The popular infusion that prevents and cures illnesses

Peace Times 10

If you are looking for a natural medicine to ease digestion, clear the head and bring clarity to the eyes, neutralise toxins or a diuretic - try drinking tea! The healing properties of tea, in particular the green variety, will come as welcome news to nations of tea drinkers who have been bombarded in recent years with information that says the caffeine content in tea is bad for health. Traditional Chinese doctors have however, sustained for centuries that tea is an effective medicine, both in terms of prevention and cure of certain sicknesses.

The principal active ingredients of tea are the alkaloid caffeine (present in between 2-4% and the same molecule that is found in coffee) and polifenoli. Present in the fresh leaves of green tea are also vitamin c and enough fluoride to prevent dental cavities - qualities almost destroyed in black tea.

Tea is a stimulant of the central nervous system - a result of the caffeine content - and so supports both intellectal and muscular functions, as well as stimulating the cardio-vascular functions. The caffeine contained in tea is however less violent on the body than that of coffee, as it is released more slowly into the body due to its partial combination with polifenolici components.

During the last few years many scientific studies have demonstated the preventative and healing properties of tea against arteriosclerosis, and Japanese research demonstrates that regular consumption of green tea diminishes the amount of fats in the blood, in particular cholesterol. Dutch studies on black tea show that people who drink 5 cups a day have a lower risk of cerebral-vascular incidents - a reduction of 69% in comparison with those who drink only 2 cups of tea a day. Recent research also seems to show that green tea can prevent certain types of cancer. According to the research conducted by the Japanese Health Ministry, mortality caused by cancer in the stomach and colon is lower in the regions which produce green tea. Statistics also indicate that the percentage of tumours in the lungs is much lower in Japan than in the United States, even though Japan has a higher cigarette consumption.

Of course, all these results have to be interpreted with caution as tea drinkers often have very particular diet behaviours and a lower than average alcohol consumption. s.d.