Best Buy Teas

“Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one”
(Ancient Chinese Proverb)

There is so much information out there about the health effects of tea and tea products. It seems that tea can help everything from bad breath, to cholesterol levels to claims of cancer and alzheimer support. It is difficult to sift through all the information and decide what is good information and what is just hype. I have gathered some information for you to look over. Remember, these articles are provided for informational purposes only.
Green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4000 years.
Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea and in fact all teas. Take it for what it is worth.
The good news is that the only known health problem with tea is an occasional sleepless night due to the caffeine. That, of course, is easily remedied by drinking tea with less caffeine (White tea) or decaf.

“The wonder cup just got even more wonderful.”
Green tea, rich in antioxidant treasures that protect against heart disease and cancer, now shows promise as an allergy fighter. In laboratory tests, Japanese researchers have found that the antioxidants in green tea, block the biochemical process involved in producing an allergic response. Green tea may be useful against a wide range of sneeze-starting allergens, including pollen, pet dander, and dust.”
Prevention, April 2003

“The Secret of Green Tea”
The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.
Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the “French Paradox.” For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.
Why don’t other Chinese teas have similar health-giving properties? Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.

Other Benefits

New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.
Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea – from deodorants to creams – are starting to appear on the market.

Harmful Effects?

To date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six – eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.
“Mice which were fed tea displayed fewer signs of aging than mice that were fed water, with oolong tea showing significantly better results than green tea.”
If you are the type to fret over the appearance of wrinkles, age spots and other signs of growing old, oolong tea may be the answer to your worries.
Details of the study, conducted jointly by scientists from America, Taiwan and Tokushima University in Japan, were given at the 17th International Congress of Nutrition in Vienna, Austria late last month.
In the experiment, groups of six-month-old ‘senescence-accelerated mice’ (SAMs) were separately fed water, green tea and oolong tea over a 16-week period. SAMs age twice as quickly as ordinary laboratory mice.
Checking hair loss, age spots, the condition of skin around the eyes and other indicators of aging, the scientists found that male SAMs which were fed tea displayed fewer signs of aging than mice that were fed water, with oolong tea showing significantly better results than green tea.
The Straits Times, Sept. 24, 01

Drinking Tea Might Delay Alzheimer’s Disease

3-4 cups of tea daily can improve the memory and help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
The research team, based at Newcastle University’s Medicinal Plant Research Center, investigated the properties of green and black tea, as well as coffee, in a series of laboratory experiments.
The results showed that both types of tea inhibited the activity of enzymes associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Coffee, however, had no significant effect.
In fact, drinking tea appears to affect the brain in a similar way as drugs prescribed for Alzheimer’s disease the UK researchers report.
According to scientists black and green brews fight enzymes that destroy chemical messengers in the brain.
They said: “It’s exciting as tea is popular and inexpensive without side effects.”
Phytotherapy Research, August 2004

“Green tea may be useful in controlling inflammation from injury
or diseases such as arthritis.”

Tea contains compounds that may help reduce inflammation and help arthritis. Scientists at Case Western University in Cleveland took two groups of mice and gave them injections of a substance that causes immune reactions similar to those due to rheumatoid arthritis. One group had regular water to drink and the other got water laced with polyphenols, chemicals found in green tea and, to a lesser extent in black tea. Nearly all the mice that drank regular water got arthritis-like symptoms, compared to less than half of the treated mice.
Boston Globe, April 26, 99

“Green tea reduces inflammation in arthritis patients.”

Green tea catechins are chondroprotective and that consumption of green tea may be prophylactic for arthritis and may benefit the arthritis patient by reducing inflammation and slowing cartilage breakdown.
The Journal of Nutrition, Mar 2002

“Tea flavonoids may be bone builders.”

Tea flavonoids may be bone builders. A report in this week’s Archives of Internal Medicine looked at about 500 Chinese men and women who regularly drank black, green, or oolong tea for more than 10 years. Compared with non-habitual tea drinkers, tea regulars had higher bone mineral densities, even after exercise and calcium– which strengthen bones–were taken into account.
U.S. News & World Report, May 20, 2002

“…stop the growth of bacteria that cause bad breath…”

“Compounds found in tea can stop the growth of bacteria that cause bad breath, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Polyphenols, which are chemical components of tea, prevent both the growth of bacteria responsible for bad breath and the bacteria’s production of malodorous compounds, indicate Christine Wu, professor of periodontics and associate dean for research at the UIC College of Dentistry, and associate MinZhu.

