You ask time and time again about health benefits of tea.....

Here at East Forged, we talk and write about the trifecta of goodness with every sip. What do we mean by that? We are highlighting the naturally occurring L-theanine, antioxidants and caffeine. Simply, TEA is nature at its best. Well-designed by nature, not humans, to provide many medicinal benefits with an abundance of aromas and tastes. Tea and Coffee are popular social beverages.  However, Tea wins the popularity contest and is the world's most consumed beverage behind water.  “Yeah sorry coffee”  

To clarify, traditional tea is made from the Camellia Sinensis plant.  The studies we discuss here, do not include herbal teas which come from fruit, herbs, leaves, flowers and roots. Herbal teas have their individual merits but traditional tea which we will only discuss going forward has a commonality that crosses the different types of – White, Green, Yellow, Oolong, Black and Dark teas.

The Archaeological Institute of America confirms the discovery of the world’s oldest tea in an ancient Chinese Emperor tomb dated at 141BC. Chinese tea culture and legends suggest tea has a longer history of 5,000 to 6,000 years .The history of tea is as old as beer and wine which is the reason we say it is the ‘other’ social beverage. Similar to beer and wine, many a social gathering or business discussion has taken place with tea being the shared beverage. 

As stated in Tea & Health, by Tea Council of USA, “Throughout history, tea has been believed to help purify the body and preserve the mind.” The reputed medicinal properties aided the adoption of tea as a healthy beverage through China and Japan.  It was introduced to Japan in the 8^th century via monks who have used green tea to help with focus and sustain them through hours of meditation. While tea expanded through Asia, it eventually made its way to Europe via sea and land during the 1700’s. First as a luxury drink of the rich and eventually a staple in the most households. Tea has always been considered an important part of healthy diet but it has only been the past several decades that we are gaining greater understanding via scientific studies why we naturally enjoy it and how our mind and body benefits from this ancient beverage.

Further the Tea Council of USA discusses the early research by the Japanese showed the benefits of drinking green tea. As a green tea drinking nation it was important to investigate green tea.  However there has been greater emphasis on the other types of tea such as popular Black tea and to a lesser degree, dark teas, oolong and white from all around the world. Studies are conducted in USA, Canada, Europe, UK, China, Russia, Taiwan, Japan and Middle East. What has been the outcome of these studies? Do they help answer questions about the holistic health benefits of drinking tea?

The most common questions you ask, "Why is tea good for you? How is tea good for your health? Which tea is the healthiest?  “ 

In this article, I will describe how bioactive compounds in tea help to battle different diseases. Of course, no one should rely on drinking tea alone for disease prevention but there is plenty of research now to show that tea is helpful as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. 

How is tea good for your health? Tea has shown to help with; 

• Improve heart health by reducing cholesterol and risk factors of cardiovascular disease.

• Reduce risks in digestive, prostate, skin, oral, lung, ovarian and breast cancers

• Aid improvement of neurological diseases and cognitive health

• Metabolic rate, reduce blood sugar and improve insulin activity.

• Immune function, oral health, kidney stones, osteoporosis

We know this is a massive call out for tea and we don’t talk that much about the health benefits because we wanted to create East Forged as a tea drink that suited the modern ‘on the go’ lifestyle that was delicious with a little bit of tea pet fun. However, we are overwhelmed by your questions at the markets about the health benefits of tea that we decided to put together a simple summary of benefits. We have included the links below which show the science is supported through decades of human clinical trials, population-based studies, and microbiological research'. While some research is early days, there is enough evidence to continue researching tea.

OK like WOW that is amazing!  Why is TEA good for you? 

Tea contains around 4000 powerful bioactive compounds including:

• Polyphenols such as catechins EGCG, EGC, ECG and flavonoids

• Amino acids such as L-theanine which is found almost exclusively in tea

• Caffeine

According to TAP (The Tea Advisory Panel) in the UK “Polyphenols  account for between 30% and 42% of the dry weight of tea…. A family of natural chemicals which protect plants from ultraviolet radiation, bacteria, viruses and other damaging microorganisms”

Featured results of tea research:

1. Boosting Brain Power - Tea works in a number of ways to strengthen your brain power. The amino acid l-theanine, lower anxiety, improves memory and attention. Combined with the naturally occurring caffeine it mainly improves your performance of demanding long duration cognitive tasks.   Additionally, a called EGCG with highest levels found in tea, boosts brain activity while lowering stress and improving feelings of calm.
2. Heart beats to tea time - Drink at least 3 cups of either Black or Green to reduce the chances of stoke by 21 percent compare to people that drink less than one cup a day. However, ensuring that you drink at least one cup of black tea per day there is a 44 percent reduction in the risk of heart attack compared to non-tea drinkers.
3. More than 3,000 published studies exist that discuss the role tea may play in reducing cancer risks.

Note: Extracts of tea’s powerful bioactive compounds are available in supplementary doses and used in many of the new functional drinks. Dr. Kara Fitzgerald is one of many medical advisors that recommends you should ‘reap the benefits” by consuming through the natural dietary source – TEA.

Which TEA is the healthiest?

We are only just beginning to understand the value of tea in your daily diet.  As more hard scientific evidence surfaces, I like to hark back to a meeting with a scientist at the Taiwanese Tea Research Station (TRES).  He is often asked, “Which tea is the healthiest?”  His response is “The best tea for your health is the one you enjoy.  The tea that feels good in your gut. You should never need to drink a tea you don’t enjoy. Your body knows what is best”

Of course, we offer the All Flavour Combo to try all the flavours of East Forged and let your body knows what is best! Link below

We can thank four international organisations that track and gather the results from all parts of the globe where independent scientific research is being conducted.

The UK Tea & Infusions Association (https://www.tea.co.uk)

The Tea and Herbal Association of Canada (https://www.tea.ca)

The Tea Association of The USA (https://www.teausa.com),

The Tea Advisory Panel (www.teaadvisorypanel.com)

Dr Kara Fitzgerald (https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/2017/06/12/get-egcg-green-tea/)