Why Tea is Amazing
for the Mind and Body
Dr. Ralph is the
Medical Director of Pender Medi Spa in Vancouver and the Medical Director of
Skincare Centre in North Vancouver, BC. He specializes in Botox
treatments and is a member of the Face Institute. He is also a
recognized trainer of Botox and Fillers in North America.
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| Tea is very good for you! |
It is a widely-known fact that tea has plenty of health
benefits that are vital for the health of the human body. It was already
renowned in China since the 16th century. So lauded were its
benefits, the Chinese people even developed a ritual out of drinking tea. It has
since become a notable part of their culture. Tea drinking is popular in other East
and South Asian countries as well, such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam.
When European traders ventured to Asia for trade in the
1700s, tea was one of the products that they loaded on their ships and
introduced into the western market. It actually wasn't until the 19th
century that tea arrived in British soil, and since then "tea time"
has become a part of the daily rituals of the British people.
The long history of tea alone is evidence that it is indeed as excellent for the body as it is played out to be. All the hype surrounding it is not merely the product of advertising and commercialism—although there are indeed new variants of tea which experts find lacking of the pure essence of the drink—but of the obvious improvements people experience when they make a habit of drinking tea.
We can therefore expect that its reputation will continue in
the coming decades. That's yet another reason why tea is truly amazing.
Benefits for the Body
There are at least five things tea is known for.
1.
Tea is rich in antioxidants
Pure tea, or tea that derives from the
Camellia sinensis plant (includes black tea, white tea, green tea, and oolong
tea), is first and foremost an antioxidant. It is all-natural, so it doesn't
contain artificial chemicals or food preservatives that end up as toxins or
something similar.
Green tea and white tea contains a type of
flavonoid called catechins. Green tea is especially rich in EGCG catechins.
This is a powerful type of antioxidant which, studies show, contributes to the
prevention of cancer. They neutralize free radicals to prevent them from
damaging somatic cells. This is why green tea is considered as a helpful aid
for cancer patients since it contains natural chemicals that can possibly slow
down cell damage and mutations, which is essentially what happens with cancer.
The other types of tea are also rich in
antioxidants. Antioxidants are beneficial to the overall health since they
cleanse the body of harmful toxins, which leads us to the next health benefit
of tea.
2.
Tea refreshes and recharges the body.
If you're going to ask a habitual tea
drinker what he feels after taking his daily cup, he will surely tell you he normally
feels refreshed and relaxed. Tea has a natural soothing effect, not just
because of its taste and the way it warms the stomach when it goes down. Passionflower
tea, for example, contains the flavone chrysin, an anti-anxiety component that
helps to calm the mind and release stiff tension from the body.
It's also a matter of mental conditioning.
The knowledge that you're drinking a cup full of antioxidants immediately sets
the mind and body to feel much "healthier" afterwards.
Biotin and the rest of the B-vitamins are
essential for the conversion of carbohydrates to glucose—basically they help
the body produce energy.
3.
Tea helps boost the body's immune system.
The fact that antioxidants in tea help
purge harmful and unwanted elements from the body makes the above line apparent.
Studies also show that EGCG in
green tea promotes the growth of regulatory T-cells and inhibits the
replication of viruses.
4.
Tea helps improve metabolism.
A particular type of tea from South
America, the yerba mate tea, contains caffeine, which has been found to be
capable of boosting the body's metabolism. Naturally, the concept of boosting
metabolism is closely tied to losing excess weight. This is one of the things
oolong tea is famous for. It doesn't only speed up metabolism, it also helps
burn fat. The polyphenols in oolong tea also inhibits fat-building enzymes. The
EGCG in white tea and green tea is similar, as it is instrumental for
preventing the formation of new fat cells.
5.
Tea slows down aging.
Being able to accomplish all of the above,
it goes without saying that tea helps to slow down aging. The effects of the
body being cleansed from the inside will inevitably become apparent on the
outside. It will result in healthier-looking skin, less wrinkles, and reduced
probability of skin outbreaks. The best part is that aging isn't only slowed on
skin-level; it is also happening within the body itself.
Other
benefits of tea include:
- - prevention of tooth decay and halitosis (black
tea)
- - help cure headaches and reduce inflammation
(ginger tea)
- - boost libido (ginseng tea)
- - combat allergies thanks to antihistamine content
(nettle tea)
- - replace sugar as sweetener (licorice root tea)
- - good coffee substitute
- - relieve constipation (peppermint tea)
- - improve sleep patterns (valerian root tea)
- - hydrate the body
- - reduce risks of heart disease
- - shrink tumors (green tea)
- - lower blood pressure
Even if skeptics say that tea is way overrated, it won't
hurt to drink it habitually anyway (but not too much, of course). Besides, it
is a cheap drink and is very easy to prepare. You have nothing to lose and
everything to gain when it comes to tea.
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