All About Tea

Green Tea, Black Tea, Herbal Tea: Healthful Beverage Choices

2008-12-20T12:44:00.001-08:00

Even though the claims may be exaggerated, if you're going to drink much of any beverage other than water, tea is probably your best choice. The health benefits of green tea have been trumpeted in the media recently.
Tea is water plus phytochemicals including caffeine, and very little else unless you add a lot of sugar. Both green and black tea come from the same plant, camellia sinensis. To make green tea, the leaves are steamed, rolled and dried. For black tea, the leaves are dried, then fermented and fired.
Both green and black tea contain phytochemicals that have been linked to reduced rates of certain types of cancers. When brewed at normal strength, both contain about half of the caffeine found in a cup of coffee. If caffeine is a concern, de-caffeinated teas are available.
Herbal teas are dried leaves of a wide variety of plants, which you steep in hot water as you would regular tea. They are generally caffeine free. Many claims are made for the phytochemicals found in herbal teas, but all we can safely say is: yes, they do contain phytochemicals, which may be beneficial or harmful, depending on the plant used and the amount you drink. If you have hay fever or other allergies, be aware that herbal teas made from plants in the family you are sensitive to can trigger the same reactions.
If you need to drink more than a few cups of a beverage, make it water. That's true for all foods, not just tea. So enjoy your tea, but remember, what is beneficial in moderation may be harmful in large amounts.

Tea appears to be healthful and may contribute phytochemicals to your diet that you would not otherwise get.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at
http://www.DrMirkin.com
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Toenail Fungus Tea Tree Oil Remedy

2008-12-20T05:14:00.001-08:00

For many people with toenail fungus tea tree oil is like a magic potion. Anecdotal stories abound of people who have used this essential oil to treat fungal nail infections. It is one of the popular natural healing alternatives to expensive oral prescription drugs feared for their possible side effects, and it is readily available because it is also used as a natural healing treatment for other conditions.
Bottled tea tree oil for fungus comes from an Australian tree, Melaleuca alternifolia, commonly called the Tea Tree. It is being investigated for its abilities to kill bacteria, fungi, yeasts and viruses, and there is some evidence that it may indeed be an appropriate weapon against toenail fungus; tea tree oil may soon take its place beside the currently accepted prescription medications for this condition.
These treatments all come under the heading of home remedies: no scientific studies validate their effectiveness. In preparations specifically for toenail fungus, tea tree oil orally!). Tea tree oil for fungus infections can be purchased from homeopathic and alternative medicine suppliers.
Before using toenail fungus tea tree oil toenail fungus remedy.
Learn about the options and weigh the pros and cons before deciding whether or not to use toenail fungus tea tree oil remedy. He or she may also be able to discuss the treatment successes and failures of other patients. A doctor can provide current information on the prescription drug choices for toenail fungus, and advise you about the cost of treatment and risk of side effects.

Talk to your doctor about your options.

How Green Tea Can Help You To Lose Weight

2008-12-19T12:45:00.001-08:00

In the recent years green tea benefits scientists indicated that green tea can also help you lose weight. Green tea has been highly valued in Asia for centuries for it's medical properties.
Even though green tea did contain caffeine it have not change the energy expenditure nor it have significantly change a heart rate. During their research they've made an amazing discovery.
In this respect, green tea or green tea extract is different from most of the prescription drugs for obesity or herbal products like ephedra, which can raise heart rates and blood pressure, and are not recommended for many individuals sensitive to stimulants. That led to a conclusion that green tea helps to lose weight naturally and safely.
Green tea causes carbohydrates to be released slowly. These compounds work with other chemicals to intensify levels of fat oxidation and thermogenesis, where heat is created in the body by burning fuels such as fat. The secret of such influence on the body lays in high concentrations of catechin polyphenols.
Which is about 8 extra pounds of weight. This adds up to over 28,000 calories in a year. For example, just by drinking one cup of tea a day or by taking green tea extract in the form of supplement you will burn about an extra 78 calories.

I want you to remember that even a small effect can go a long way when you are dealing with your metabolism. As the result fat is burned faster without being "locked" in the fat sells. This prevents sharp increases of insulin in your blood (insulin stimulates the transformation of fatty acids into fat molecules which are stored as fat droplets).
It means that you will get that "I'm full!" felling faster and as a result consume less food. Lower leptin levels decrease the appetite. There is also clear evidence that green tea's polyphenols (EGCG) helps depressing leptin (a protein produced by fats that plays an important role in how the body manages fat storage through brain signals).
Good luck! Drink a cup of your favorite green tea every day and lose those extra pounds easier and faster. It is quite certain that green tea is now holding promise in various areas of weight loss.
Copyright 2005 Arina Nikitina

The Distinctive Flavor of Earl Grey Tea

2008-12-19T05:14:00.001-08:00

Many people find the unique flavor of Earl Grey to be their favorite; smoky and fragrant with hints of citrus, it is reputed to be the tea of choice for Captain Picard from Star Trek.
Although many people consider Earl Grey as a type of tea, any black tea with bergamot flavor added is in fact Earl Grey. Some manufacturers will even use their lower quality black tea to make Early Grey in the belief that the strong flavor of bergamot will mask the poor taste of the tea. Mostly taken black with maybe a slice of lemon added, Earl Grey is nevertheless one of the most popular of all the flavored teas in the world.
Origin of Earl Grey
The story of how Earl Grey began is shrouded in mystery and contradiction. The popular myth is that Earl Charles Grey, the prime minister of Britain in 1830, was given the recipe from a mandarin he met while touring China. Versions of the story claim that he had saved the life of the mandarin, and the tea was a special gift of gratitude. Earl Grey was then reputed to have demanded his tea supplier in London recreate the tea for him, and the taste became fashionable, eventually spreading worldwide.
It is a good story, but unlikely to contain much truth. Charles Grey never visited China and the Chinese drink very little black tea in any case, which means the true origin of Earl Grey tea is still a mystery.
What is Bergamot
The bergamot used to flavor Earl Grey comes from a tree that is grown in the south of Italy. A citrus fruit, somewhat like lemon, orange and grapefruit mixed together, the scent is often likened to orange blossom. The oil of the fruit is added to perfume including one of the original Eau de Colognes from Germany. It is sometimes called The Prince's Pear although it is inedible. There is also an herb called bergamot with completely different properties.
Perhaps Earl Grey tea is a good remedy for winter sniffles. Bergamot is used in aromatherapy to treat depression, and also has anti-microbial effects that can strengthen the resistance of the body to colds and illnesses. Specially made cold presses are used to extract the bergamot essence, which is then stored for at least a year. In the winter months, before it ripens, the fruit harvest is picked by hand.
Lady Grey
Lady Grey is still a popular blend today, although it is no longer believed to cause any particular impulses among female drinkers! It was believed that the addition of fruit would calm the effects of tea, so Seville orange, lemon and bergamot extracts were added. When Earl Grey tea was invented, it was considered that tea produced "improper impulses" in women, and thus Lady Grey was invented.
Corinne Waldon enjoys writing many
articles about tea
. To read more of her articles, go to
The Tea Spot
.

Tea and Decaffeination Processing

2008-12-18T12:45:00.001-08:00

I was taken by surprise when I recently read an excerpt from a newly released book, written by highly recognized tea industry professionals, that was clearly inaccurate when it came to the topic of decaffeination processing and tea. Decaffeination and tea is a subject that has long been misunderstood not only by consumers but also by industry professionals.
I began questioning my own information on decaf processing and decided the best thing to do was to verify what I believed to be true. I decided to talk with the definitive authority on the subject, Joe Simrany, President of the Tea Association of the USA, Inc (TAUS).
So what do those guidelines consist of? If that was unsuccessful the FDA would be notified and would follow up to see that the necessary changes to processing were made. The first line of defense is the TAUS, who would attempt to correct the issue diplomatically.

So what happens if a group is distributing "decaffeinated tea" that does not meet the standard? There is no sanction, legal or otherwise, for non-compliance. The FDA does not have its own set of guidelines but relies on the expertise of the Tea Association Technical Committee (TATC) for the best practices. Unlike what I thought, decaffeination processing is not regulated by the FDA and adhering to industry standards is completely voluntary. So here is what I learned.

I soon was relieved to learn that my critical information was indeed correct although some of the details need fixing.
The Guidelines
Teas labeled Decaffeinated will contain no more than 0.4% caffeine on a dry weight basis.
Caffeine Free Tea is an inappropriate labeling term for any tea regardless of the degree of decaffeination processing.
There are currently only 2 methods approved for decaffeinating tea leaves, solvent extraction using ethyl acetate and carbon dioxide in the supercritical state. Both are selective for extraction and create no toxicity hazard.
Carbon dioxide is considered the better of the two, keeping more of the benefits and flavor intact.
The Facts
Decaffeinated teas have between 1/3 and 2/3 fewer beneficial components than regular, non-decaffeinated teas.
Both ethyl acetate and carbon dioxide are considered, and subsequently labeled, "natural", because trace amounts of both components exist in the tea leaf, a fine line for many of us who rely on natural to mean exactly that.
"Water process" , aka Swiss Water Process, Natural Water Process etc, sometimes used on packaging, is not recognized by the industry as being anymore effective than pouring off the first brew at home.
While this does eliminate caffeine it is difficult to be sure just how much caffeine is still present and likewise how much health benefits. Then steep as you normally would. Decaffeinating at home by the "water process" would be done by infusing the tea leaves for 30 seconds and pouring off that infusion.
Tea bags will deliver more caffeine in your cup than loose teas because they infuse more quickly.
The amount of tea leaves used, brewing time and water temperature help determine the caffeine content in your cup.
Cultivation, environmental factors, region and growing conditions, while out of your control, do affect the caffeine content in your cup.
1 pound of coffee which yields 40-50 cups. The only time coffee has less caffeine then tea is prior to brewing, 1 pound of tea yields 200 cups vs.
The ONLY government approved decaffeination processing is ethyl acetate and carbon dioxide. Methylene chloride is NOT a guideline or government approved processing method in the United States.
While we have a limited selection of decaffeinated teas, we guarantee all of the decaffeinated teas sold by Teas Etc. Inc. are processed using carbon dioxide
In summation, with the growing public interest in issues surrounding health and food, accurate labeling is likely to become a major issue in the future. Be a wise consumer. Beware of slick marketing and misleading information. Most importantly drink good, quality tea everyday.
© 2006 Teas Etc., Inc
This article may be freely reprinted only in it's enterity and must include the resource box and copyright information.
Beth Johnston, owner of Teas Etc., is a noted tea expert, importer and tea enthusiast. To learn more about life style enhancement, health benefits and the ease of brewing loose leaf teas, sign up for our monthly newsletter at
http://www.TeasEtc.com/newsletter.asp
or visit
http://www.TeasEtc.com
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Benefits of Tea- More Than A Drink

2008-12-18T05:15:00.001-08:00

Tea can do a lot more than taste good. Green, black, and oolong teas contain antioxidants called polyphenols which research has shown to help in preventing several forms of cancer, possible reduction in heart attack and stroke, and aides in overall health and well-being. Herbal teas do not usually carry the same polyphenols, but do contain other beneficial nutrients and antioxidants that can help in a variety of ways. Seems for every ailment there's an herb, and it all boils down to a good cup of tea.
Here is a few other ways to use specific herbal teas to our benefit. Enjoy!
Ginger tea
- promotes enzymes that promotes digestion and helps with nausea and upset stomachs
Thyme
Breathe over a warm cup to help clear your sinuses or use in hot bath. - is a natural antihistamine and helps fight infections.
Rosehips
- is rich in vitamin K, bioflavanoids, and citrics. Age defiance at it's best!
Shiny horsetail grass
Sipping on this tea is great for your hair, nails, and skin. - richest in silica, an element in tissue repair.
Rosemary tea
- a great hair rinse that promotes hair growth a gentle removing of hair build up
Oatstraw tea
- great for weight loss due to it's high fiber content and richness in vitamins A,D, B1, and B2
Chicory and dandelion tea
- natural appetite suppressants
Chamomile
- helps you sleep and relax
Apple peels
much of the apples nutrition value lies in the peel - brew some in with your regular tea.
Red clover
- in large amounts emulates female hormone which may help ease menopause symptoms
Lemongrass
- mild diuretic
Sassafras
- helps prevent bronchitis
Birch tea
- helps with rheumatism and headaches

Will Drinking Tea Lower Your Cholesterol?

2008-12-17T12:44:00.001-08:00

It not only provides the protective coating to the arteries but also produces sex hormones and many fatty acids required by the body. Firstly if we talk about cholesterol, it is a fatty, lipid and waxy substance circulating in the bloodstream. And some how they are successful too but what they never highlight is the side effects attached to it. By seeing this sudden increase many companies are now in a hurry to produce the drug that can reduce the cholesterol level significantly.

Majority of the American population is said to have high level cholesterol and this makes them to suffer from its related diseases. These days cholesterol is creating havoc, as death toll due to this disease is ever rising.
However this theory too is not supported by any evidences. They feel that tea cannot reduce cholesterol but yes can curb the raising the cholesterol. Many experts feel it do but many discard this theory by calling it as a fluke.

But concrete conclusion is still not out. According to the experts tea can also help in reducing the cholesterol level in the body. Among this whole list of medications the new way which has grown immensely is the tea. Nowadays cholesterol reductions medications are selling are like hot cakes in the American market but still many people are unaware of its side effects. But once this fat exceeds its limit it becomes the real threat.
They tend to have some special herbs and shrubs which not only break down the cholesterol. But not an ordinary tea, only green and herbal tea has this feature. According to the myth, tea can reduce cholesterol level in the body as it breaks down the complex and concentrated plaque on the arteries.
So your health is in your hands and takes a wise step in order to have happy and healthy living. That's why despite being so beneficial people still avoid and go in for pills and drugs which are accompanied with array of side effects. But what make people reluctant in drinking it, is the bitter taste of it.

Being in natural state it has many benefits attached to it. Black tea too is of very good use in terms of reducing high cholesterol as it burn the concentrated fat.

Start a Ritual of Tea Time with Your girls

2008-12-17T05:15:00.001-08:00

and big girls do too. Little girls love tea parties... hats, little teacups, beads and bracelets.

