Benefits Of Tea

Source :Money life :Tanushree Kar

Tea has many healthy properties. Tanushree Kar describes some of them

Whether cutting chai or full cup – an average Indian consumes about five cups of tea per day; so it might be a good idea to talk about the health benefits of tea. Tea is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world after water.

 Whether it is black, green, or red (oolong) tea, they all contain polyphenols which give tea its antioxidant properties. 

Antioxidants help protect our bodies from free radical damage. Indeed, tea ranks higher than many fruits and vegetables in the oxygen radical absorbance capacity score that measures antioxidant levels of foods. 

The more processing tea leaves undergo, the darker they turn. Green tea is the least processed tea – the leaves are simply steamed quickly. 

Black and red teas are partially dried, crushed and fermented. Regardless of the processing method, all teas contain polyphenols. Numerous studies have demonstrated the anti-cancer properties of polyphenols. Some studies, indeed, have suggested that tea’s polyphenols may reduce the risk of gastric, oesophageal and skin cancers, if one consumes four to six cups daily.

 Other laboratory studies have shown that tea has the capacity to lower stress hormone levels. According to a study published in the journal Psychopharmacology drinking black tea helps in recovering more quickly from life’s stresses. The study showed that 50 minutes after a high-stress event, subjects who drank four cups of black tea per day for a four-week period experienced less stress compared to people who did not drink tea at all.
 
Apart from polyphenols, tea also contains other ingredients that are beneficial to one’s health. These include (amino acid unique to tea), vitamins, minerals and methylxanthinen.

 These are components of the sources of tea’s healthy properties. They are known to help fight against mutagenic agents, delay aging, fight high blood pressure, fight against viral and bacterial infections, and improve the functions of the digestive and excretory systems. Hence, by drinking four cups of tea a day, you can reap the numerous curative and preventive benefits of tea.

There is no evidence that tea consumption is harmful to health. However, some research suggests that tea can impair the body’s ability to absorb iron from food, meaning that people at risk of anaemia should avoid drinking tea around meal times.

Tea is a healthy beverage offering many benefits if you can skip adding milk and sugar. German researchers have found that the relaxing effect of a few cups of ordinary black tea on the arteries is almost completely wiped out when milk is added to it. Healthy benefits of tea drinking are most clearly seen in East Asia, where one normally drinks tea without milk. You must learn to brew your tea for at least three to five minutes to bring out the beneficial polyphenols. Brewing brings out the aroma of tea, especially if it is of the leafy Darjeeling variety.

Some researchers also suggest that the microwave oven may destroy some of the antioxidants present in tea. Lower temperatures will draw antioxidants out from tea leaves, while high temperatures will destroy them. The temperature of boiling water is 212 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 degrees Celsius. 

Microwaves generate much higher temperature. Boiling tea on the stove is also a bad idea. That makes high temperature last too long. The best method is to just take a ceramic tea-pot, put the tea leaves in it, pour the boiling water on the leaves, cover the pot, let it brew for three minutes, stir the contents, strain and pour it into a cup.

 The chai from pavement tea stalls in India, where the chaiwallah does his acrobatic act with the long handled spoon, ladling the tea to make an outrageously sweet, milky, frothy concoction, may possibly not have any benefits. But one cannot deny the pleasure people on the wooden bench feel when they sip from tiny clay cups or from thick glasses. One can hardly forget the immortal scene in the movie Shri 420 – the pouring rain, the black umbrella, Raj Kapoor and Nargis under it and the chaiwallah with his kettle.