It has been hard to escape the recent buzz about the health benefits of tea, and for good reason. Native to Asia, the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, has been consumed for thousands of years and has always had a reputation for being a healthy beverage. Scientists are using promising evidence from recent studies to add merit to this long held assumption and mount a case for why we should all be drinking more tea.
Green, black, oolong and white teas all come from the leaves of the same evergreen shrub, Camellia sinensis. Although they are prepared from the same plant, these four varieties are the result of different processing techniques. Black tea is fully oxidized, a process commonly hreferred to as fermentation, and oolong tea is only partially oxidized. After plucking, green tea is steamed or pan heated and white tea is dried, preventing both teas from undergoing oxidation. This lack of fermentation and processing means that green and white teas retain more healthful properties than their oxidized counterparts.
There are myriads of other "teas" that don't contain any actual tea. Often called herbal teas or "tisanes," these teas include chamomile tea, fruit teas and others that contain various herbs and spices. While certain tisanes have been indicated to have health benefits of their own, teas derived from Camellia sinensis are the real disease fighters.
According to the American Cancer Society, tea may help prevent heart disease and a variety of cancers, including skin, esophagus, stomach, colon, prostate and breast. Tea has been shown to exhibit antiviral and antibacterial effects and its fluoride content may promote dental health. It has also been associated with reducing the DNA damage associated with smoking and exposure to second hand smoke.
The compounds thought to be responsible are called catechins, a group of powerful polyphenols that are abundant in tea. They work as antioxidants to kill cancerous cells and neutralize free radicals, a form of unstable oxygen that can wreak havoc on the body's cells. The most potent catechin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, is found in green tea and has been shown to be 100 times more powerful than vitamin C in neutralizing free radicals. While it may seem like a miracle beverage, where you get your tea makes all the difference in how much good you are actually doing your body.
