Day 6: Reading Leaves

Image Courtesy of the Tehran Times

There are all sorts of teas. There's green tea and black tea, white tea and oolong tea. Tea with flavor like lemon and orange spice. You can have tea with milk, sugar, honey, or just plain. Tea can be loose leaves, or in a bag. But with all these options, do people know it's history. We look at cultures from the Middle East and Asia and assume it originated there, for instance China. But is this true?

Tea plants are native to the region around southern China, India, Tibet, and Burma. It's not exactly known when people began drinking tea, but there are records that people drank it during the Qin and Tang Dynasties. Over time, tea made it's way into rituals of the culture. Japan and China have tea ceremonies, and customs surrounding tea.

Image Courtesy of the New York Times

-It is shown as a sign of respect for the younger generation to pour to for their elders.
-It is poured at family gatherings
- Used in a sign of apology
- When a bride and groom get married they pour tea for their parents as part of the Chinese Marriage Ceremony

According to travelchinaguide.com, "Legend has it that Yan Di, one of three rulers in ancient times, tasted all kinds of herbs to find medical cures. One day,as he was being poisoned by some herb he had ingested; a drop of water from a tea tree dripped into his mouth and he was saved." Tea was used mainly as a herbal medicine, brewed, or eaten as a vegetable. If you prefer coffee over tea, and are skeptical about drinking it, there are studies showing that people who drink tea have are healthier in many aspects of their life.

Drinking tea slows the cognitive decline in the body. Don't you want your brain intact longer! Tea also helps normalize blood pressure, lowers cholesterol and prevents coronary heart disease and diabetes by reducing the body's blood-glucose activity. In studies tea decreases obesity and it even lowers your risk at certain cancers, including ovarian, digestive, and oral. Pass me a cup of that miracle drink!

For more in depth answers as to how tea is great for the body, teausa.com is a great site.

Moos'n Out.