2008

Oolong Tea Drink A Tea Research Institute publication, 'Tea for Health' is the work of Dr. Tissa Amarakoon, a Senior Research Officer attached to the Biochemistry Division of the Institute. He has done a lot of workon tea and his Ph.D thesis (from University of Southampton, UK) has been on 'Anti-oxidant activity and immuno-modulatory properties of black tea'. Describing tea as second only to water as the most favouritebeverage on earth, he begins the narration with the history of teathat goes back to 2737 BC when a few tea leaves that fell by chanceinto Chinese Emperor Shen Nung's drinking water made a remarkableimpact on his drinking habits. To the emperor initially it was adrink more pleasant than hot water. However, convinced that itimproved the health, he recommended it as a "remedy for kidneytrouble, fever, chest infection and tumours that come about thehead". Soon the habit of tea drinking spread throughout Chinaand then to other parts of the world. After describing the different types of tea – Black (78% ofworld's production), Green (20%) and Oolong (2% - consumption &production limited to Taiwan and certain parts of China), Dr.Amarakoon points out that tea (without milk and sugar) does notcontain significant amounts of nutrients and that the calorificvalue of tea is almost zero "making it an ideal drink for themodern day calorie conscious consumer". Although rich inpotassium, the sodium content of tea is low. Saying that caffeine and polyphenols, the major non-nutrientcomponents in tea, have pharmacological effects, he states thatcaffeine, the well-known stimulant, acts on the central nervoussystem, increases alertness and reduces feelings of drowsiness andfatigue. Tea also contains significant amounts of fluoride, hesays, which helps to reduce tooth decay. Discussing tea and heart disease, Dr. Amarakoon says tea reducesoxidation of fat, cholesterol, blood clotting and improves theproper functioning of the arteries. He also talks about tea andcancer as well as tea and diabetes, and tea and intestinalbacteria.