Tea ~ Health in a CupA multitude of continuing research and clinical studies worldwide have concluded that tea offers very specific health benefits. The Food and Drug Administration concludes there is limited evidence to qualify some of these health claims. All material used on this site regarding the claims of health benefits of tea is provided for your information only and not to be construed as medical advice. Tea may play an important role in our search for the elusive fountain of youth and good health? We jump on the bandwagon of any new product that professes to stop aging in the body and the brain. We take wonder supplements. We buy creams and lotions. We tighten up and cover up. We camouflage. But have you ever thought it may be as simple as brewing a cup of tea? The health benefits of taking afternoon tea are not just as a respite from your busy world, but a tonic in the liquor of the tea leaf itself. It’s inevitable, that aging thing. We can’t avoid it. We can’t stop it. We can, however, help our bodies and our minds age more gently, staying alert and more healthy. The natural progression of life and the environment that surrounds us has degenerative effects on our body. We are attacked by free radicals. Normally the body can handle free radicals, but if antioxidants are not available, damage can occur. Free radical damage accumulates with age. For several years we’ve heard that green tea is high in antioxidants. But tea is certainly not a new discovery. It’s been a key ingredient in Chinese medicine for five thousand years. The earliest known reference to tea as a health benefit dates back to 2737 B.C. After taking a seminar at the World Tea Expo from a cardiologist who had spent the last three years researching the health benefits of tea, I was astonished to hear that the FDA still stops short of putting its stamp of approval on tea. Recent studies assert that tea may possibly help prevent and/or effectively treat our most devastating diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, obesity, Alzheimer’s, cancer, diseases of the central nervous system like Parkinsons and multiple sclerosis. Studies show it may even prevent bad breath, tooth decay and periodontal disease. Researchers are finding tea to have endless health benefits. The catechins, caffeine and theanine in tea all have very specific jobs to do in your body. Let’s look further into the health benefits of this amazing plant to see if we’ve had the fountain of youth right in our teacup all along.
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