Nowadays, most people swear by the advantages of green tea, regardless of whether for weight loss or energy or relaxation. Some even use green tea for anti aging and believe that it encourages healing in the body and cell repair and renewal. These processes help to keep the effects of age at bay, at least as long as possible.

Utilizing green tea for anti aging is one thing which has been around in Asia since way back when; they have been utilizing green tea as a stomach tonic and as a therapeutic solution for as long as there has been documented history. Currently, green tea for anti aging may indicate the specific tea itself or supplements and products.

But does it actually get the job done? No matter the form in which it’s available, anyone considering using this will want to know if it’s really effective. If not, it doesn’t matter if you have the tea itself or are just consuming supplements! Many use it because it has antioxidant properties. These properties fight off free radicals, which are agents that cause cell damage. This cell damage is what causes the signs of aging, from facial lines to liver spots to gray hair.

Antioxidants also appear to boost the body to heal alone by prompted cell restoration on its own. When cells are repaired and renewed then the human body obviously looks better and more fresh. Using green tea for anti aging has many advantages in this way and can keep the skin, hair, and other features looking younger for longer.

This will not mean you can use green tea for anti aging and dispose of your arthritis pills or your hypertension treatment, or that you’ll never experience the results of old age. However there are numerous things nowadays that create quick cell damage, from a bad diet to tobacco to pollution in the air.

One more reason that many use green tea for anti aging is because it stimulates good digestive wellbeing. This means that a person can be more healthy overall because the digestive tract can affect the way an individual feels and can also affect many other facets of their health.

When the digestive system is not working properly then toxins and other harmful enzymes can build up in the body and cause premature aging. Using green tea for anti aging means flushing these items from the body more often so they do not result in cell damage as well as feelings of sluggishness and a lack of energy. Therefore an individual may simply feel more healthy overall and may find that they suffer lesser effects of aging.

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Drinking tea — research shows it to be a healthy activity, because tea contains antioxidants that help fight cancer and even slow the aging process. Vitamin C, found in some teas, helps fight illnesses and colds. Some teas contain polyphones, which strengthen teeth by reducing plaque and also help aid digestion by increasing the flow of digestive juices in the stomach.

Tea, in short, has many healing properties. Here are 10 natural healing tea therapies.

1. Black Tea

Black tea blends are the most popular in the Western world. After the leaves are picked, they go through full fermentation that makes the leaves darken to almost black. Black tea can be flowery, fruity, and spicy or even have a nutty taste. Black tea, known for lowering the risk of stroke, contains antioxidants, which help reduce clotting of the arteries. Black Tea varieties include: Black Tea, Rose Black Tea, English Breakfast Black Tea, and Earl Grey Black Tea.

2. Chamomile Tea

Considered a floral tea, Chamomile has a very aromatic, fruity flavor and is a member of the daisy family. This tea helps with toothaches, insomnia, and muscle cramps, plus it reduces the swelling of skin irritations.

3. Green Tea

Green tea with its huge nutritional benefits is the most popular tea in Asia. Varieties include: Jasmine Green Tea, Jasmine Dragon Pearl, Green Peony Tea and Roasted Japanese Green Tea. After green tea is picked, it is dried using hot air. The leaves are then pan fried, but not fermented, which helps preserve the high nutrient and vitamin content. Vitamin C in green tea helps boost the immune system and promotes overall good health. Fluoride, found naturally in green tea, strengthens bones and prevents dental decay.

4. Oolong Tea

Oolong tea, known for aiding indigestion and lowering cholesterol levels, is made from large, mature trees. The leaves are left to wither after being picked, which removes moisture. Semi-fermentation happens after the leaves are left in the shade. Oolong tea has a a full-bodied taste, a pleasant aftertaste, and a sweet fruity aroma. Some varieties are: Jasmine Oolong Tea, Ice Peak Oolong Tea, Hairy Crab Oolong Tea and WUYI Rock Tea.