It's as if it's just part of being a girl ... Can't you just picture it? Tea time!
There are so many great reasons to join up with our friends
across the Atlantic and begin the tradition of afternoon
tea EVERY day, but realizing that we busy moms aren't
ready for a big step like that, let's start with a once a
week ritual to build a fabulous habit and tradition or our
girls to last a lifetime!
Why have weekly teatime?
peaceful.... You'll see... Provide a once a week respite from the craziness of life around a cup of tea. Even for kids these days between school, homework, extra-curricular activities, sports and more homework, life is anything but peaceful.

For most of us life is just a little nutty. Let's face it ladies. It's peaceful. 1.
2. It's fun! As I said above, girls of all ages LOVE the
ritual of tea. Something about pouring the liquid out of
the pot into lovely cups... it's just a little slice of
heaven.
That translates to graceful, gentle, soft...everything that you think of when you're thinking of tea. I may get some hate mail here but when the woman was created, she was created FEMININE! Tea is an excellent time to focus on gentleness and grace. It's feminine.

3.
4. It's memory building. Think of years from now when your
girls will be recounting the fond memories of your weekly
tea together. Better yet, imagine seeing your girls start
the same tradition with their girls.
Opportunities abound in tea time to show your little ladies how to be kind, quiet and caring, as well as how to use a fork, sip without slurping, etc. There is really no easier way to teach your young ladies manners than at a lovely tea table. It's enriching.

5.
For this reason alone I think tea time should be mandatory for families with teenagers. As your girls get older it will be easier for them to share what's been going on will create a culture of conversation. It encourages conversation. 6.
7. It's memory building. Think of years from now when your
girls will be recounting the fond memories of your weekly
tea together. Better yet, imagine seeing your girls start
the same tradition with their girls.
Maybe it's time for you to think about starting the weekly
tradition of tea in your household this week. It's not a
difficult thing to do and resources and books abound on the
topic. Start simple and you'll see... it will become a habit
in no time.
Annette Yen is a home schooling mom of two beautiful
daughters who enjoy tea with their mom often. Having grown
up with the ritual of tea being passed down throughout the
generations, Annette loves sharing her love of teatime with
other moms. Annette is also the owner of the website

http://www.funevents4girls.com
where you can sign up for
her free "Tips for Tuesday Tea Time" newsletter.

Tea and Friendship Go Hand in Hand

2008-12-16T12:44:00.001-08:00

Many of us have that one special person in our life that we can always count on. I am not referring to our spouses or our significant others. I am referring to our best friends. These great friends of ours deserve only the best gifts. They most certainly deserve to receive some wonderful best friend gifts.
You can give best friend gifts for practically any occasion. Give one for a birthday or a holiday; or give one "just because." In fact, the latter reason is the absolute best reason to give gifts. After all, these great friends deserve a gift every day of their lives, just for being who they are.
One wonderful idea for best friend gift is a "Tea for Two" gift basket. In this basket, include a teapot and two teacups and saucers. Include two biscuits (on second thought… including a lot of biscuits! And be sure to include a lot of chocolate, as well! Two good friends can go through these items quite quickly!).
There are some excellent books out there on tea and friendship. To make this best friend gift basket truly special, though, include a book. If you decide to give loose tea, add a tea infuser, as well. Also include sugar cubes, honey, and a great variety of tea.
· "A Cup of Christmas Tea" by Tom Hegg and Warren Hanson
Â· "The Twelve Teas of Friendship: When Friends are Together, It's Always a Celebration" by Emilie Barnes, et al
· "The Red Hat Society ™: Fun and Friendship After Fifty" by Sue Ellen Cooper
· "Tea and Friendship Journal" by Sandy Lyman Clough
Â· "The Art of Tea and Friendship: Savoring the Fragrance of Time Together" by Sandy Lynam Clough
· "You're Just My Cup of Tea: Our Friendship Warms My Heart" by Camille Ellerbrook
Â· "Friendship Teas to Go" by Emilie Barnes and Susan Rios
· "Join Me for Tea: Infusing Friendships with Love and Laughter" by Emilie Barnes
· "Sandy's Tea Society: Delighting in Friendships Steeped in Love" by Sandy Lynam Clough
· "A Little Friendship: A Cup of Tea Together Will Make Us Glad and a Little Friendship is No Small Matter" by Renee Locks
This is just one idea of a great many for gifts for best friends. What you decide to give depends entirely on you and your best friend. The important thing is to give a gift that shows him or her exactly how much you care and how much he or she means to you.
Other great things to give to your best friend are two tickets to sporting events, the symphony, ski resorts, etc. You can also reserve an entire day for your best friend, taking him or her out to dinner, on a hike, to the spa, etc.
Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on tea and friendship and great gifts, please visit
Distinct Gift Baskets
.

Supermarkets, Kimchi and Tea: Spending Time in Seoul, South Korea

2008-12-16T05:14:00.001-08:00

All of these new things you would not find in supermarkets in your home country, but they are popular and part of the diet in Korea. In the fruit and vegetable section you see types of fruit that are unfamiliar to you and a few vegetables that you do not recognise. Pig's heads and types of fish you have not seen before for example, become noticeable. Certain things such as yoghurts, washing powders and soft drinks may be pretty much the same worldwide, but a stroll down the meat section in England or America.

I have always felt that visiting a supermarket in a new country is a good way to get an initial insight into the new culture. Before talking more about Kimchi, which I am sure most Koreans have looked for in the index of this book (before considering if this book was worth buying) let's talk first talk about supermarkets in Korea.
In Korea, Chinese medicine seems to be very popular and as a result, supermarkets often stack traditional remedies such as deer antlers, which are thought to be able to give energy and strength. On first seeing them, I thought they looked unappetising, particularly with them being cut into thin bloody slices. They are nevertheless very popular as a remedy and are also quite expensive. I tried a medicine that contained deer antlers extract, ginseng and other herbs and my taste buds did not quite agree with the taste BUT I felt more energetic. I think though that the way in which the taste made me almost jump out of my skin had something to do with the sudden burst of energy I felt. I get the same feeling from drinking a full bottle of Soju!
As well as certain types of meat, Korean supermarkets often offer a great selection of items such as 'Tofu' (dubu) and 'Kimchi'. Tofu comes in many different types in Korea, usually varying according to the consistency. Tofu tastes great in soups, especially in one of my favourite soups 'Sun-Dubu'. I prefer the soft tofu of 'Sun-Dubu', more than the hard Dubu which I also experienced in soups - but cut into slices or diced, and fried.
The speciality of Korea, which I had expected to find everywhere and which was everywhere, is 'Kimchi'. Kimchi may be mentioned many times in this book and it is unavoidable. It is like writing a book about England without mentioning football, pubs and London; or writing about America and not mentioning the 'B' word - Bush or baseball; or writing about the French and not mentioning how much they hate visitors speaking English rather than French in their country.
The importance of Kimchi became clear almost as soon as I arrived in Korea. Not only did the subject of this phenomenon in Korea come up in conversations in classes, but there are also dozens of variations of Kimchi on display in the many supermarkets. It was clear early on from my students, that Kimchi is more than just a food. It is a necessity. A passion. An essential ingredient of Korean culture! Many students told me off how when they go abroad, they miss Kimchi more than anything else. One student said that he missed Kimchi even more than his own family and friends, when abroad.
Ch'ungch'ong Provinces have Gul Ggaktugi (oyster and sliced radishes) and Hobak (pumpkin) Kimchi. Kangwon Province has Chanran (fish paste and sliced radish) Kimchi and Ojingeo Mu-u (squid radish) Kimchi. Cheju island for example, have Haemul (seafood) Kimchi and Nabak (square cut radish). I learned after a few months in Korea that there thought to be over 100 different types of Kimchi and different types of Kimchi according to the area of Korea.
I actually like Kimchi quite a lot and I never hesitated to eat Kimchi when this cabbage, garlic and chilli based food was on the table in front of me. My own favourite is Myeolchi Kimchi - made with a dried fish base and strong seafood taste. Many English teachers in Korea love it as well. I could never eat it for breakfast though. Many people from Anglo countries dislike Myeolchi Kimchi, but they do often like other types of Kimchi. The fact that many Koreans eat Kimchi at every meal including breakfast shows the depth of passion for what is considered a National treasure.
In addition to an amazing colourful display of different varieties of Kimchi, ready-made Korean specialities such as Korean pancakes, cold glass noodles, cooked vegetables and sautéed mushrooms can be found. A warning though! Be careful of Korean bread, as things are not always as they seem. What looks like a normal Western loaf of bread, can when you bite into it, leave you with a mouthful of cream. The centre of the bread is often full of cream and it can be quite a surprise the first time: not because there is anything wrong with cream, but just because you are not expecting it, and you are caught off guard. I do not know why there is cream inside the bread, but there is. It could be because Koreans usually eat rice at every meal, rather than bread, hence bread for Koreans is more like a dessert. Maybe it is a new thing in Korea just to keep the Westerners on their toes!
As an Englishman, the tea section in a supermarket can be very important. Green tea and barley tea are common in many Korean supermarkets and the quality is always good. The problem for an English person though, is that black tea is the most common type of tea drank and in Korea, the only black tea you can normally find is Twinings. Twinings and all other black teas I found in Seoul, were less than half the strength of black teas on sale in England. When I visited the U.S., I always had the same problem finding a good quality cup of black tea so these days when travelling, I usually take some good tea bags (a good brand of Indian tea on sale in England) and a travel kettle. I even have to send it to my English, Australian and South African friends who work in Korea. Tea is probably as important to many British as Kimchi is to Koreans. In the English language there are even expressions which use tea in the expression; such is the importance of tea in British culture. A typical expression is: "I wouldn't visit the South Pole for all the tea in China". Not "(to do something) for all the tea in China" is a common expression in British English to express when there is no way you would do something. Maybe there is a proverb or expression in Korean involving Kimchi.
Travel diary of living in Seoul, South Korea

Making Delicious Iced Tea

2008-12-15T12:44:00.001-08:00

It quickly became a drink for all types of weather. It was so refreshing that people realized you could enjoy tea served cold instead of the common hot methods. Louis expo. A tea merchant by the name of Richard Blechynden decided to serve tea over some ice during a St.

Iced tea can trace its' roots back to the heat wave in the year 1904. Many people savor drinking iced tea, especially on a warm summer day.
You can drink these either decaffeinated or not for a little boost in energy when you need it. Some of the popular flavors are peach, mango, strawberry, and raspberry iced tea. It is a refreshing drink when the temperatures are rising.

Simply open the bottle and enjoy. Many of the bottled iced teas you purchase already have these in them for extra flavoring. Iced tea can be sweetened by adding sugar.
Sugar and lemon can be alternatively added to sweeten it up even more. It should be refrigerated for six or seven hours, then strained into a second clean container. With this method, a dry tea leaf should be placed in a clean container that has the right amount of cold water.

The first way is called the cold steeping method. If you are more inclined to make your iced tea there are two methods to try.
The second method of making iced tea is the hot steeping method. One favorite way of doing this is to double the amount of dry tea leaves you would typically use for hot tea, infuse it for approximately 5 minutes, and then pour over a full glass of ice. For the optimum results, let the tea cool down before pouring it over the ice. Alternatively you can try to steep it for approximately 5 minutes in hot water, then pour into a container with a matching amount of cold water. This method will dilute the strong tea flavor and help avoid clouding.
Iced tea can be mixed with lemonade or your favorite fruit juices to create a fruity flavored drink. Bear in mind that by doing this you should make sure that the juice does not overwhelm the flavor of the tea, but complement it instead. Experiment with the mixing ratios for the most desired results. Once you get it right you will be enjoying your iced drink while soaking up the warm sun.
James McDonald writes for findteaonline.com, a website where you can find
flavored tea
products and gift ideas. We have a variety of flavors as well as informative articles on many topics related to tea.

Green Tea - Discover the Benefits Of This Super Antioxidant

2008-12-15T05:15:00.001-08:00

"If we do not find time to take care of our health, we will
reluctantly have to find time for our illness"
-Hippocrates
Lately there's a lot of buzz in the news and online about
green tea and its' health benefits, particularly the role of
polyphenols in green tea.
Polyphenols are chemical compounds found in fruits,
vegetables and green tea and further divided into sub groups
called catechins. There are 4 major catechins in green tea
of which EGCG ((-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the
most potent and found in abundance in green tea.
This compound is dubbed the "super antioxidant" because it's
more powerful than the popular antioxidants Vitamin E &
Vitamin C. This super antioxidant eliminates free radicals,
the unstable molecules in the body that are the major cause
of both aging and disease, which continually attack the body
and leave the body vulnerable to disease.
All of which are vital for normal cellular function. They are highly reactive molecules; their activities cause damage to critical structures such as DNA, lipids and proteins. Free radicals indiscriminately kill cells, destroy enzymes and produce toxic chemicals which cause damage to cellular functions. Free radicals disrupt the biochemical processes within cells, and our body's natural defenses become compromised leading to illness.
Free radicals in the body are toxic forms of reactive oxygen
metabolites (ROM). It's ironic that on one hand oxygen
sustains us and on the other hand oxygen can be responsible
for much of the destruction and aging of our cells. Free
radicals are responsible for many ailments including but not
limited to aging, cancer, heart disease, stroke and
arthritis. Without an antioxidant line of defense, your
cells oxidize or breakdown faster thus speeding up the aging
process, it's the free radicals oxidative damage that makes
us age.
Since EGCG contained in green tea is a potent antioxidant it neutralizes free radicals and hence is responsible for the health promoting benefits listed below.
Lower total cholesterol and LDL (bad)-cholesterol levels
Increase HDL (good)-cholesterol levels
Reduce the risk of cancer
Reduce the risk of heart attack
Decrease the risk of stroke
Decrease the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis
Enhance immune function
Act as an antibacterial and antiviral agent
Help in weight loss
Boost longevity due to potent antioxidant properties
As mentioned above EGCG is believed to possess 100 times more potency as an antioxidant than vitamin C and at least 25 times more potency as an antioxidant than vitamin C and at least 25 times more potency as an antioxidant than vitamin C and at least 25 times more potency than Vitamin E and protects cells and DNA from damage believed to be linked to cancer, heart disease and other potentially fatal illnesses. One cup of green tea usually provides 100-300 mg of polyphenols and contains EGCG in high concentrations.
We're just now scratching the surface of what green tea has to offer, new studies come out constantly that provide data on the effectiveness of green tea can be attributed to polyphenols, particularly EGCG. Green tea has been used for centuries in China for the health benefits it provides.
Green tea comes in various dosage forms but the more popular
versions are the liquid forms and the patch. The patch seems
to be gaining in popularity due to the convenience factor
and delivery of the same amount of the active ingredient of
green tea at a constant rate. Place the patch on the skin
and wear it for 48 hours and replace it every other day. It
can't get any simpler than that :-)
As you can see EGCG is an important component of green tea
responsible for all of the health benefits listed above.
Recent studies also indicate green tea as being effective in
promoting weight loss.
Green tea is truly a 'wonder compound' with a large array
of benefits for improving
health. It's been around for thousands of years and now it
has finally been re-discovered
for our benefit.
For more information please visit the website.
(c)Mayur Vibhakar - All rights reserved.
Mayur Vibhakar is a health professional and editor of

innervibrance.com
, a site dedicated to achieving optimal
health through natural means. Subscribe to the informative
health articles and receive health improving
tips, natural product reviews and relevant health
information.
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The Health Benefits of Drinking Green Tea and Coffee

2008-12-14T12:40:00.001-08:00

The Chinese have used green tea to treat disease for many centuries. Today, Western culture is beginning to appreciate the benefits of green tea.
Recent research has revealed some of the health benefits of using green tea including the possible prevention of rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cataracts and even cancer.
Studies have shown that drinking green tea helps you burn more calories. Green tea aids weight loss programs.
Green tea can help fight food poisoning, as well. It also helps kill bacteria that cause plaque and subsequent tooth decay. This gives your immune system a boost.

