Tea! As a beverage, is so much a part of our lives that for most of the human population throughout the globe, the day starts with a cup of Chai. Many consume it to shun sleep and many still use it as an energizer.
The botanical name for tea is Camellia sinensis- an evergreen plant that grows mainly in sub-tropical climates. Some varieties can also tolerate marine climates. In addition to a warm weather, it requires at least 50 inches rainfall a year and prefers acidic soils. Many high quality tea plants grow at heights of 1500 meters. As the plants grow more slowly, they acquire a better flavor. Only the top 1-2 inches of the mature plant are picked. These buds and leaves are called flushes, and a plant will grow a new flush every week during the rowing season. Tea plants will grow into a tree if left undisturbed, but cultivated plants are pruned to waist height for ease of plucking.
Two principal varieties are used to prepare the beverage, the small-leaved China plant (C. sinensis sinensis), used for most Chinese and Japanese teas and the large-leaved Assam plant (C. sinensis assamica), used in most Indian and other teas, but not Darjeeling tea. Within these varieties, there are many traditional strains and modern clones. Leaf size is the chief criterion for tea classification.
Origin - According to experts, the birthpalce of tea is the Yunnan Province of China-“the first area where humans figured out that eating tea leaves or brewing a cup could be pleasant". Feng-qing County, in Lincang City of Yunnan Province, is said to be home to the world's oldest cultivated tea tree-some 3,200 years old.
According to a popular Chinese legend, Shennong- the legendary Emperor of China, inventor of agriculture and Chinese medicine, was drinking a bowl of boiling water, some time around 2737 BC. The wind blew and a few leaves from a nearby tree fell into his water and began to change its colour. The curious monarch took a sip of the brew and was pleasantly surprised by its flavour and its restorative properties. He tested the medicinal properties of various herbs on himself, some of them poisonous, and found tea to work as an antidote.
History In India – India has known tea for a millennia as a medicinal plant, but was not drunk for pleasure until the British introduced tea-growing in 1836. At first they used seeds from China, but later seeds from the Assam plant were used. The Chinese variety is used for Darjeeling tea and the Assamese variety, everywhere else. India was the top producer of tea for nearly a century, but was displaced by China. The per capita consumption of tea in India is a modest 750 grams per person every year.
Contents - Tea contains catechin- an antioxidant. Green teas have the highest concentration of catechin, while black teas have the least. It contains theanine, theobromine, theophylline, fluoride and the stimulant caffeine (30 -90 mg per 8 oz 250 ml cup) depending on type, brand and brewing method. Dry tea has more caffeine by weight than coffee. It has almost no carbohydrates, fat or protein.
Homoeopathic Medicine – Its medicinal name is “Thea” and in homoeopathy it is used as a remedy for insomnia (sleeplessness) due to nervousness. It cures excessive flatulence and sick-headache due to hyperacidity. Given as potentized sugar pills, it is a master remedy in the treatment of rapid, irregular pulse (Supra-ventricular tachycardia) manifesting as palpitation. Likewise, it decreases systolic blood pressure in patients sufferring from systemic hypertension.
Infine- So friends lets enjoy a “Cup of Chai”.
