still worth their weight in gold!  

The internet contains many interesting sites on tea, its history and its medicinal benefits. For more information on this and lots more check out www.essortment.com or www.2basnob.com and follow the links.

So grab your favorite cup, your favorite choice of tea,  boil the kettle and sit back, relax and enjoy! 

And for those going to Britain on holidays this year, make sure you pop into a tea house for afternoon tea!