One of the best benefits of green tea is its ability to fight bacteria.
In addition, green tea can help lower blood sugar and cholesterol. It even helps slow the aging process!
Why is green tea so beneficial? It has to do with the way it is processed.
Steaming the leaves keeps the antioxidants intact. Fermenting oxidizes the antioxidants in the leaves and renders the antioxidant much less effective. Black tea and oolong tea are fermented, but green tea is steamed.
One thing is certain: more is better, so drink as many cups as you like! Recommendations vary from 3 to 10 cups a day. How much green tea do you need to reap all of the great benefits?
Even though green tea has lots of great benefits, many of us are not about to give up our morning cup of coffee. Guess what? No problem!
You will be glad to hear that new studies have shown there are some healthy benefits of coffee drinking.
Coffee seems to offset some of the damage caused by bad habits such as smoking or heavy drinking. Some smokers who also drink coffee have been shown to have less heart disease than other smokers. Some heavy drinkers who also drink coffee regularly have less incidence of liver damage than expected.
Besides the caffeine in coffee, there are other ingredients that are beneficial to our health.
Coffee contains antioxidants including quinines, chlorogenic acid and tocopherols as well as essential minerals such as magnesium. All of these aid glucose metabolism and may, as a result, reduce the risk of diabetes.
Animal studies published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry suggest coffee antioxidants boost the activity of enzymes which may protect against colon cancer.
Trigonelline is another beneficial ingredient in coffee which may help prevent tooth decay. Other benefits of coffee include reducing the risk of Parkinson's disease, helping relieve asthma symptoms and tension headaches, and inhibiting the formation of gallstones.
Now you can enjoy your morning brew with no sense of guilt!

Green Tea: An Effective Weight Loss Solution

2008-12-14T05:10:00.001-08:00

Did you know that Green Tea is one of the most effective weight loss supplements that you can consume to help you lose weight?
According to recent studies, when combined with sensible lifestyle changes green tea can help dieters lose weight, burn fat, increase metabolic rate and suppress their appetites. Well, it is.
Unlike black tea which is highly processed and fermented, green tea is made by slightly steaming the freshly gathered leaves, which prevents them from becoming fermented or changing color. After steaming, the leaves are dried by lightly pan frying them in a wok, baking them in an oven or heating them with hot air until they are crispy. The resulting beverage is a greenish-yellow tea with a slightly astringent flavor.
More and more often you'll find extracts of green tea being included in a lot of popular weight loss products today.
One of the main reasons for this is because of one of green tea's chief ingredients. Polyphenols, which are responsible for the color of the leaves of some plants, are a group of substances found in green tea. These polyphenols benefit weight loss by helping the body to burn fat naturally by increasing body heat and energy expenditure.
Green tea also causes carbohydrates to be released slowly, preventing sharp increases in blood-insulin levels. This promotes the burning of fat.
Another of the main ingredients in green tea is antioxidants. Antioxidants are organic substances, like vitamins A, E and C which are thought to be effective in helping protect the body against the harmful effects of free radicals - which cause the destruction of living cells, cancer, stroke and heart disease.
One of the most extraordinary characteristics about green tea is that studies have shown it is about 200 times more potent an antioxidant than Vitamin A, Vitamin C, E or curcumin in some instances. Additionally, just one cup of green tea has more antioxidant effect than a serving of strawberries, spinach or carrots.
in 8 ounces of coffee. in 8 ounces of tea, compared to more than 100 mg. in 8 ounces of tea, compared to more than 100 mg.

in 8 ounces of tea, compared to more than 100 mg. of caffeine in 8 ounces of tea, compared to more than 100 mg. There are approximately 30 to 60 mg. Green tea contains less caffeine than coffee. Caffeine is another component in green tea which scientists think plays an important role in green tea's ability to help people lose weight.
Combined with Polyphenol compounds, caffeine in green tea acts as a stimulant to the body to help promote fat loss. In a recent study, participants taking green tea extract and still following normal diet experienced a significant increase in their energy expenditure.
The researchers concluded that participants using green tea extract had increased fat oxidation beyond what could be attributed to the caffeine they consumed.
This indicates that green tea may be an excellent alternative to many stimulant-based diet aids.
If helping people to lose weight was not enough, green tea provides additional health benefits far and beyond weight loss, including:
Protects against Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's
Fights cavities and helps stop tooth decay and gum disease
Prevents osteoporosis
Protects against ovarian cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer and prostate cancer
Lowers cholesterol
Helps the body to fight viruses
Controls high blood pressure
Normalizes healthy bacteria in the intestines
Helps prevent heart disease
Thus far, no harmful side effects have been found in drinking green tea or taking green tea extract capsules. This makes green tea one of the best health supplements available for weight loss and overall health.
Patricia has been interested in health and fitness since the early 70's and knows how to seperate hype from fact.

How To Get Rich In Tea Business

2008-12-13T12:40:00.001-08:00

Further more, you may attempt different ways of tea making, of your own, to find out the best suited to your taste buds! Sometimes, you will have some more interest like ‘making a tea drink' also. know you as a tea lover, interested in enjoying the taste and flavor of a tea, sip by sip from a cup.
You will occupy the kitchen with one or two brands of tea and try them differently to make and enjoy the tea drink!
They will never try to make it even for the sake of fun! Some people will limit their efforts only towards drinking a cup of tea made by others at home or restaurants.
But, you have decided to go farther from just tasting tea for getting refreshment!
Soon, you will enter into a business that will make you taste the real richness of tea and richness of money embedded inside the trade. If you are already in this business, you will not hesitate to take in more mantras to make big money!
There are seven mantras (steps) to bring success into any endower; they are very much applicable to this trade also: These principles are drawn from a German concept. We should honestly accept that in any business "the prime thing is people and the ultimate is also people".
Then, we need to adopt these success components one by one to bring in more people into our business and there by more money without loss of time and energy!
These seven wise principles may be described as seven wonders that bring extraordinary success to any business activity!
Now, you are going to learn about their applications in this lucrative tea business! They are: open mind, common sense, concentration, specialization, division of labor, extravert activity, and target oriented approach.
Choose a target of customers and satisfy them to a higher level. By division of labour, one should split the work and do them easily.Do participate in the extravert activity to inform about the super blend to the outside world. Become a specialist by repeatedly doing the skill.

Apply common sense to innovate and concentration to learn the scientific tea tasting. Apply common sense to innovate and concentration to learn the techniques of tea tasting initially. In a short description, I shall tell you that the entrepreneur should have an open mind to learn the techniques of tea tasting initially.
We reiterate that the key factor in this business is learning the scientific tea testing, tasting and blending techniques to be applied in the process of procurement and sales.
You may visit:
http://www.teablends.blogspot.com
RESOURCES:
FROM MY OWN RESEARCH ON THOUSANDS OF TEA SAMPLES AND BUSINESS EXPERIENCES.

Gevalia Kaffe Is In The Coffee And Tea Business

2008-12-13T05:10:00.001-08:00

In the United states is the products sold as an expensive and ultra premium coffee brand. Gevalia is a mainstream supermarket brand in Europe. In 1971 it was bought by Kraft foods.

For 120 years it was a family based company. in Sweden in 1853. It was started by Victor Engwall & Co. Gevalia is the large coffee roastery in Scandinavia. Gevalia is based in Gavle, Sweden (Gavle is known by the name Gevalia in Latin).

Gevalia Kaffe is a coffee roastery selling coffee and tea in Europe and North America.
In the United States Gevalia began its sales via mail order delivery service. They are famous for the introductory offer of a free coffeemaker for purchasing its coffee. Gevalia offers more than 30 varieties of coffee and 13 varieties of tea. The wide variety is to satisfy different tastes and occasions of even the most discriminating coffee and tea lovers. In the U.S. The coffee can be purchased by calling 1-800-GEVALIA or by visiting the website at www.gevalia.com. Gevalia coffee and tea is vacuum sealed immediately after roasting to ensure preservation of taste and standards. Gevalia is available by home delivery and a catalog is available on request.
The company is also involved in community service of coffee growing nations like Columbia and is involved in medical aid, food relief and education in these countries.
Product Guarantee: Gevalia gives 100% guarantee on its products and will refund money 100% in case you are not satisfied.
Payment: Payment can be made at the address, Holmparken Square, PO Box 6275, Dover, DE 19905-6275. The catalog can be obtained at the same address. Online payment can be made by Visa, Master card, Diners club car, American Express and Discover card. It is advisable to become a member at Gevalia.com before purchase, as it can help you to locate your shipment.
Customer Care. Customer care service is available at 1-800-438-2542 at all times. Customer service is also available by email on customerservice@gevalia.com
The shipping rates for purchases up to $25 is $7 and increases with the amount of purchase. Expect delivery within 2 weeks. Delivery: Delivery is sent through UPS.
Gift Wrapping and Other Products: You can also gift wrap your purchase if you want to send the premium coffee or tea as a gift to your friends. The gift wrapping cost is around 5$. A message card is also available on the gift wrapping. Gift certificates are also available at Gevalia. Occasionally Gevalia also adds free samples that they want to promote at no extra cost. At Gevalia.com a wide variety of beautiful coffee mugs, tea sets, coffee sets, tea tables, tea pots, wall clocks, crates, flasks etc are available at reasonable rates.
Keith George always writes about valuable news & reviews.
A related resource is
GEVALIA
Further information can be found at
Tips & News

Gevalia Kaffe Is In The Coffee And Tea Business

2008-12-12T12:40:00.001-08:00

Gevalia Kaffe is a coffee roastery selling coffee and tea in Europe and North America. Gevalia is based in Gavle, Sweden (Gavle is known by the name Gevalia in Latin). Gevalia is the large coffee roastery in Scandinavia. It was started by Victor Engwall & Co. in Sweden in 1853. For 120 years it was a family based company. In 1971 it was bought by Kraft foods. Gevalia is a mainstream supermarket brand in Europe. In the United states is the products sold as an expensive and ultra premium coffee brand.
Gevalia is available by home delivery and a catalog is available on request. Gevalia coffee and tea is vacuum sealed immediately after roasting to ensure preservation of taste and standards. The coffee can be purchased by calling 1-800-GEVALIA or by visiting the website at www.gevalia.com.

In the U.S. The wide variety is to satisfy different tastes and occasions of even the most discriminating coffee and tea lovers. Gevalia offers more than 30 varieties of coffee and 13 varieties of tea. They are famous for the introductory offer of a free coffeemaker for purchasing its coffee. In the United States Gevalia began its sales via mail order delivery service.
The company is also involved in community service of coffee growing nations like Columbia and is involved in medical aid, food relief and education in these countries.
Product Guarantee: Gevalia gives 100% guarantee on its products and will refund money 100% in case you are not satisfied.
Payment: Payment can be made at the address, Holmparken Square, PO Box 6275, Dover, DE 19905-6275. The catalog can be obtained at the same address. Online payment can be made by Visa, Master card, Diners club car, American Express and Discover card. It is advisable to become a member at Gevalia.com before purchase, as it can help you to locate your shipment.
Customer Care. Customer care service is available at 1-800-438-2542 at all times. Customer service is also available by email on customerservice@gevalia.com
Delivery: Delivery is sent through UPS. Expect delivery within 2 weeks. The shipping rates for purchases up to $25 is $7 and increases with the amount of purchase.
Gift Wrapping and Other Products: You can also gift wrap your purchase if you want to send the premium coffee or tea as a gift to your friends. The gift wrapping cost is around 5$. A message card is also available on the gift wrapping. Gift certificates are also available at Gevalia. Occasionally Gevalia also adds free samples that they want to promote at no extra cost. At Gevalia.com a wide variety of beautiful coffee mugs, tea sets, coffee sets, tea tables, tea pots, wall clocks, crates, flasks etc are available at reasonable rates.
Keith George always writes about valuable news & reviews.
A related resource is
GEVALIA
Further information can be found at
Tips & News

Green Tea & Caffeine

2008-12-12T05:11:00.001-08:00

So you've heard that green tea is good for you, and have considered trying some out to see what the big fuss is all about. If you have checked out what is on the typical grocery store shelf, you most likely have seen green tea bags of various descriptions. Sitting amongst these is usually a decaffeinated type as well. If one wants green tea but at the same time does not want the caffeine, most people would assume all they need to do is go for the decaffeinated version. Unfortunately, it's not quite so simple. What most people are not aware of is that the decaffeination process pretty much ruins the major health benefits associated with green tea. There are numerous reasons for this, but to understand why you need to have an idea on how green tea is processed. It all has to do with oxygen.
Decaffeinated green tea is just about unheard of in Japan, home of the world's finest green teas. There really is no place in the processing where a decaffeination process would work and not ruin the tea. This processing involves steaming, rolling, and drying, and takes about three hours start to finish.

Although it comes from the exact same species of plant (Camellia Sinensis) as black tea, it is picked and then process immediately to prevent oxidation of the leaves. Green tea, however, is not like that. This gives black tea its unique taste. When you drink regular English tea, those leaves have been exposed to oxygen and fermented that way on purpose. That is from contact with the air, or more specifically, the oxygen in the air.

