Every year on December 15, all countries that have the status of the world’s leading tea producers celebrate Tea Day. It should not be confused with another date – International Tea Day, which was established by the UN in 2019. Tea today is considered the most popular drink in the world. Let’s talk about its health benefits.
Tea Day draws the attention of governments to the problems of its sale, the relationship between producers and consumers, and also popularizes it. About the ancient popular and healthy drink told experts at the resource healthy-nutrition.rf.
From the history of tea
Traditionally, it is believed that tea was discovered by the second emperor of China, Shen Nung, in 2737 BC. e. Of the Europeans, the Portuguese Jesuit missionary Father Jasper de Cruz was the first to write about this drink in 1560. In 1657, tea began to be sold as a medicinal drink in the Garway coffee house in London. Englishman Richard Blechinden introduced iced tea to the public at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, and New York tea importer Thomas Sullivan accidentally invented tea bags in 1908 when he sent samples of tea to customers in small silk bags – they brewed tea by mistake. right into them. Instant tea was first produced in the world in 1953.
In Russia, tea began to be drunk in the first half of the 17th century. The word “tea” was borrowed from the Chinese language, in Russian it began to be found in medical texts of the middle of the 17th century, in particular, in “Materials for the history of medicine in Russia”.
In Russia, as well as in Europe, tea was in demand primarily as a medicinal drink, but over time it began to be drunk for pleasure. By the middle of the 17th century, up to 10 varieties of tea could already be found in Moscow. For the first time, a case of growing a tea bush was documented in Russia in 1817. Then tea was grown in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden of Crimea.
Currently, black tea is drunk mainly in Europe, North America and North Africa, while green tea is popular in Asia. The most common are black, white and green tea, oolong tea. The difference is in different processing or harvest time.
About the benefits of tea
Tea has a high content of biologically active substances – polyphenols (tannins). In nature, they can be found in edible and inedible plants such as tree bark, leaves, spices, nuts, seeds, fruits, and legumes. Tannins naturally protect plants from pests. They are found not only in tea, but also in coffee, wine and chocolate. The astringent and bitter tastes and aromas of tea testify to the high supply of tannins.
Tea is also beneficial with polyphenols, which provide antioxidant, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties of the drink, they stimulate the immune system. Green tea is healthier than black tea due to its higher catechin content. At the same time, black tea contains a lot of theaflavins, thearubigins and catechins – this provides the dark color of black tea.
In addition, tea is rich in ellagitanine, a special type of tannin that stimulates the growth and activity of beneficial intestinal bacteria. Ellagitanin reduces the risk of certain types of cancer. Scientists have found that thanks to polyphenols, tea indirectly protects the body from oxidative processes that occur due to unfavorable ecology, smoking, and inflammation. After two cups of green tea a day, the amount of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein decreases.
It should be borne in mind that tannins interfere with the absorption of iron. In the digestive tract, tannins easily bind to it – so people with a reduced iron content need to know this and drink tea in moderation, apart from foods high in iron. In addition, the high levels of tannins in tea can cause nausea if taken on an empty stomach.
Healthy Tea Supplements
Natural additives to tea not only change the taste of the drink, making it diverse, but also add useful properties. Despite the high water content in the human body, it is constantly lost. The balance is replenished by the use of fruits, vegetables, drinks. Among drinks, tea stands out for its beneficial properties. In particular, the ability to lower blood pressure. Rospotrebnadzor recommends especially useful additions to this ancient drink.
sea buckthorn berries – perhaps, it is the world record holder in terms of the content of useful substances: vitamins C, groups B, E, K, PP, iron, manganese, organic acids. Berries are useful for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, intestines, to strengthen the immune system and increase the body’s defenses.
Lemon – a member of the citrus family is rich in vitamin C. Tea with lemon is excellent support for colds and infectious diseases. To get the maximum of vitamins, it is worth eating a slice of lemon after drinking tea.
Thyme – when this herb is added to tea, the drink becomes exquisite. Thyme gives a special taste and aroma, as well as medicinal properties. It contains a lot of essential oil, which helps in the treatment of bronchitis and other respiratory diseases, colds and flu. In addition, thyme saves from blues and depression.
Mint – in the essential oil of this herb there is a large amount of menthol, which will enrich the tea with analgesic, antiseptic, antibacterial, general tonic and restorative properties. Mint perfectly soothes and relieves fatigue.
Ginger root can be added to tea constantly. Then the drink will become an anti-inflammatory agent, help strengthen the immune system and increase the body’s defenses. In addition, ginger will help get rid of headaches and back pain, relieve stress, and have a beneficial effect on the work of the digestive, cardiovascular and nervous systems.
Useful additives to tea will allow you to enjoy the aromas, warm your soul and body.
Formerly online edition “Teacher’s newspaper” reported about the benefits of lentils and its possible harm to the body.