5. Red Tea

Grown in Africa, Red Tea is rich in antioxidants. This kind of tea has been proven to help boost the immune system, and is also caffeine-free. Varieties of Red Tea include: Florida Orange Red Tea, Organic Cape Red Tea, Organic Green Red Tea and Organic Green Summer Red Tea.

6. Rosebud Tea

A floral tea, Rosebud tea is made using rosebuds from a rose bush. The tea has a very sweet, floral aroma and a light, sweet taste; it is often brewed with other types of tea. Essential oils in this tea help aid circulation.

7. White Tea

Made by using very young tea leaves that are still covered in down, white tea leaves are not fermented. Instead, they are steamed and dried in the sun. Because of the lack of fermentation, white tea contains a high concentration of chemical compounds, known to help fight cancer. The brewed tea has a silver-white appearance because of the downy leaves. It has a sweet aroma and fresh flavor. White tea varieties include: Silver Needle, White Peony, and Jasmine Silver Needle.

8. Paraguay Mate

Very popular in South America, Paraguay Mate is brewed with spices and sipped with a straw from a gourd. The tea is used to aid many health problems, including depression, digestion, and boosting energy levels.

9. Wild Holy Tea

Wild Holy Tea has a bitter taste. It is used for medicinal purposes: to detoxify the body, aid in blood circulation and improve digestion. With regular consumption, Wild Holy Tea has been shown to help control blood pressure and obesity.

10. Milk Tea

The most popular tea in India and Sri Lanka is an Indian black tea mixed with spices. It’s called Milk tea because it is usually brewed with milk and spices, such as cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger. Milk tea added with other types of tea, such as green tea, contributes to overall health.

Visit teas to learn more. Ron King is a writer and web developer, visit Articles for authors.

Copyright 2006 Ron King.

Dental health is important to all of us. We buy special toothpaste, mouthwash, dental floss and rinsing agents to help ensure that our smile is white, our teeth are cavity free and our breath is fresh. But, did you know that drinking tea may be one of the best (and simplest) things you can do to protect your teeth?

Well, it’s true. Tea has been shown to offer protection to our teeth. Tea is a natural source of fluoride, which is known to protect against tooth decay. This is great news for children, who need significant amounts of fluoride in order for tooth enamel to harden properly. When teeth harden properly in our youth, it protects us from cavities throughout our lives.

However, even for adults, whose teeth are fully formed, tea’s fluoride is a great way to protect your teeth. The fluoride found in tea has been shown to inhibit the growth of glucosyltransferase. This substance helps the plaque that naturally forms to adhere to our teeth.

Dentists in the UK have also reported that black tea disables certain forms of bacteria that work with sugars to form clumpy aggregates that stick to teeth. These dentists believe that drinking black tea reduces the total mass of dental plaque.

In addition, one study has suggested that green tea may inhibit the enzyme that causes plaque to form in the first place. Plaque is formed when an enzyme in your mouth mixes with sugar in the food you eat.

This study, reported by the UK Tea Council, looked at a sweet drink offered by a gourmet coffee house. This drink included sugar and whipped cream, but also included green tea. When the teeth of those who consumed this beverage were evaluated and compared to those who consumed heavily sweetened drinks that did not include green tea, the results were significant.

Even when the participants consumed the same amount of sugar, those whose drinks contained green tea did not have the same amount of plaque formation as those whose drinks were made with something other than green tea, leading researchers to conclude that green tea has a cleansing effect on the teeth.

And, for those of us concerned about bad breath, green tea may have good news, as well. Green tea also inhibits the growth of many of the bacteria that cause bad breath. So, drinking green tea on a regular basis may help keep your breath naturally sweet.