Notice how it starts to turn brown? Think about what an apple looks like after it's been cut and sitting on the counter for an hour.
Quite often, the second infusion is greener than the first, although it won't be quite as aromatic or tasty. Since nearly all of the caffeine is in the first infusion, getting a quality decaf green tea is going to be better than the best decaffeinated green tea out on the market. As much of a shame as it seems to be to dump the first infusion (which has the most taste and best aroma), rest assured that the 2nd infusion of a high quality loose leaf Japanese green tea, preferably from the first harvest. That said, if it's a caffeine free cup of quality green tea is as simple as brewing an infusion, dumping it, and then re-brewing.

That's slightly less than regular black tea just a fraction of the caffeine in coffee. No, it is possible, but first it's important to know that green tea does not have high caffeine content, only about 30mg per cup. So does that mean one cannot drink decaffeinated green tea?
Based out of Japan, in addition to offering a wealth of information on the health benefits of green tea, O-Cha.com offers a large selection of loose leaf green tea, matcha, and tea brewing supplies. Kevin Moore is the founder of O-Cha.com, one of the internet's first and largest websites dedicated to Japanese green tea.
http://www.o-cha.com
Contact him at
kevinrm@o-cha.com

How to Read Tea leaves for Fun or Profit

2008-12-11T12:40:00.001-08:00

The ancient art of reading tea leaves in a cup is quite simple, and can be learned in a very short time. Although psychics throughout the ages have used it as a system of divination, any one can learn to master the techniques involved. Before long you will be making predictions about the future for friends and family. You don't need to posses any psychic ability; all that's really required is patience to understand the various symbols and their meanings. However, as with all divinatory systems constant use can have the effect of developing and stimulating your natural intuitive ability.
Adding clairvoyancy to the skill will give you a deeper insight into the metaphysical energy surrounding the process. Reading tealeaves is a fun way of stimulating the imagination and tapping into the unconscious mind and listening to your inner self for answers to problems or dilemmas that you may have. The process also links in with Carl Jung's theory of the ‘Collective uconsciousness', where by ones intuition isn't limited by the constraints of space or time. It's through this that tealeaf readers can look into a persons past, present or future.
The ancient practice of interpreting patterns made by tealeaves in the cup is called Tasseography, otherwise known as tasseomancy or tassology. "Tasse" or "tass" is an Arab word, meaning small cup or goblet. The art also includes the reading of coffee grounds and wine sediments. In China and Japan tea drinking had a ceremonial use and an aid to meditation. A reader would watch for omens in the patterns and shapes left after drinking the tea. Although tealeaf reading is associated with Gypsy fortune-tellers and Victorian parlour games it's roots began in Asia, ancient Greece and the Middle East. In recent history it has close ties with Scottish, and Irish tradition as well as throughout Eastern Europe.
Historically, a psychic often had a special cup that he or she would use for readings. Likewise a special spoon may be used to give it a sense of ritual. The cup, saucer and spoon should be first washed or cleansed by immersing it in hot soap and water and rinsing it with cold. Modern day psychics use cups with astrological markings printed on the inside. This not only gives a reading from the tealeaves but also provides information based on the astrological signs. The cup should have a wide brim and should be plain inside as any pattern would conflict with the interpretation of the leaves
Boiling water is poured over the tea as the person receiving the This is seen as being similar to shuffling tarot cards before a reading. Boiling water is poured over the tea as the person receiving the reading stir the dried leaves before spooning them into the teacup or pot. This is seen as being similar to shuffling tarot cards before a reading. Boiling water is poured over the tea as the person receiving the reading stir the dried leaves before spooning them into the teacup or pot.

This is seen as being similar to shuffling tarot cards before a reading. Some psychics ask that the person receiving the reading stir the dried leaves before spooning them into the teacup or pot. The person having the reading would be asked to spoon a measure of tea into a heated pot or directly into a china cup. Jasmin or Erl Grey etc. Typically psychics choose not to use small commercially produced tealeaves but opt for the larger type i.e.

Part of the ritual of reading tea leaves is in the act of sitting down and enjoying the tea in the company of fellow drinkers as this allows you to relax and gather your thoughts.
When the tea is cool enough to drink the person receiving the reading sips the liquid whilst continuing to concentrate on the question. The person having his or hers tealeaf read should leave about a quarter of an inch of tea at the bottom of the cup. The cup should then be swirled around with the left hand three times in a clockwise direction so that the tealeaves are in a state of suspension. It is then flipped quickly facedown onto a napkin, which has been placed on the saucer thus leaving the tealeaves on the bottom and sides of the cup.
Some psychics say that images facing anticlockwise represent the significance is departing, whilst images facing clockwise mean the person requesting the reading is moving towards the occurrence. The leaves near the brim of the cup have more importance than those near the bottom. The leaves near the brim of the cup is divided into twelve months with the six month position being directly facing the handle.

The leaves near the brim of the cup is divided into twelve months with the six month position being directly facing the handle. Making a mental note of what you see; begin reading the cup clockwise, the handle representing the day of the teacup reading should be facing the reader The rest of the cup is divided into twelve months with the six month position being directly facing the handle. In order to interpret the images it may help if you slightly squint your eyes as you look at the leaves and allow your imagination to roam.
Iterpretation of the symbols can be either exactly as they appear, for example a house, may mean contentment and home, or symbolically ie combined with a bell may mean good news or an invitation on it's way. Contradicting images imply indecision in the person's mind. Sometimes the top of the cup is seen as lucky and the bottom is seen as unlucky, but you should use your intuition and common sense when deciding this. The size of the symbol may give you clue to its importance. The rim represents the present or things that may happen within a few days or weeks. The sides predict the future. The bottom predicts the very distant future.
You may find that certain symbols have a particular meaning for you alone and vary from the meanings listed below The secrete is to trust your intuition and gut feelings. The same applies to the art of tealeaf reading the more proficient you will become at it. Like learning most things the more you practice the better you will get.
Symbols and Interpretations :
Teapot :- Warm-loving friends. Trees :- A new start. Scales :- Decisions need to balance things. Ring :- Changes for the better.

Mountain :- Problems, but conquerable. Ladder :- promotion, improvement. Key :- Solutions revealed soon. Heart :- Happy emotional things. Gate :- Change of circumstance, confidently proceed.

Fish :- Spiritual progress. Flag :- Stay fast for good fortune. Dog :- A faithful friend. Dagger :- Fallout or plotting ahead. Cobweb :- something guarded or secure.

Cross :- Problems but outcome positive. Moon :- Changes. Clock :- Act now, a meeting soon to happen. Butterfly :- None serious about a relationship. Bottle :- Allurement, good social life.

Book :- Look for further information. Bird :- Good fortune on its way. wedding etc. Bell :- Good news i.e.

Angel :- A blessing from your guides. Anchor :- A journey ends. Aeroplane :- Travel, going up in the world.
Paula is a gifted psychic and the owner of
www.email-a-psychic.co.uk
and
www.psychic-trudy.co.uk
where your personal questions will be answered professionally and compassionately by Email.

Make the Switch! Coffee to Tea

2008-12-11T05:11:00.001-08:00

Research shows that green and black teas have up to 8-10 times the antioxidants as fruits and vegetables which can add significantly to your health. The health benefit of drinking tea is chalked up to one explanation, antioxidants. Evidence shows by switching to tea you can add some significant health benefits. Having a hard time giving up your 4 cups of coffee each day?
Beware of doctoring up your tea with too much milk because this has been found to decrease the antioxidants. You can find these benefits in black, green, oolong and even iced teas! The research has found that regular tea drinkers - people who drink two or more cups per day - have less heart disease and stroke, lower cholesterol levels, and they may recover from heart attacks faster.
Don't despair coffee lovers! There are some teas out there that you may find match up to your love of coffee. For instance, Chai tea uses ginger and cardamom which overpowers the taste of the black tea but offers a rich, full bodied taste which is perfect for coffee consumers! Vanilla nut teas also tend to override the black tea taste for a richer flavor. Try some tea today to better your health!
©, 2005 Meri Raffetto
About the Author

Green Tea and Your Health

2008-12-10T12:41:00.001-08:00

Green tea has been used as for medical remedies in China since ancient times. It was said to have many health benefits and be a remedy for many ailments. It is also said that the Japanese owe their slim figures to green tea.
Today, scientist in Asia and the west are providing scientific evidence that green tea is the main cause of this.
Green tea has been shown to do many things including:
- Inhibit the growth of new cancer cells and kill existing cancer cells
- Promote weight loss helping the body burn up to 10 percent more body fat.
- Increase energy expenditure up to 4 percent.
- Prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.
- Reduce the risk of colon, breast, and lung cancer.
- Boost the immune system.
- Have an anti-inflammatory effect making it a good supplement for those with arthritis.
- Help in the prevention of tooth decay.
Green Tea Differs from Other Types of Tea
By doing this the leaves remain green and active substances that are contained in the leaves keep their healthful qualities. Made from the plant so that oxidation of the leaves is prevented. What makes green tea different from other tea is the process in which it is made.
Side Effects of Green Tea
Thus making green tea one of the best supplements available. There are no reported harmful side effects in drinking green tea or taking green tea extract capsules.
Use of Green Tea
There are 2 ways of supplementing your diet with green tea:
- Drinking green tea: 2 to 3 cups daily.
- Green tea capsules or tablets: 2 capsules or tablets of green tea extract daily.

How To Properly Plan And Host A Bridal Shower Tea Party

2008-12-10T05:11:00.001-08:00

In case you want an elaborate party, it is best to outsource the entire preparation to the wedding planner who you have chosen for the wedding. To avoid too elaborate planning and arrangements simply plan a bridal shower tea party, which can be a lot of fun with little confusion or headache. But in this day and age people have very little time for too complicated affairs to be arranged.

A bridal shower is meant to pamper your little girl or your best friend before they begin a whole new life. All weddings are special occasions.
The history of Tea Parties
The other is the "high" tea party where the tea is served with heavy snacks or a meal later in the evening. Most people enjoy snacks being served with tea. It soon spread to all classes and all countries around the world as an immensely popular and extravagant affair.

The British working class, who loved to relish their tea in leisure during breaks, originally established tea parties.
Most of the time the best of linen, teapot warmers, silver ware and china are used to add grace to the party. If the bridal shower is over high tea, use fine silver, scented candles and small dim lights along with mellow music. This lends an air of refined and elegant ambience. But if you like a lot of jazz and dance then you should definitely arrange for a groovy DJ who will rock your party with the latest music and shaking bodies.
Add the personal touch with the bride's name on the special cake and decor. Snacks for the afternoon tea party should be fluffy and tasty biscuits, sandwiches, sweets, teacakes, salads and cookies with very light desserts. For an afternoon tea party, serve in a buffet style with appropriate decorations for the various dishes on offer.
Guests can also narrate various stories and anecdotes on love to celebrate the eternal joy of wedding. Bridal shower games are meant to be entertaining and fun. One other thing that most people like to do at bridal showers is to play games.

You can also make it memorable with jazzy songs and performances for entertainment. Create fantastic favors for the bridal shower with innovative flower and gift arrangement.
The sky is the limit! You can pick from any colors and play any type of games that you think would be something the bride would enjoy. You do not have to stick with the usual bridal shower. There are numerous different styles of bridal showers you can throw.
Find more about this as well as Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida.
gourmet party appetizers
at
http://www.gourmetpartyappetizers.com

Coffee Or Tea - Which Is Better For You?

2008-12-09T12:41:00.001-08:00

Most people cannot function without either their morning cup of coffee or tea. While, it's mostly the caffeine that gets people going, a side benefit from drinking these beverages is that you may be boosting your immune system and helping to fight disease.
While the health benefits of drinking green tea have been much publicized, few people realize that drinking coffee can have health benefits as well but recent studies show that coffee may share some of the healthy attributes that green tea has shown.
Both coffee and green tea have been shown to contain compounds which have antibacterial properties that can help prevent tooth decay and may help to fight food poisoning. All of which help in glucose metabolism and result in those who regularly drink coffee having a reduced risk of diabetes. Like green tea, coffee has antioxidants including quinines, chlorogenic acid and tocopherols as well as essential minerals such as magnesium.
Green tea has been shown to have a role in the prevention of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cataracts, and to help boost your immune system. In addition, green tea may also help you lose weight and is said to help lower blood sugar and cholesterol as well as slow the aging process.
Coffee is said to contain compounds that boost the activity of enzymes which may protect against colon cancer (according to animal studies published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry). Other health benefits of coffee include a reduced risk of developing Parkinsons Disease, help in relieving asthma symptoms, stopping tension headaches, and inhibiting the formation of gallstones.
Some say 10 cups a day, others say you can experience the benefits with 3 cups a day. While most everyone agrees that the caffeinated should only be taken in small amounts (no more than 3 cups of coffee a day) to avoid the addictive qualities of the caffeine, it's a bit more vague on how much tea is recommended. When it comes to the question of how much coffee or tea you need to benefit the answers can be a bit confusing.

TEA for TWO, For BABY and YOU!

2008-12-09T05:11:00.001-08:00

It can help relieve the following conditions: It is an anti-allergic nutritional supplementary drink and is suitable for babies from birth. Baby Rooibos Tea is naturally good for your baby.
Colic Insomnia Food Allergies Stomach Cramps Eczema
Rooibos Tea has been a trusted solution for the above conditions for the last three decades amongst South African mothers and more recently, mothers worldwide.
Rooibos Tea contains the soothing and relaxing flavonoid quercetin with anti-spasmodic properties and luteolin an anti-inflammatory antioxidant. Rooibos tea has a dramatic calming and soothing effect when added to allergic babies' bottles and promotes good sleeping patterns.
Furthermore, Rooibos has anti-allergic properties because it contains the unique flavonoid aspalathin, which only occurs in the Rooibos plant.
Scientists have found that Rooibos Tea has the following properties:
 Anti-allergic  Anti-bacterial  Anti-ageing  Anti-spasmodic  Anti-viral  Anti-oxidant  No caffeine  Low tannin  Rich in Minerals  Anti-carcinogenic
The tea goes through strict pasteurisation and sterilisation processes to ensure it is up to baby's standards! The Tea has a naturally sweet and fruity taste. Even better, no sweeteners are necessary. Because Rooibos Tea is low in tannin, it will not deplete baby's own natural iron reserves.