Bad breath-or halitosis-afflicts a large portion of the population. It is caused by foul-smelling volatile sulfur compounds, like hydrogen sulfide, produced by anaerobic bacteria that thrive in environments lacking oxygen, such as the back of the tongue and deep gum pockets. In the laboratory study, Wu and Zhu incubated tea polyphenols with three species of bacteria associated with bad breath for 48 hours. At concentrations ranging from 16 to 250 micrograms per milliliter, the polyphenols inhibited growth of the oral bacteria.

Wu points out that the study complements earlier research in her laboratory showing that black tea suppresses the growth of bacteria in dental plaque and that rinsing with black tea reduces plaque formation and the production of acids that cause tooth decay. “Besides inhibiting the growth of pathogens in the mouth, Black tea and its polyphenols may benefit human oral health by suppressing the [poor-smelling] compounds that these pathogens produce.”
USA Today, August 2003

“Drinking tea may ward off tooth decay.”

A study suggests chemicals in tea can destroy bacteria and viruses that cause throat infections, dental caries and other dental conditions. It raises the prospect of adding tea extracts to toothpaste and mouthwash to protect the teeth.

It found that caffeinated green tea was the best at fighting viruses, followed by caffeinated black tea. Decaffeinated blends were less effective as anti-viral agents.
BBC News, May 20 2003

“Tea may freshen your breath.”

A University of Illinois study looked at chemicals in tea known as polyphenols. Experiments in the laboratory showed they slowed the growth of bacteria associated with bad breath. “Besides inhibiting the growth of pathogens in the mouth, black tea and its polyphenols may benefit human oral health by suppressing the bad-smelling compounds that these pathogens produce,” according to Christine Wu in Chicago.
BBC News, May 20 2003

“Compounds found in tea can stop the growth of bacteria that cause bad breath”

“Compounds found in tea can stop the growth of bacteria that cause bad breath, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Polyphenols, which are chemical components of tea, prevent both the growth of bacteria responsible for bad breath and the bacteria’s production of malodorous compounds, indicate Christine Wu, professor of periodontics and associate dean for research at the UIC College of Dentistry, and associate MinZhu.

Bad breath-or halitosis-afflicts a large portion of the population. It is caused by foul-smelling volatile sulfur compounds, like hydrogen sulfide, produced by anaerobic bacteria that thrive in environments lacking oxygen, such as the back of the tongue and deep gum pockets. In the laboratory study, Wu and Zhu incubated tea polyphenols with three species of bacteria associated with bad breath for 48 hours. At concentrations ranging from 16 to 250 micrograms per milliliter, the polyphenols inhibited growth of the oral bacteria.

Wu points out that the study complements earlier research in her laboratory showing that black tea suppresses the growth of bacteria in dental plaque and that rinsing with black tea reduces plaque formation and the production of acids that cause tooth decay. “Besides inhibiting the growth of pathogens in the mouth, black tea and its polyphenols may benefit human oral health by suppressing the [poor-smelling] compounds that these pathogens produce.”
USA Today, August 2003

“Tea is one of the single best cancer fighters you can put in your body.”

“Tea is one of the single best cancer fighters you can put in your body,” according to Mitchell Gaynor, MD, director of medical oncology at the. world-renowned Strong Cancer Prevention Center in New York City and co-author of Dr. Gaynor’s Cancer Prevention Program (Kensington Books, 1999.

The latest tea discovery? Strong evidence that both green and black tea can fight cancer-at least in the test tube-though green tea holds a slight edge. In a new study, both teas kept healthy cells from turning malignant after exposure to cancer-causing compounds.
Prevention, May 2000

“People who drink about 4 cups of green tea a day seem to get less cancer. Now we may know why.”

In recent test-tube studies, a compound called EGCG, a powerful antioxidant in tea, inhibited an enzyme that cancer cells need in order to grow. The cancer cells that couldn’t grow big enough to divide self-destructed. It would take about 4 cups of green tea a day to get the blood levels of EGCG that inhibited cancer in the study. Black tea also contains EGCG, but at much lower concentrations.
Prevention, Aug 99

“Green tea extract may prevent breast cancer cells from manufacturing the new blood vessels necessary to promote cancer cell growth”

Writing in a recent issue of the International Journal of Cancer, the USC researchers noted that the reduction in breast cancer risk among the green tea drinkers held true even among women who had a family history of breast cancer as well as among women who smoked or ate processed foods. Exercise habits – either good or bad – also did not play a role in the outcome for green tea drinkers.