Not getting your daily dose of tea? Here are some simple ways to increase the amount of tea you’re getting each day.

o Skip that second cup of coffee – Even the most serious coffee connoisseurs can usually forego the second cup if given a cup of tea as an alternative.

o Make iced tea – It doesn’t matter whether your tea is hot or iced. The protective effects are the same. So, brew up a big pitcher of tea and keep it in the refrigerator for serving at and between meals.

o Grab a bottle – Today, major tea manufacturers offer green tea bottled like soda. This is a delicious replacement for your daily soda, and is far healthier.

o Carry tea bags – Carry tea bags in your purse or suit case. This makes it easy to have your favorite tea anywhere that hot water is available.

o Wind down in the evening. Many people avoid tea in the evening, because they fear the caffeine will inhibit sleep. However, both black and green teas are lower in caffeine than coffee, with green tea having less caffeine than black. In addition, the caffeine in tea doesn’t seem to cause jitters the way coffee and soda can. So, tea is a great way to wind down in the evening, most likely without interrupting your sleep.

Green or Black?

If you’re wondering whether you should be drinking green tea or black tea, you’re asking a good question. Both are healthy, but there are significant differences between the two.

Black tea is fermented during processing, which changes the natural anti-oxidant compounds. While black tea does contain anti-oxidants, and does offer many healthful benefits, those natural, unfermented anti-oxidant compounds in green tea are healthier.

Research has shown over and over that green tea’s anti-oxidants have significant power to protect health. Green tea has been shown to prevent cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease and to help reduce premature aging.

So, while black tea is definitely good for you, and is protective to your teeth, for the maximum overall health benefits, get your daily dose of green tea. Many scientists today suggest that for the maximum benefit to your dental health, you combine the two. Both are delicious and refreshing, making a wonderful drink any time of day. It may be one of the simplest ways you can protect your health – and your smile.

Jon M. Stout is the Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. Golden Moon Tea carefully selects the finest rare and orthodox teas, which are processed slowly and handcrafted with extreme care. At their website, you can learn more about their current tea offerings, including their exceptional green tea [http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea/], white tea, black tea, oolong tea (also known as wu-long and wu long tea [http://www.goldenmoontea.com/wu-long/]) and chai. Visit goldenmoontea.com for all details concerning the Golden Moon Tea Company’s fine line of teas.

The journey of tea drink from China to Africa:

About 2700 B.C, there was a emperor named Shen Nung in CHINA. He loved plants and flowers. He had the most complete and beautiful garden in the whole country.Every afternoon, emperor Shen Nung would sit in his garden and enjoy his drink. One day, while his water was boiling on the table, a wind was blowing through the garden. The leaves were flying everywhere.

However, there was one tiny green leaf flew right into the emperor’s boiling water. The leaves made the water turn green. Curious to what kind of taste it would give, Shen Nung took a sip. The sweetness and bitterness of the green drink refreshed him.So the discover of tea was marked in China about 3000 years ago.

CHINA:THE BIRTH OF TEA DRINK.

Although the tea drink is discovered, it’s still uncommon to the Chinese for a long time. By 780 A.D., Lu Yu wrote the Cha’Ching or “The book of tea”. This book turned the history of tea to new direction.

Lu Yu was a follower of Zen Buddhism. Lu Yu wrote this book based on his memories and observations of tea plantation and processing. Amazing memory. Until the Sung dynasty in 1100 AD, this wonderful drink began to become popular in the elite society. Some of tea’s popularity is due to the discoveries of its health benefits.

As the Chinese elites enjoyed this excellent drink, they increased the growing of tea plant (or Camellia Sinensis). The production of tea skyrocketed. This wonderful drink began to reach every households in China.

By the Ming dynasty (~ 1300 AD), China began to export this newly discovered drink to neighboring countries. The History Of Tea turned to the world outside of China. Tea became an important commodity and had high exchange value in China. Tea trading gained popularity and yielded very high profit.

JAPAN: ALL THANKS TO A MONK

The history of tea is filled with myth and fantasies. No one knows how much of its is true. But the myths add new excitement into the origin of tea. There is a myth that stated: a Indian Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma that lived around 6 A.D. He used to meditate for months at one time.

Something unexpected happened. Bodhidharma fell asleep during one of his meditation. Feeling rather angry and disappointed, he cut off his eye lids and threw them on the side of the road. He vowed to never sleep again.