The Tea does not replace baby's normal bottle or breastfeeding, but is a Nutritional, Anti-Allergic, Calming Supplementary drink. Replace juice or water with Baby tea for a nutritional supplementary drink, you can even use Baby tea instead of water, when mixing baby's normal bottle-feed. Rooibos Baby Tea contains all the essential minerals and trace elements needed to give your baby the best start in life.
Favoured by families worldwide, Rooibos Tea is highly regarded for its unique health benefits and has powerful rejuvenating and antioxidant properties. ROOIBOS TEA IS GOOD FOR MUM & DAD TOO!
In combination with the tea's naturally high Vitamin C content (1,5mg/ml), they act as anti-oxidant compounds to protect your family against diseases like cancer. The Rooibos plant contains a number of different flavonoids, which help to neutralise the effect of these free radicals. Anti-oxidants help to reverse and prevent free radical damage to our bodies.
The Japanese, who have studied Rooibos Tea extensively, and in particular its anti-ageing qualities, actually call Rooibos tea "Long Life Tea".
She strived to gain all the knowledge she could and to utilise the full potential of the plant's unique properties. At that time, there was hardly any information available on the natural therapeutic properties of Rooibos Tea and Dr Theron set out to find out as much as she could about this remarkable plant through her own investigations. The Tea had such a calming and soothing effect on her own allergic baby daughter that she felt she wanted to share it with mothers all over the world.

In 1968, Dr Annique Theron made the amazing discovery that Rooibos Tea not only alleviates allergies internally, but also externally.
Dr Theron published a book: Allergies: an Amazing Discovery on the anti-allergic qualities of the Rooibos Plant.
Dr Theron received International Acclaim from the World Intellectual Property Organisation in 1997 and received the Woman Inventor of the Year Award for her discovery of the beneficial properties of the Rooibos Plant, Aspalathus linearis and for the application of her Patented Rooibos Extract in skin-and healthcare products.
Rooibos Tea is a healthy and nutritious drink for the whole family, from Baby to Grandma and Grandpa.

Private Label Loose Teas vs Private Label Tea bags

2008-12-08T12:41:00.001-08:00

More choices, options, colors and kinds can make any decision difficult. Though this choice may seem relatively simple as there are a growing list of companies that can supply a line of private label teas, as the number of companies grow, so to does the difficulty. Though this choice may seem relatively simple as there are a growing list of companies that can supply a line of private label teas. Though this choice may seem relatively simple as there are a growing list of companies that can supply a line of private label teas.

In a rapidly growing tea industry, a variety of companies are looking to expand their product base by adding a line of private label teas.
But now with the rise of Gourmet tea bags, where a high quality loose tea is included in the tea bags, all of the sudden this is a very real, and potentially better option. Though originally the choice was private label loose teas, now many companies are looking to add a line of private label tea bags was far lower than the private label loose teas.
This is where a vast majority of competition is. Either high quality loose teas that are green tea, black tea or oolong tea, or regular tea bags with low quality green tea and black teas in them. For those looking to enter into the tea industry, and have done their research have found that there are a vast number of "standard" teas on the market.

One of the reasons that the market is growing so fast however, is the nearly endless number of possibilities; differentiation. An industry such as tea is rapidly growing, which means the number of competitors is also, rapidly growing; a barrier to entry.
And as non tea drinkers are looking to improve their health, but have been turned away by the bitter taste of green teas, your Private Label Herbal Teas will be their to save them. Also high health benefits of the herbal teas and smooth taste makes them a favorite among tea drinkers as well as chunk of the population, non-tea drinkers. The reason is due to a significantly lower number of competitors and a potentially endless number of herbal blend options.

This is where a high percentage of growth in the tea industry can be found. If a company is interested adding Private Label Loose Teas to their product base, the best option would be to have loose Organic Herbal Teas, and Organic Herbal Tea Blends. But now, we can look at the options.
So if we could mix the two, High quality Loose Tea (either herbal or standard) and the easy use of a tea bag, then this would allow the company to differentiate their product whether using "Standard" teas or unique herbal blends, instead of with loose teas where only the unique herbal blends will allow your Private Label Tea to truly stand out. This is large reason why commercial tea bags have become so popular despite their general low quality. Loose tea takes more time to make, special tea utensils, all of which may not work well in this every day reality. But for any tea drinker, and especially non tea drinker, who lives in the modern day reality of a hustling and bustling business world, loose tea may not be the best option.
And overall, which is best for you ? Which part of the industry do you see fits with not only today's market, but also tomorrow's ? Which part of the industry do you see the most growth and most potential?

This is a very important part of the decision tree when looking to either add a new product to your already established company, or looking to start a company from scratch.

Insomnia Fighters - Tea Recipe And Home Made Sachet Instruction To Help You Sleep Better

2008-12-08T05:11:00.001-08:00

Excerpt from "...Healthy Sleep: A Guide To Natural Sleep Remedies!"
Lavender
angustifolia and others) is a shrubby flowering bush indigenous to the mountainous regions of the western Mediterranean and is considered have been first domesticated by the Arabians, then later spread across Europe by the Romans. Lavender (L.
Lavender was brought to North America by the Pilgrims and was one of the first garden plants imported to Australia in the 19th century. It can be found in abundance in the wild in many parts of the world as well as being garden grown in a sunny, well-drained area, preferably in mildly alkaline soil. The smaller species will also grow quite easily in well-drained pots. This popular flowering herb's essential oil has been demonstrated to depress the central nervous system in a manner comparable to pharmaceutical tranquilizers.
In addition to the use of lavender flowers in a brewed tea, it may also used in the form of an essential oil distilled from the leaves, flowers and stems of the plant. Lavender is very useful and effective in its usage as a sleep aid.
Rubbing lavender essential oil on the feet is absorbed quickly. Lavender oil can be applied topically to relax the muscles or its aroma can be inhaled for a calming effect.
The essential oil leaves and flowers can also be employed in a sachet underneath the pillow. It is widely used in aromatherapy and can be added to bathwater, dispersed in a vaporizer or simply dabbed on a tissue and breathed in.
It should be noted that allergic contact dermatitis has been documented in some individuals applying lavender products externally.
To safely detect an allergic reaction it is always a good idea to do a spot test before administering a full application.
Also note that not all varieties of lavender are tranquilizing — some, such as Spanish lavender, can have just the opposite effect.
Lavender Mint Tea (One serving)
Ingredients:
* 1 teaspoon fresh lavender flowers (or 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender flowers)
* 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried mint)
* 1 cup boiling water
* Rosemary, lemon balm or lemon verbena, and rose geranium may also be added for an interesting multi-herb herbal tea.
Preparation:
The infuser can then be taken out or the leaves removed with a strainer. Pour boiling water over the mixture; steep 5 minutes. In a teapot or saucepan combine the lavender flowers and mint (either loose or using a tea infuser).
Homemade Lavender Sachet
You will need:
* Lavender plant (stems, leaves or buds)
* Lavender essential oil
* A handkerchief
* 2 needles (1 large to fit 1/4" ribbon and 1 regular size)
* Thread
* Ribbon (1/4" wide)
It should be easy to find all the necessary items listed above from your local craft or floral supply store. You may use lavender harvested from your own plants or order the lavender buds online (just enter "lavender" or "lavender buds" into your favorite search engine to find an online retailer).
Instructions:
You can iron the handkerchief for a crisper look, or simply leave it as is. Fold handkerchief in half, and then fold it in half again. 1.
Now, sew three sides together using needle and thread (or a sewing machine). 2.
The end result will be a lot like a beanbag. Be sure to use a lot of plant material, but don't stuff it too tight. Open the unsown side of the handkerchief and proceed to fill it (like a pillow) with lavender plant pieces and/or buds.

3.
Sprinkle the pieces with lavender essential oil. 8 to 10 drops should be more than enough.
Thread your large needle with 1/4" ribbon and loosely thread to keep the plant materials inside your homemade sachet. 4.
Tie the whole thing off with a knot. 5.
6. Enjoy your new sachet
Valerian Root
It flowers in late spring. In the wild, Valerian root (Valeriana officinalis) is found in high pastures and dry heath land.
The principle components used for medicinal purposes are the roots and rhizomes, which are typically harvested in September and then dried to produce the commonly available herbal product.
George's Herb, Sets Wale, Set Well, and Vandal Root. Valerian is also known by various folk names: All-Heal, Amantilla, Bloody Butcher, Capon's Trailer, Cat's Valerian, English Valerian, Fragrant Valerian, Garden Heliotrope, Phu, Red Valerian, St.
Unlike many other natural herbal sleep aids, to gain the benefits of the effects of valerian root it is necessary to use it on a regular basis, with the full effects coming to fruition slowly and steadily over time.
Regular use of valerian root promotes deep relaxation and sleep. It should be used for about one month to produce results.
Studies suggest that valerian is by far the best natural solution for insomnia and general sleeplessness for most individuals.
Chauffard, Ph.D., at NestlÃ© Research Laboratories in Switzerland, determined that a 450 mg dose of valerian in an aqueous extract is the optimum dose as an insomnia treatment; a higher dose typically results in grogginess without increasing effectiveness, and therefore care should be taken when administering valerian as a treatment for insomnia. Leatherwood, Ph.D., and F. Research by P.D.
Furthermore, in 1982 Leatherwood and colleagues performed a double-blind crossover study of 128 subjects, which found valerian root to not only be effective as a sedative for insomnia, but also effective in improving the overall quality of sleep in test subjects.
The effects of valerian on the body are similar to that of benzodiazepine, an active ingredient in Valium™, but without dulling effects or next-day lethargy (it has been suggested that Valium's name was inspired by valerian, although the two are completely different chemically and should not be confused as being the same or even related).
Valerian is commonly prescribed as a calming sleep aid and widely recommended for treating anxiety-related sleep problems.
Unlike other commonly prescribed sleep medication, it is entirely nontoxic, does not impair the ability to drive or operate heavy machinery, nor does it exaggerate the effects of alcohol.
It has been documented that valerian can act as a delayed stimulant for some individuals depending on body chemistry.
In the case of certain metabolic conditions, the effect is one of initially calming them down only to cause a surge of energy several hours later - not an effect desired by those interested in using valerian as a nighttime sleeping remedy.
Some professional herbalists suggest taking fresh valerian root extract as opposed to extract from dried valerian, as it is less likely to cause such a reaction.
http://www.sleepsecrets.info
To Download 2 Free Chapters from "Learn While You Sleep" just send blank email to
sleepexit@film.par32.com
Mike Slawomir Cecotka - Publisher

How to Unlock the Power of the Not so Humbe Tea Light

2008-12-07T12:41:00.001-08:00

There are two keys to using tea lights successfully.
First, when you think tea lights, think quantity. A single tea light is a poor, lonely thing, pining for its fellows.
Glass or metal in particular completely transform the self-effacing tea light. Second, think containers.
Enhance the effect by grouping glowing glasses on a polished tray- silver for preference, but other colors work equally well. Even inexpensive embossed glasses are transformed with a tea light inside. Put them inside cut-glass wineglasses.
And remember that although they are comparatively tiny, they can burn for four (or even more) hours.
Put them in transparent holders. Arranged around a table centerpiece, they will provide lots of light at the table level - but remember to add taller candles to light your guests' faces as well.
There are plenty designed especially for tea lights; equally, you might spot something you can adapt to achieve a totally unusual effect. Or look for colored glass containers.
What about arranging tea lights in a long shallow container (glass, metal, wood or pottery work equally well) surrounded by decorative objects - stones, shells, balls, even unshelled nuts.
You can put tea lights in shallow glass containers and float them in water-filled bowls.
Then build up the centerpiece using herbs, berries and flowers. Soak the foam in water to soften, drain, and then press the tea lights into the foam, spacing them carefully. If you're dining al fresco, create a centerpiece using florist's foam (either a ring or a block) as a base.
If you're going to use them near food, remember to choose the unscented variety.
And there's that wonderful trick of using candles in a brown paper bag that nowadays seems relegated to lighting the way to youthful parties, but is far too good to be wasted on teenagers.
Put a little sand in a bag, fold over the top a few times to make a more rigid top, cut some holes (or not, as you please) in the sides, and you have a wonderful way to light a drive, highlight a staircase or line the perimeter of a deck.
Tea lights liquefy quickly because they are made of a less refined wax, so make sure you spend a few cents more on getting the right quality, but do throw away any that show signs of smoking.
You can get more helpful information at her website, Justine van Zyl provides information for people who want to make better decisions about the candles they buy online.
http://www.buybettercandlesonline.com

Benefit of Green Tea

2008-12-07T05:11:00.001-08:00

Introduction
There has been an influx of media coverage about the health benefits of green tea. Most green tea enthusiasts may base their opinions on green tea around their own experiences of the beverage. The Chinese have been drinking green tea for thousands of years due to its miracle working abilities. Green tea has been used by the Chinese for treating minor headaches to much larger matters such as preventing cancer. Many health studies are beginning to shine some light on the facets and benefits of green tea. What are the benefits from green tea that can affect your life? The following are five major benefits of green tea that may substantially change your life.
First Health of Green Tea - Weight Loss
The high concentration of polyphenols in green tea helps to oxidize fat and encourage thermogenesis. Thermogenesis in the body is the rate which the body burns calories. Green tea results in an increase of energy which raises the metabolism, therefore, more weight is lost than normal. As a morning beverage, green tea has a small amount of calories compared to most other beverages that Americans drink in the morning. The constant barrage of coffee as most peoples' morning beverage results in a higher amount of daily calories compared to green tea as a beverage in the morning. A substitution of green tea instead of reaching for a cup of joe will make a big difference in the size of your waistline.
Second Benefit of Green Tea - Prevention of Cancer
The polyphenols in green tea prevent the birth This oxidation damages healthy cells of the body and have been linked to illnesses like cancer, heart disease, and even strokes. The polyphenols of green tea constantly search for free radicals and they prevent the formation of unstable oxygen molecules in a process known as oxidation. These free radicals cause aging and cancer.

The polyphenols in green tea eliminate free radicals that plague the body. This oxidation damages healthy cells of the body and have been linked to illnesses like cancer, heart disease, and even strokes. The polyphenols of green tea constantly search for free radicals and they prevent the formation of unstable oxygen molecules in a process known as oxidation. These free radicals cause aging and cancer.

The polyphenols in green tea eliminate free radicals that plague the body. This oxidation damages healthy cells of the body and have been linked to illnesses like cancer, heart disease, and even strokes. The polyphenols of green tea constantly search for free radicals and they prevent the formation of unstable oxygen molecules in a process known as oxidation. These free radicals cause aging and cancer.