The conclusions of this study support the important results of a 2002 laboratory study. According to a report in Science News, researchers at the University of California and the University of Texas found that green tea extract may prevent breast cancer cells from manufacturing the new blood vessels necessary to promote cancer cell growth. If further research confirms these findings, it may help explain why the green tea drinkers in the USC study were at lower risk of breast cancer, regardless of other health, diet, and family history factors.
Department of Preventive Medicine at USC, October 2003

“Tea can fight against emerging cancer cells”

“American scientists have found that drinking five small cups of tea a day can help to boost the immune system and possibly fight against emerging cancer cells. The alkyl-amine antigens present in tea, are also found in some bacteria, parasites, tumor cells and fungi. When the human immune system has previously been exposed to the antigen (by drinking tea), a much greater defense response is initiated against the bacteria, parasite, tumor or fungi.”
Health & Hygiene, Summer 2003

Study Shows How Green Tea May Fight Bladder Cancer

Green tea extract may interfere with a process that helps early bladder cancer to spread throughout the body, new laboratory research suggests.
The findings, say researchers, bolster ongoing studies into green tea extract as a cancer treatment — and may give green tea drinkers more reason to savor every cup.
The investigators found that when they exposed human bladder cells to both a cancer-causing chemical and green tea extract, the extract interfered with a particular process by which early cancer cells become invasive and spread throughout body tissue.
This process involves the “remodeling” of actin, a structural protein in cells that is essential for cell movement. Actin remodeling allows cancer cells to move and invade nearby healthy tissue.
Based on the new findings, green tea extract may get in the way of this process by activating a protein known as Rho, which helps regulate actin’s organization in cells and has been implicated in tumor development and progression.
Clinical Cancer Research, Feb 2005

Spanish and British scientists have discovered how green tea helps to prevent certain types of cancer.
Researchers at the University of Murcia in Spain and the John Innes Center in Norwich, England have shown that a compound called EGCG in green tea prevents cancer cells from growing by binding to a specific enzyme.
“We have shown for the first time that EGCG, which is present in green tea at relatively high concentrations, inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase, which is a recognized, established target for anti-cancer drugs,” Professor Roger Thorneley, of JIC, told Reuters.
“This is the first time, to our knowledge, a known target for an anti-cancer drug has been identified as being inhibited by EGCG,” he added.
Green tea has about five times as much EGCG as regular tea, studies have shown. It decreased rates of certain cancers but scientists were not sure what compounds were involved or how they worked. Nor had they determined how much green tea a person would have to drink to have a beneficial effect, he said.
Reuters, Mar 2005

Can a Tea Be Beautiful?

Well I did not think so until I found the coolest thing. You have got to see this. On my “Tea Journey”, I was digging through site after site, just browsing when I discovered flowering teas or ‘blooming teas’. They are really unusual and very beautiful. You put this little tea bud in your teapot or cup, add water. As the tea bud absorbs the water, it begins to turn into a gorgeous flower. They are called blooming teas, or display teas. They are not only gorgeous, they taste great too. How cool is that?

Tea for a Special Occasion

These teas would be wonderful for a special occasion. They look great in a large glass teapot as a centerpiece, or in a few glass teacups lined up in a row across a table. How about using them for a wedding? Of course, they can also be used for your own morning cup of tea. What a way to start the day. A wonderful cup of tea, a gorgeous flower, it is certain to put a smile on your face.

Tea As a Special Gift

The art of hand sewing tea leaves into flower blooms dates back centuries in Ancient China. These beautiful display teas are a delight for both your eyes and taste buds. They are mini floral bouquets that bloom when water is poured over them. They are created by skilled artists in China who hand tie jasmine scented Green tea leaves around a dried flower blossom. The results are small tea balls with a unique sweet scent and flavor. I would steep these in a glass pot in order to fully enjoy this tea. Blooming teas can be continually refreshed with more water as needed and will not get bitter with extended steeping. They make thoughtful gifts for the special people in your life.