Bodhidharma came back to this road and saw something amazing. There was a tiny plant with tiny leaves grew on the place where his eye lids were. He picked up the small leave and chewed. Surprisingly, he was able to meditate for hours and hours without falling asleep.

About 1200 AD, the founder of Zen Buddhism, Eisai, was passionate about the Health Benefits Of Tea. Eisai wrote a famous book “Tea drinking is good for health”. Eisai claimed that tea cured diseases such as loss of appetite and B-deficiency

Tea has spread its charms to Japan. In Japan, this wonderful and natural drink is a way of life. Japanese tea ceremony reflects purity and serenity.

The famous Japanese tea ceremony is Chanoyu–tea in hot water. This ceremony was Murata Shuko– father of tea ceremony. The special tea that is served in Japanese tea ceremony is Matcha. Matcha is green powered tea.

EAST AND MIDDLE ASIA: TEA HISTORY AND SPICE TRADE

Trading between Asian countries such as India, Sri Lanka, and China a long time ago. They mostly traded spices like herbs, sugar, salt…

Once China began to export tea, this commodity gradually reached Middle and East Asia through spice- trading route. By 18th century, people in Sri Lanka and Iran started to enjoy this wonderful drink. Overtime, they grew their own tea plants and also export their products.

RUSSIA: LARGEST IMPORTER OF TEA

Through many trading routes, this natural drink is introduced to Russian. Gradually, this wonderful drink was so popular. The government began to import tea in large quantities. Initially, Russia imported this red and green tea from China. Now, it mostly imported from India and Sri Lanka.

BRITISH: THE ROYAL FAMILY, HERE TEA COMES

When Dutch established a trading route to China via Africa. Tea then were introduced to Europe. Tea was mostly transported by the Dutch East India Company to Europe. Tea was introduced to British elites in 15th century. They prefer Black tea (Chinese called it Red tea). Black tea is processed in a way that it’s fully oxidized. Black tea gives a strong and bold taste.

The British people’s tongue were not so sensitive on bitterness. This seems to be the reason they prefer Black tea. The tea was for the elites, then the common people. Tea became a social drink in England. Ale lost its place as the most popular drink to Tea. The first tea house was opened. The first tea house is Tom’s tea house. The owner was Thomas Twinning. Thomas Twinning tea company still successful today. Britain people also loves High tea. It’s an ordinary tea for working class.

AMERICA: OPEN DOOR WELCOMING THE NEW DRINK

When America was still a colony under the control of England. Tea drink was introduced to Americans. At one time, when tea was scarce and the price was high. England increased the tax for tea. Americans loved tea, but angry with the high tax. The famous BOSTON tea party took place.

Another form of tea drink that made this wonderful drink even more popular. Ice tea. It was invented in summer 1904, by Richard Blechynden. It was hot and Richard’s tea house did not have any customer. He added ice to make his hot tea cool.

Then came the idea of tea bag, created by Thomas Sulliva. He had a tea business in New York. He tried to promote his tea. Thomas crushed the whole leaf into tiny bits. Put into a tiny bag. Distribute them around like taste sample. However, whole tea leaves have higher quality. It preserves the taste and all of the essence of tea. Crushed tea leaves have lower quality. But it’s still great for a taste sample.

AFRICA: TEA OR NOT TEA?

The history of tea lead us to Africa. Specially, Kenya and South Africa. The British brought tea to Africa after the World War II.However, Africa has its own “tea plant”. It’s called Rooisbos (or Red diamond or Red bush).This is not exactly tea, but infused like tea. Rooisbos is harvested in the summer. Real tea leaves are harvested in the Spring.

Well! this is not exactly about “authentic” tea. But tea did visit Africa and spread its You see now that tea travels all over the world. Now it’s the 2nd most consumed drink in the world, only after water.

Mr. Pham has great interest in tea, herbs, and their health benefits. He has created Nature Healthy Tea to share his knowledge on simple yet healthy tea drink. Publishers are welcome to reprint this article provided this resource box is presented and kept intact. Click here for More info on Tea History [http://www.nature-healthy-tea.com/tea-history.html]