The antioxidants in green tea eliminate free radicals that plague the body.
Third Benefit of Green Tea - Healthy Teeth
The oral health of teeth can be vastly improved with the consumption of green tea. This cannot be about coffee which stains the teeth with an ugly yellow tinge. This helps to prevent general tooth decay inside of the mouth.

Also, fluoride helps to maintain healthy, cavity-free teeth. The fluoride kills the bacteria in the mouth that causes plaque. Green tea is well known for keeping teeth clean because of one of its ingredients, fluoride.
Fourth Benefit of Green Tea - Lowers Cholesterol
Also, the catechins help to maintain a healthy good cholesterol to bad cholesterol ratio improving the overall health of the body. The catechins in green tea help to decrease the amount of bad cholesterol. The LDL cholesterol flows through the liver and cells forming heavy deposits on artery walls. Green tea lowers the bad cholesterol's levels, LDL cholesterol and prevents the occurrence of blood clots in the body.

Drinking green tea could possibly lower this stunning high risk. Heart attacks are one of the most common problems associated with bad cholesterol. Green tea may be a possible solution for all those suffering from conditions of high cholesterol.
Benefit of Green Tea Conclusion
So, we hope that you begin a daily green tea regimen tomorrow! Green tea can be taken in a pill form with all the benefits of normal green tea. This problem has been addressed through the usage of green tea extract.

The only side effect that has been clearly recognized is the daily overdose of caffeine. A couple of cups of tea in addition to your normal daily beverage will greatly decrease the risk of any bad conditions. If weight loss, the prevention of cancer, healthy teeth, and the idea of low cholesterol does not give you an idea that green tea is a miracle worker, you must be working with some pretty powerful magic.
Learn more about the
Benefit of Green Tea

Chamomile Tea - Medicinal Tisane!

2008-12-06T12:42:00.001-08:00

Need to unwind from a busy day?

Chamomile tea will soothe your nerves and rest your mind.
Chamomile is one of the oldest garden and the safest medicinal herb. It has a mild honey-flowery aroma, golden yellow hue, and a delicate semi-sweet smooth taste. The name chamomile is derived from the Greek kamai-melon, meaning ground apple.
Chamomile tea
is a naturally caffeine-free tisane (herbal tea) and has a comparable amount of health benefits to its cousin, green tea. One of the safest medicinal herbs, chamomile is a soothing, gentle relaxant that has been shown to work for a variety of complaints from stress to menstrual cramps.
Benefits of Chamomile Tea

Best known as a muscle relaxant and antispasmodic, chamomile also has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory capabilities.
Health benefits are:
Help induce sleep.
Calm nervous stomach and improve digestion.

Soothe skin irritations, including sunburn, heat rash and haemorrhoids.
Relieve toothache.

Improve bronchitis.
Help with bladder troubles.

Treat eye inflammation and infection
Heal mouth sores and prevent gum disease
Treat irritable bowel problems and various gastrointestinal complaints

Help Regulate menstrual periods.

Reduce menstrual cramps

Good for the kidneys and spleen health.
Help alleviate symptoms of the common cold.

Promote relaxation and alleviate stress.
Help to expel worms and other parasites.

Improve liver function and relieve jaundice.
Help prevent gangrene.

Relieve back pain.

Improve rheumatism.
Chamomile & Cranberry Tea
This unlikely combination is a great after-dinner quaff, as cranberry juice cleanses the palate while chamomile settles the stomach.
This after-dinner "'drink" will surely become a habit in your house! Make a one-cup serving for yourself (with one teacup of chamomile and 1/4 cup cranberry juice) or a full teapot to share with family and friends.
Makes 4 servings
4 chamomile teabags
4 cups boiling water
1 cup cranberry juice cocktail, at room temperature
Sugar to taste
Add sugar to taste. Stir and serve immediately in teacups. Discard the teabags and add the cranberry juice. Steep the teabags in the boiling water in a teapot, for 8 minutes.
Uma Mays is married with two young children and lives in England. She has over 15 years experience in IT Project Management working for mainly Telecommunications companies. Since becoming a mother and wanting to work from home, she has developed an online Tea business retailing Speciality Teas. Teaworld has been operational just over two months is growing steadily.

Weight Loss With the Help of Green Tea

2008-12-06T05:11:00.001-08:00

Studies show that the relation between green tea and weight loss are substantially linked together through the plant's thermogenic properties. Thermogenesis is the process by which the body produces heat by speeding up metabolism, burning calories, and breaking down fat. Certain substances in green tea are believed to help in the body's thermogenesis, thus contributing to weight loss.
Weight Loss in Other Herbs
Other than green tea, there are other natural herbs that contribute to weight loss. Gugulipid for instance has been shown to augment the metabolic rate of the body and help with thermogenesis, thus leading to weight loss. Gugulipid has also been reported as a catalyst for lowering down cholesterol levels.
Derived from a Japanese plant, Maitaki helps promote weight loss by targeting the liver, which is a major digestive part of the body. Another herb that aids in weight loss is Maitaki.
Maximizing Weight Loss Benefits in Green Tea
A standardized weight loss herbal extract of pure green tea is needed in order to maximize the weight loss benefits of green tea. The market offers several green tea weight loss products that do not use standardized extract. These non-standardized green tea weight loss products are cheaper but do not contain enough active green tea substances to have any significant weight loss benefits.
Scientists and traditional herbalists believe that better weight loss results are achieved when green tea is used in conjunction with other weight loss herbs and with other nutrients. So before buying a green tea weight loss product, it is advisable that you choose a product that contains a rich blend of green tea herbs, minerals and nutrient that aid in weight loss.
By mixing green tea with CoQ 10, you will not only achieve maximum weight loss but you will also be able maintain the health of several body systems at one time. Green tea helps stop blood vessel constriction while CoQ 10 protects the heart and ensure blood pressure levels. Green tea when combined with ginger and olive leaf helps lower cholesterol and promotes weight loss.
The Ideal Green Tea Weight Loss Product
The first thing to make sure of when buying green tea products assures you that you are getting a product of the highest quality.
Companies or manufacturers that claim 100% success in their green tea products are doing false advertising and should not be patronized. This means that the success or effectiveness of these products do not have any guarantees. Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, herbal products such as green tea are considered dietary supplements.
For assurance that you're getting your money's worth when you buy a green tea product, find a product that is using standardized green tea extract. Look for strict GMP compliance and make sure that the manufacturer of the green tea product has all the proper credentials in product formulation.

Hosting a Victorian Tea Bridal Shower

2008-12-05T12:41:00.001-08:00

This is a wonderful way to honor the bride-to-be amid luxurious surroundings. And little is more elegant than an afternoon Victorian tea. When I think of a bridal shower, I get the image of a very elegant event.
For this type of bridal shower, you should use fine linens, china dishes, and silver. If you don't have any of your own, check with other women friends or a rental equipment business. Also, this type of shower works best with a limited guest list. Too many guests will destroy the cozy and elegant atmosphere usual with afternoon teas.
Invitations
Invitations to your Victorian tea bridal shower should be custom printed and don't forget to include an RSVP card. Also, you might consider ordering matching thank-you notes for the bride-to-be at this time.
Decorations
But a large abundance of flowers should be avoided; one large bouquet on your main table and perhaps a couple smaller bouquets on side tables is all that is necessary. Fresh flowers are the best decoration for a tea.
Food and Drink
Victorian teas traditonally serve an assortment of finger sandwiches with the crusts removed. Sandwich fillings such as chicken salad, tuna salad, or egg salad are typical at a tea. Beverly Clark, in her book
Showers
also suggests using cream cheese with walnuts, avocado and diced olives, and sliced hard-boiled egg and cucumber. Lunchmeats, such as ham, roast beef, and turkey are not usually served.
I suggest having some kind of cake and a variety of pastries, such as eclairs, scones, madeleines, individual tarts, and fancy cookies. Other than sandwiches, the only other food served at a tea is dessert.
Choose a brand of tea which is favored by connoisseurs, such as Earl Grey or Darjeeling. Have cream, sugar, lemon, and an artificial sweetener on hand for the tea. It's also a good idea to provide some kind of punch, just in case some guests prefer a cold drink rather than hot tea.
Shower Themes
Examples include kitchen shower, lingerie shower, linen shower, etc. Since a bride-to-be usually is given several bridal showers, it's good to choose a specific theme for your shower.
Check with the bride to see if she'd prefer china serving dishes or silver. Items such as a teapot, creamer, sugar bowl, serving trays, silver serving utensils are a good choice. In keeping with a Victorian tea, suggest to your guests they bring shower gifts that would help the bride-to-be host her own afternoon tea.
Warm sunshine, nice wind, and beautiful flowers make a wonderful scene for an afternoon tea party shower. One final suggestion: If the weather permits, consider having your tea party outside in a garden.
Mary Arnold is an author on
http://www.Writing.Com/

Teddy Bear Tea Party - Start the Tradition Now!

2008-12-05T05:11:00.001-08:00

The joy a stuffed animal can bring to a child is a wonderful and amazing thing and I believe every child should have at least one favorite bear in her lifetime. They're cuddly, warm, and cute and they don't make a mess on your living room floor before guests arrive! Children of all ages love stuffed teddy bears and for good reason!
The Teddy Bear Tea Party! Now, combine this great love of all things fluffy with a little girl's tea party and you have the makings of the grandest event of the year for your daughter.
So let's look at both in just a little more detail. the tea and the teddy bears. Obviously the two main elements must be accounted for...

There are several ways you can create this memory-filled event for your little one.
Remember mom; all the little ones will probably have a good toothbrush at home anyway! More sugar is required in the form of cookies, little chocolates and other tea fancies to complete the tea table. Don't make the tea too strong and remember to have plenty of sugar (get the cubes...little girls LOVE the cubes) and cream for those who have not yet acquired the taste for afternoon tea yet.

You can go with the varieties from the tea aisle in the grocery store or find some fine lovely teas at various upscale tea shops or even online. Blackberry, apple or vanilla are a few of our favorites. Choose a tea with some added flavor. Not too much scrimping on the sugar here, mom...this is the event of the year remember? Assuming you're planning your party for the younger of the young ladies, you'll want to keep the tea simple and SWEET!

The tea. 1.
Or, if you want to get even more elaborate, have a make your own stuffed animal event as part of your party, where each guests can build a bear or other stuffed animal to take home. Providing a simple craft for the girls to make a teddy tea shawl (an inexpensive cloth napkin and some fabric makers or rubber stamps will do nicely) will help to make the stuffed animals more at ease at the tea table. The most economical way to include the animals is to ask each child to bring their own favorite teddy or other animal along for the event. As you know, not all children choose a bear as their favorite stuffed animal so you might want to offer some flexibility here!

The Teddy Bears. 2.
Include the picture with your thank you notes so each will have a grand remembrance of the day as well. Finally, remember to take a photo of each guest with the guest of honor and their bears. You'll want to take plenty of pictures of the little ones, pinkies high sipping their tea while enjoying their tea dainties. Keep the entire party short and simple for maximum memory making and remember your camera and film.
At the end of each year's celebration, create a special page for a scrapbook so your girls will have something wonderful to pass on to their daughters along with the annual tradition! One is never too old to love a stuffed teddy bear! and each year you can guarantee the teddy bears will come along too.

I bet you'll find that the tradition you start when your girls are young will continue on into their teen years and beyond... Celebrate the start of the school year or celebrate the first day of spring. Make this an annual event for your girls. Teddy Bear tea parties don't need to be just for birthday parties either.

Ten Facts You Did not Know about Tea

2008-12-04T12:42:00.001-08:00

There are only three basic types of Asian tea; Green, Black
and Oolong. All three come from the same tea plant --
Camelia sinensis. The differences between the teas result
from the way the tea leaves are plucked and processed.
Although there are three basic types of tea, there are over
3,000 varieties to choose from. Despite their name, herbal
teas are not tea at all because they do not come from the
tea plant, but from herb and spice plants.
This occurs when our arteries become clogged and are unable to work as they should because of them becoming narrow. In recent Dutch studies it was found that men who drink black tea which contains catechins are fifty percent less likely to die of ischemic heart disease.
In a recent test 250 women drank as little as half a cup of tea per day and their pregnancy rates were double those who did not. We now know that drinking a half to two cups of tea per day may promote fertility by inhibiting abnormalities in our chromosomes.
The puffiness around the eyes will amazingly vanish and your eyes will look and feel brand new. A remedy for puffy eyes is to lie in a horizontal position and place either a tea compress or wet teabag over both eyes and leave for about 20 minutes.
One way to rid your refrigerator of unpleasant smells is to
place one or two used tea bags somewhere within the fridge.
The next day any bad smell will be gone!
Apply a wet tea bag to the infected area for about 15 minutes three times daily and the wart will slowly begin to shrink until it eventually disappears. A substance called Tannic acid which naturally occurs in tea is said to help in the battle against warts.
Many prominent researchers are convinced that this is due to green tea containing many powerful antioxidants and preventative anti-cancer agents. It is known that men in Asian countries who consume green tea have very low instances of prostate cancer.
It is thought that polyphenols which are very strong antioxidants and are contained in the tea are the most likely reason for this phenomenon. In recent Australian studies CSIRO scientists found that the occurrence of skin cancer in laboratory mice was greatly reduced when they were given black tea.
The costliest teabag ever was created for the 75'th
anniversary of the PG TIPS tea company. The bag was filled
with two hundred and eighty diamonds and expensive limited
edition tea leaves. The tea bag cost 7,500 pounds and would
be auctioned in aid of a Children's hospital in Great
Britain.
The total annual consumption of tea in Turkey is approximately 120 thousand tons whereas that of coffee is only 8 thousand tons. Turks drink more tea per head than any other nation, even more than the British and they are now the world's biggest tea drinkers. Contrary to what one might expect, Turkey is a land of tea drinkers.
Lorraine Bevere is the webmaster and operator of
FOG Tea, Inc.
For questions or comments about this article, please visit: which is a premier source of information about tea.
http://fogtea.com

What Is All The Hype About Green Tea

2008-12-04T05:12:00.001-08:00

The Benefits of Green Tea as a Dietary Supplement
Bust most of the species of tea grows naturally in all parts of Asia and in some parts of Middle America. It is also raised in steamy and tropical climate. The groups of plants that can be produced as tea have about 600 species existing for 28 generations. Speaking of tea, it is a usual name for a plant relative of most flowering shrub.
There are Chinese historians with remarkable records that declare that the tea powder was being kept to survive a good many years. According to history, people started using tea as a beverage ever since the start of 28th century BC and the middle part of 10th century BC. It is also being drunk in some parts of Asia especially people in China.

