Tea is, however, gaining more popularity, as its health benefits become known. It contains polyphenols that help prevent cancer and heart disease. Although tea, like coffee, is a stimulant, its caffeine levels are lower. So its effects are milder, though it will still ease breathing for asthmatics and increase alertness.
To some, it acts as a comforter as well. The unfortunate person who stumbles upon the corpse in an English murder mystery is always offered a “cuppa” to calm the nerves. Tea’s tannic compounds fight viruses, increasing the body’s resistance to colds and flu, and are astringent enough to heal diarrhea. Tea also speeds up metabolism, helps prevents tooth decay (because it contains fluoride), and improves digestion.
I find plain tea bland, but have recently discovered the Indian version called chai, which is much more to my taste. It is made by heavily lacing the tea with milk and exotic spices like cardamom, ground cloves, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, pepper, coriander, etc. Since many of those spices also have health benefits, you might be able to kill two maladies with one cup, so to speak.
Although tea reportedly helps prevent some types of cancer, countries where it is consumed “straight” (without milk) seem to have higher rates of throat cancer. So do consider adding a jolt of calcium to your cuppa!
Finally, we modern middle-class plant enthusiasts might want to close off a room during the winter months for this tea-singly gorgeous flower. (Our primroses and cyclamens will thank us for the cooler tempatures too!)
Note: First camellia photo is courtesy of Grist Wallpapers at http://members.tripod.com/mgrist/home.htm . Camellia thea image is courtesy of the Texas Vascular Plant Image Gallery at http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/gallery . Other tea images are courtesy of the Cat-Tea Corner at http://www.angelfire.com/art/catteacorne... Last camellia image is courtesy of Pacific Northwest Plants at http://www.geocities.com/PicketFence/408...