The tea shrub is a native plants that grows naturally in the Southeast Asia are being used as a brewed from dried out leaves.
The British then monopolized the worldwide tea production and they put a heavy tax on the said product. The British Company who keeps on trading with them also introduced it to America. Dutch are the one responsible of bringing the tea in their continent. After bringing it to some parts of Europe, England became the capital of tea drinking country.
Tea is the staple drink of three fourths of the population worldwide. In the end tea become one of the most in demand beverages, some of the European country conducted a party for tea drinkers relatively than coffee drinkers.
The main producers of tea are Asian countries like Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and some other primary manufacturer. Countries with many tea drinkers are Asia, Europe and North America.
In some country like China, they add some aroma to make the tea smells and taste better. Green tea came from leaf buds and young leaves. One of the most popular kinds of tea is green tea.
The absorption of caffeine content is only 4.5 percent. Tea has also caffeine but lower in content compared to coffee. Since then tea became a scented drink for tea drinkers.
Now the question is what are the health benefits that we can get from green
tea?
Base also on the study that drinking green tea regularly can be able to lessen the heartbeat failures and it helps in regulating blood pressure. The press and advertising claim that green tea is a very effective antioxidant and a very strong and useful anticancer agent.
Green tea is also useful for the dietary allowance because of the fact that it helps the stomach to digest well and be able to have a pleasant digestive cycle.
However, there are proofs from the laboratories declare that green tea has no harmful substances to give a negative effect in our body. There are researches and studies that are wanting of the concise conclusion about the benefits of green tea.
It does not contain any chemicals that can trigger up the chemical reactions
to promote cancer cells. Aside from this green tea can be able to assist how
to stop the growth of carcinogenic substances in our body. Carcinogenic
substances are the primary cause of cancer and tumor cells.
Another thing is that a chemical originate from green tea called "polyphonics" have revealed that it is a good antioxidant potential that both in the laboratory and in the body of humans.
Presently, research shows that drinking green tea regularly and having it as
part of our diet can lessen the cholesterol content inside our body. We are
all well aware that too much cholesterol intake in our body can cause heart
failures and clogged arteries.
In also supplies unnecessary substances that assembled up inside the arteries and after sometimes the arteries clogs. Researches explain that LDL and HDL are responsible for causing heart diseases that may lead to death. Green tea can also diminish the effect of LDL "low-density lipoprotein" and the HDL "high-density lipoprotein".
Another thing is that study shows that green tea can be able to take out the
bacteria and viruses that reside in the human body that prop up illnesses
like colds, diarrhea, influenza and kidney troubles.
So why not try green tea as an alternative drink, after all it is a healthy thing to do.
Joyce Dietzel writes articles For-Your-Vitamins.Com a website dedicated to
vitamin and supplements

The Perfect Pot of Tea

2008-12-03T12:42:00.001-08:00

There is, in fact, an art form and a science to bringing the brew to perfection. The perfect pot of tea is far more than just pouring boiling water over some leaves.
The first step is to fill your tea kettle with cold water. Always use fresh water, and don't rely on old water that has stayed in the kettle from the last time. Turn the kettle on to boil. Make sure your kettle is a stainless steel, non-reactive vessel.
While the kettle is heating, fill your clean teapot with hot water. (Since the polyphenols in tea can go rancid if they are left in the pot, making your tea taste bitter, it's important to wash your teapot thoroughly after each use….unless, of course, you're using a Yixing teapot!)
Essentially, you are pre-heating the teapot, a process which helps keep the tea warm and allows the leaves to open fully. Dry the teapot out after it has been warmed with the hot water.
Pick your pleasure and select the tea leaves you are going to use. In general, use 1 teaspoon of loose tea for each cup, placing the leaves into your infuser. If you're making tea for more than six people, add one extra teaspoon of leaves for the pot.
Bring the teapot to the kettle so that heat is not lost, and then pour the boiling water over the tea leaves in the pot. Use the teapot's lid to hold in the steam and properly steep the tea. For black teas, the proper steeping is three to five minutes.
Allowing the tea leaves to steep for more than five minutes, or pressing or squeezing the wet tea leaves can result in a bitter taste because too many of the polyphenols are released. Stick to the time-honored formula of a teaspoon per cup. You can't make a perfect pot of tea by using poor quality leaves and increasing the amount of time it steeps, or by using more tea and steeping it less time.
Herbal tisanes and green teas require five to ten minutes of steeping.
In England, and for many tea lovers, making tea by the cup instead of in the pot - is improper and taboo.
While you may never earn a perfect 10.0 at the Olympics, or find the absolute perfect match-made-in-heaven, it's easy to make the perfect pot of tea.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lady Dawnya Sasse, is author of the world's first online tea business programs entitled "Start a Tea Business" and "Start A Children's Tea Party Business." To learn more about her online classes and to sign up for her FREE Tea Radio Broadcasts visit her site at
http://www.TeaEvents.com
.
This article may be distributed freely on your website, as long as this entire article, including links and this resource box are unchanged.
Copyright 2005 Dawnya Sasse All Rights Reserved. Tea Events

http://www.TeaEvents.com

Boston Tea Party

2008-12-03T05:13:00.001-08:00

In Boston the duty was circumvented by merchants getting tea which was smuggled by Dutch traders. This raised quite an uproar in the colonies so the act was repealed in 1770, all except the duty on tea, which was retained to prove that Parliament could raise revenue by taxing without the approval of the colonists. In 1767 British Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, a duty (tax) on various products imported by the colonists.

The early settlers in the British colonies were great tea drinkers and Britain was immersed in financial difficulties at the time.
It allowed tea to be shipped only in East India Company ships and consigned tea to its own special agents in the colonies who could undersell the colonial merchant who had bought his tea through a middleman or Dutch smugglers at much higher prices. The Tea Act passed a duty on tea and provided for a monopoly on all tea exported to the colonies. Then in 1773 Parliament passed the Tea Act designed to aid the East India Tea Company which was on the verge of bankruptcy with loads of tea they were unable to sell.
(No taxation without representation.) Much of the ballyhoo was about Britain taxing the colonists without them having a say. And it created a monopoly for the East India Company. It would reduce already established colonial merchants to ruin. Even though Britain was offering tea to the colonies at a cheaper price than they could get it and thought the colonists would favor this, (wrong) it caused quite a rant among the colonists.
In New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston, tea agents resigned and canceled orders. In some ports they refused to pay the tax or offload ships. There was a boycott on tea with women becoming leaders in the movement.
A Lady's Adieu to Her Tea-Table FAREWELL the Tea-board with your gaudy attire,
Ye cups and ye saucers that I did admire;
To my cream pot and tongs I now bid adieu;
That pleasure's all fled that I once found in you.
Farewell pretty chest that so lately did shine,
With hyson and congo and best double fine;
Many a sweet moment by you I have sat,
Hearing girls and old maids to tattle and chat;
And the spruce coxcomb laugh at nothing at all,
Only some silly work that might happen to fall.
No more shall my teapot so generous be
In fillin the cups with this pernicious tea,
For I'll fill it with water and drink out the same,
Before I'll lose LIBERTY that dearest name,
Because I am taught (and believe it is fact)
That our ruins is aimed at in the late act,
Of imposing a duty on all foreign teas,
Which detestable stuff we can quit when we please.
LIBERTY'S the Goddess that I do adore,
And I'll maintain her right until my last hour,
Before she shall part I will die in the cause
For I'll never be govern'd by tyranny's laws.
(Source: A Handbook of the American Wing, N.Y. 1924, from Le Centre d'histoire de Montréal)
Over 5,000 people from Boston and surrounding areas met with the governor to send the ships back to England since particularly disturbing in Boston the royal governor Thomas Hutchinson demanded that arriving ships would be able to deposit their cargoes and duties would be paid. The colonies linked together in a common cause.
On December 16, 1773, disguised as Mohawk Indians, American Patriots boarded the tea ships and threw 342 chests of tea belonging to the British East India Company into Boston Harbor.
These acts united the colonies and set the stage for the Revolutionary War. In retaliation, Parliament passed what was known by the colonists as the Intolerable Acts, among other things closing the Boston Port until they paid for the destroyed tea.
See
http://www.tea-spice-and-everything-nice.com
for inspirational writings and selections of tea, spice, teapots, spice racks, pepper mills, gifts for the tea drinker, and many other special items

Tea Tree Oil for Bad Breath

2008-12-02T12:42:00.001-08:00

There is a tree native to Australia called the Tea tree, and an essential oil distilled from its leaves and stems appears to have a myriad of healthful uses - one of them is Tea tree oil for bad breath. It seems that people are using dental floss soaked in Tea tree oil, or adding a couple of drops to the toothpaste on a toothbrush. They say it works wonders.
If you have bad breath Tea tree oil may work because it has antibacterial properties, and the majority of cases of bad breath, particularly the nasty chronic kind, are caused by the activities of bacteria in our mouths. These bacteria break down proteins and produce bad smelling volatile sulfur compounds that are expelled in the breath. Tea tree oil for bad breath may work because the oil is toxic to the bacteria: they are fragile, and can be killed by drugs and chemicals.
If you do some research on Tea tree oil for bad breath, you will discover that the oil should not be taken internally - it is really not known what effect ingesting the oil may have, but it could be toxic. For cleaning the mouth and treating bad breath Tea tree oil should be used topically only - that is, you can apply small amounts to your teeth, but don't swallow! After brushing or flossing, spit out whatever is in your mouth, and rinse.
It should not be a problem to avoid swallowing any significant amount of the oil when you use Tea tree oil is the same.
In the end, if you decide not to use Tea tree oil for bad breath because of fears of toxicity, or for any other reason, there are other natural remedies for bad breath on the market that you might be more comfortable with. Investigate the ones that use an olive oil rinse to physically remove bacteria, or an oxidizing agent to kill them. These new approaches to the treatment of halitosis give us more choices than ever before - when it comes to natural remedies for bad breath Tea tree oil is far from the only thing.
R. Drysdale is a freelance writer with more than 25 years experience as a health care professional. She is a contributing editor to
Tea Tree Oil for Bad Breath
, a blog dedicated to the treatment of bad breath.

Acne and Green Tea

2008-12-02T05:12:00.001-08:00

But does it provide an effective herbal alternative to modern medication? Green tea is used by the Chinese as a traditional medicine to treat many ailments including acne and to improve general well-being.
There are only two herbal treatments that are known to be effective in treating acne and green tea is one of them. The answer seems to be ‘Yes'.
The results from this research study showed that green tea was just as good in treating acne as the benzoyl peroxide. a green tea cream was trailed against a 4% benzoyl peroxide solution on people suffering with moderate to severe acne. In a recent study by Jennifer Gan-Wong, M.D.
But benzoyl peroxide dries out skin causing itching or allergic reactions. Unlike green tea that has the added advantages of natural anti-bacterial properties and antioxidants, particularly epigallocatechin gallate which is 200 times more powerful than vitamin E at fighting free radicals.
Green tea also helps to reduce inflammation, hormonal activity and aids in detoxification - which is all good news for acne sufferers.
Green tea extract is an extremely versatile herbal supplement - it can be administered topically, often being used in creams, taken as a in the form of a pill or incorporated into your diet and drunk as a tea.
Tip: don't drink it with sugar, this will neutralize the worthwhile effects of the tea. This last method is very popular (Green Tea with Honeysuckle is often known as ‘Pimple Tea' in many Chinatowns) when drunk after a meal it aids digestion and helps to detoxify your system, getting rid of the toxins that can cause acne.
It seems that taking green tea for acne is a win-win situation… It has many beneficial properties which promote good all-round health with little or no known side effects and for the price, green tea it's definitely a herbal treatment that's worth trying.

The Wonders of Green Tea- It can Help With Acne Care

2008-12-01T12:42:00.001-08:00

Green tea is the most consumed beverage in the world, second only to water. The craze for green tea exceeds taste, as this beverage—derived from the white-flowered plant, Camellia Sinensis—is continually proving its health and wellness benefits.
Antioxidant research has shown that antioxidants help prevent cancer, reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease, and can even lower blood cholesterol levels. Antioxidants are known for their ability to help fight diseases and maintaining healthy cell structure. A native to Asia, green tea is rich in antioxidants.
Researchers are now linking the antioxidants in green tea to acne prevention.
It has been long known that placing a warm tea bag on an acne blemish or similar growth will help to draw the toxins out of the lesion, promoting quicker heal times.
Current research has shown that green tea extracts fight bacteria, reduce redness and inflammation, and can deter hormone activity. All three of these symptoms are present in acne blemishes.
According to the findings reported to the American Academy of Dermatology by dermatologist Dr. Gan-Wong, when compounded into a cream with a content of 3% green tea extract, acne treatment results were comparable to using a topical solution containing 4% benzoyl peroxide, a common treatment for acne.
Neither group was aware of the treatment they received, nor were the dermatologist who documented their progress. The test subjects were randomly split into two groups, with one group receiving the green tea treatment and the other receiving a benzoyl peroxide treatment. Gan-Wong's findings were based on an independent study of just over 100 acne suffers. Dr.
The results were comparable to the results of the benzoyl peroxide users. After a twelve week period, significant improvements in the reduction of acne and redness were noted in the patients using the green tea extract.
Additionally, dermatologist noted improvements in skin tone on the test subjects who were using green tea extract cream, and green tea users reported fewer cases of dry skin and allergic responses.
Thus, green tea extract cream had proven to offer the same benefits in the treatment of acne as benzoyl peroxide, with fewer side effects.
Benzoyl peroxide is a crystalline powder that is used in tire and plastic production as well as cosmetics. Benzoyl peroxide can irritate eyes, skin, and respiratory tracts, and is on OSHA's hazardous substance list as a precaution against prolonged exposure.
What makes using green tea extract appealing as an acne treatment is that green tea is all natural.
This seems very likely, considering the vast amount of anecdotal evidence regarding the healing properties of green tea. It is quite probable that green tea has MANY medicinal properties yet to be verified by western science. Furthermore, it gives the holistic community a welcomed study on something that has been recommended by holistic healing practioneers for years.
So, on a holistic level, there is now one more scientifically backed treatment for acne available to those who want to avoid the harmful side effects of the various chemical acne treatments.
Green Tea! With this in mind, those who want to treat their acne, but hate the redness and irritation caused by using benzoyl peroxide and other chemicals on the skin, there is now a scientifically proven, all natural treatment.

The Benefits Of Green Tea

2008-12-01T05:13:00.001-08:00

In her book, Green Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life, Nadine Taylor states that green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years. The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression. Is any other food or drink reported to have as many health benefits as green tea?
University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of oesophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea.
There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol. To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:
1) cancer
2) rheumatoid arthritis
3) high cholesterol levels
4) cardiovascular disease
5) infection
6) impaired immune function
What makes green tea so special? The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke. Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the "French Paradox." For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low.
Other Benefits New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In November 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo. Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacterium that causes dental plaque.
Recent studies have shown that the "commercial tea bag" contains less then 10% of its original properties. Last is that Green Teas are better in its original form and not altered and industrialized as to be sold in Tea bags.
Ensure to drink it in its pure form, naturally and fresh.

Tea Tree Oil for Ringworm

2008-11-30T12:42:00.001-08:00

Though oral medications are widely used all over the world for treating people affected with ringworm, in many cases, it has proven to be ineffective and has lead to worsening of the fungal infections. Many people having ringworm tend to be allergic or unresponsive to oral medications or prescription medications. For such people, tea tree oil is often recommended for the treatment of ringworm. Tea tree oil has traditionally been used for the treatment of many types of bacterial infections but of late it has been found that it is highly effective in the treatment of various kinds of fungal infections as well.
Oral On the other hand, tea tree oil takes care of. In addition to this, these medications have to be taken for an extended and long time period and quite often lead to only temporary treatment, failing to eliminate the fungal infection totally. Oral antifungal medications tend to be quite expensive and are potentially toxic. On the other hand, tea tree oil takes care of.

In addition to this, these medications have to be taken for an extended and long time period and quite often lead to only temporary treatment, failing to eliminate the fungal infection totally. Oral antifungal medications tend to be quite expensive and are potentially toxic. There are certain demerits of oral antifungal medications, which the use of tea tree oil takes care of. On the other hand, tea tree oil has been preferred to the use of oral medications for treatment of ringworm. In addition to this, these medications have to be taken for an extended and long time period and quite often lead to only temporary treatment, failing to eliminate the fungal infection totally.

Oral antifungal medications tend to be quite expensive and are potentially toxic. In some cases, the use of tea tree oil takes care of.
One major advantage of using tea tree oil is that its repeated usage is not hazardous in any way. One major advantage of using tea tree oil should be applied on to the affected area or areas about three or four times a day for two to three weeks until the fungal infection totally disappears. One major advantage of using tea tree oil should be applied on to the affected area or areas about three or four times a day for two to three weeks until the fungal infection totally disappears. One major advantage of using tea tree oil should be applied on to the affected area or areas about three or four times a day for two to three weeks until the fungal infection totally disappears.

Light coatings of tea tree oil should be applied on to the affected area or areas about three or four times a day for two to three weeks until the fungal infection totally disappears.
Ring Worm
provides detailed information on Cause Of Ring Worm, Human Ring Worm, Ring Worm, Ring Worm In Cats and more. Ring Worm is affiliated with
Baby Eczema
.

Protecting Your Heart - Green Tea and Green Tea Extract

2008-11-30T05:12:00.001-08:00

Studies have concluded recently that including Green Tea and/or Green Tea Extract into your diet may be very wise regarding your heart health. Currently, heart disease is the number 1 killer of US citizens so understanding how green tea or green tea extract works in your system to defend against coronary illness may be extremely valuable information for many.
Studies have shown that green tea can combat heart disease in few ways:
Green Tea Extract Can Reduce Cholesterol
Recent studies at the "Cedars-Sinai Medical Center" have supported this . Of course, knowing that you should keep your arteries clear from bad cholesterol is nothing new, yet many people are unaware that drinking green tea can be a totally effective and safe way to accomplish this. Green tea's powerful antioxidant properties can reduce plaque build up ( bad cholesterol or "Low density lipoproteins (LDL)" ) in the arteries which can directly cause heart attack and stroke.
Another relatively recent ( 2003 )12 week study from the "Archives of Internal Medicine" showed that participants taking green tea extract had a drop in "bad" cholesterol of 15% and their "total" cholesterol fell by 10%.
Green Tea Can Reduce Cell Damage
The powerful component in Green tea and green tea extract "EGCG" has the amazing ability to speed recovery of damaged cells. During a stroke or heart attack many cells are damaged due to lack of oxygen to the brain, and much of the cell damage is irreversible which is known as "cell death". Green Tea's powerful antioxidant properties can reduce the level of cell death that occurs after heart attack and stroke.
A cup of green tea provides upwards of 40mg of polyphenols ( catechin group) and has antioxidant activity greater than a serving of broccoli, spinach, carrots or strawberries. EGCG is a powerful catechin, a biological compound produced in green tea that is responsible for the amazing inherent antioxidant properties which are so beneficial.
How much Green Tea is Effective?
While there is no RDA for Green tea or Green tea extract since it's not considered an essential nutrient it has been reported that taking about 240-320mg daily is beneficial to overall heart health. This benefit can be derived from drinking about 4 cups of green tea daily or taking one 300mg green tea extract capsule daily. There is no difference in potency; the extract is recommended for those who may not like to drink tea but still want the powerful health benefits.
So, drinking just a few cups of green tea daily could become part of your heart disease prevention routine, along with a sane diet plan and exercise you should surely be much more healthy and of course, feel great. It's very low cost, has virtually no side effects (there is 40mg of caffeine in 8 oz cup of tea, much less than coffee however) is totally natural and is delicious hot or cold!
For more information on the powerful heart health benefits of Green Tea and Green tea extract visit
Green Tea lowers cholesterol
Or you can also visit
http://www.wulongtea-info.com
, for more information on the amazing benefits of Green Tea.

Unique Wedding Favors Series: Personalized Tea Favors and Sweet Honey

2008-11-29T12:43:00.001-08:00

The perfect wedding favor will engage as many senses as possible while recreating the sweet memories and emotions of your wedding for your guests. Wedding tea favors and sweet honey delights, personalized with your name and unique message, are an ideal wedding favor choice. Gifts rich with sensory joys like beautifully packaged teas are the latest trend in favor gift giving as they evoke a feeling of warmth and comfort symbolic to your marriage itself.
Tea favors bring depth and culture to your choice of wedding favor. Tea has been enjoyed by mankind since 3,000 BC and is rich with tradition and meaning. The distinctive wedding tea favor is a robust blend of black tea, created from the leaves of the
Camellia sinensis
Many scientists and naturalists believe that teas promote a long healthy life, a symbolism of a wonderful marriage. , a beautiful white flowering plant known for its medicinal qualities.
In many cultures, sharing tea with guests, friends, and family is a sign of ultimate respect and gratitude. In China, guests sip sweet tea as a symbolic wish for a sweet marriage between the newlywed couple. Tea has been an important part of wedding traditions all over the world for centuries.
Wedding tea favors are becoming a popular wedding favor choice and can be customized with gorgeous prints, lettering, and packaging to match the theme of your wedding. Try packaging the glossy white foil packs with aromatic cinnamon sticks and an elegant tea cup, bound with flowing ribbons. For an even richer gift surprise, add a matching personalized honey favor jar to further enhance the sweet warmth of the wedding tea favors.
The most wonderful way to reward the friends and family that made your day special is to send them home with invigorating tea favors and an opportunity to enjoy a moment of warm comfort. Sensory rich wedding favors have a way of bringing the romance and splendor of your wedding back to your guests long after your last dance.
Tea favors and hearty sweet honey jars are perfect items on which to print your name and your sweetheart's names and the date of your wedding. The shiny packaging of the tea favor and the charm of the honey jar are fit for display and invite your guests to relive the memory of your union with each glance.
The hopes, dreams, and romance that create a perfect wedding are emotions that are difficult to capture with objects in the physical world. Warm, invigorating tea favors sipped from a delicate cup and sweetened with rich honey offer a way to recreate the magical moments of peace and joy that form a beautiful wedding.
Author is a small business internet marketing consultant and the cofounder of nGenuity Solutions.

Paying for Print on Demand (or How a Tea Set Led me to Amazon)

2008-11-29T05:13:00.001-08:00

Print on Demand publishing turned my dream of publshing a book about anticipatory grief into a reality. The idea for the book came to me while I was caring for my mother, who had probable Alzheimer's disease. For nine years I worked on the outline and many of the points came from my mother's life.
If she hadn't experienced anticipatory grief she wouldn't "get it." The editor sounded like she was in her early or mid-twenties. "I don't get it," the editor said. Finally the phone call came.

One month passed, two months passed, and then three. I sent the outline to my publisher and waited for the acceptance phone call.
Though she rejected the book the editor gave me some sage advice: Get a medical co-author. I followed her advice and asked Dr. Lois Krahn, a nationally known psychiatrist and sleep expert, if she would help with the book. Dr. Krahn agreed and I'm grateful for her wisdom. Grief is a hard sell and, though we sent the proposal to several other publishers, they passed on it.
So Dr. Krahn and I decided to try POD. I put up most of the money and, to curtail expenses, offered to edit and index the book. In addition, I would do all of the submission and correction work. My husband would have gladly given me the money for POD, but I wanted to do this on my own. How could I come up with the cash?
I decided to sell my mother's sterling silver tea set. Mom had given me the ornate Gorham set after my father died. I shipped it to Rochester, Minnesota, along wth gold-rimmed dishes my parents received as a wedding gift in 1929. Mom had scrimped and saved for the tea set and it was her pride and joy. I remember the day Mom bought the first piece, the tea pot, and placed it proudly on the sideboard in our tiny dining room. Every time I walked past the sideboard to the kitchen I saw the tea pot.
Parting with the tea set would be emotionally painful, but I was willing to accept that pain in order to see the grief book in print. I used the set once or twice and then put it away. Parting with the tea set was, I'm not the kind of person who sits around sipping tea.

I used the set once or twice and then put it away. Lovely as the tea set was, I'm not the kind of person who sits around sipping tea. Never one to do anything half way, Mom also bought a coffee pot. Months later she purchased the cream pitcher and sugar bowl.
I sold the tea set at auction for more than expected. The antique dealer was pleased with the sale, I was pleased with the sale, and so was the woman who bought it. Quite by accident, I learned the person who bought the set was a local realtor. Originally from India, she had bought the tea set with the intention of giving it to her sister as a wedding gift.
When I told the realtor why I sold the tea set she changed her mind. "Now that I've heard your story this tea set has to stay in Rochester," she said. "I'll buy my sister another one. Your mother's tea set is lovely and you can visit it any time you wish."
Though her comment brought tears to my eyes, I was still glad I sold the set. The idea for the grief book had come from my mother and it seemed fitting that publication of the book would come from her as well. Several months after I had signed with the POD publisher Amazon bought the company.
It's been eight years since my mother died and I think of her every day. My mother taught me many things and one is that possessions don't matter as much as what's inside a person and how they live their life. Mom was always my biggest fan and I think she'd approve of my selling the tea set. She is probably cheering me on.
Copyright 2005 by Harriet Hodgson. To learn more about her work go to
http://www.harriethodgson.com
Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction writer for 27 years and is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from
http://www.amazon.com
A four-star review of the book is also posted on Amazon.

Selling Home-Grown Tea Herbs

2008-11-28T12:43:00.001-08:00

There are numerous ways to package dried herbal teas for sale, from tea-themed gift baskets to home spa tea collections. Also, they can be sold as individual live potted plants. These are usually for your customers' gardens, but some tea herbs can be grown on a windowsill or porch, or even on your customers' desks at work.
Live potted plants ready to be placed in the customers' gardens can also be sold in themed packages, such as a collection for a summer iced tea postage stamp garden, or as a collection for a summer iced tea postage stamp garden, or as a collection for a summer iced tea postage stamp garden, or as a collection for a summer iced tea postage stamp garden, or as a collection for the customer's own gift garden, where they grow tea to harvest and dry for gifts they give to family and friends.
Harvested and dried herbs can be sold bulk as individual plants, or exclusive specialty blends can be created with your home business's label.
Herbal teas make great products to wrap with other related products into gift baskets, from simple herbal tea samplers to elaborate tea party gift baskets with the inclusion of resale items such as ceramic tea pots and infusers.
Making direct contact with potential customers involves both allowing visitors to your gardens, or selling the herbs off the premises. For visitors, larger tea gardens can become healing sanctuaries themselves, where replicas of Japanese tea gardens or historical European herb gardens can be re-created. In the 18th century, popular coffee houses, which were then considered somewhat rough places where competitive business deals took place, began to give way to high-class tea gardens at the insistence of the ladies. Some of these gardens were almost visions of paradise, with lantern-lit walks, music, dancing, and where exotic landscapes allowed royalty and the common people to intermingle. A well-known tea garden of 1765, Ranelagh Gardens, hosted the nine-year-old Mozart as a performer. No local Mozart to invite? A commercial garden in Washington State hosts a local harpist every Mothers' Day.
Benefits and other gatherings enjoy such services, especially if their people get to meet the actual farmer. For selling away from home, you can offer to host tea tastings for a fee.
Also, look for a listing of local tea houses. A teahouse the author inquired into even asked for edible flowers along with tea herbs.
HRF's current collection consists of more than 300,000 articles. Since its founding in 1983, HRF has served as the central archive of scientific literature on the health effects and safety of botanicals and has developed the world's most comprehensive collection of clinical trials, pharmacology, toxicology, chemical, historical, and horticultural data on thousands of herbal ingredients. According to the HRI, scientific credibility is essential to bolster consumer confidence in herbs and for the continued growth of the industry.

The non-profit Herb Research Institute, www.Herbs.org (HRI) may be of help in this area (see below). In some cases, you can be allowed to describe health claims if an established research entity has made the claim, and you quote them. John's Wort was reportedly banned in France, while its production continues in other countries. For example, St.

These laws change, so make sure your information is recent. Check into all local regulations on safe harvest and storage, and know what can and can't be said as far as medicinal claims. Stay safe, and keep potential customers safe.
(c) 2006 Barbara Adams

From Prix Fixe to Cold Tea: A Glossary of Popular (and Obscure) Restaurant Terms

2008-11-28T05:13:00.001-08:00

An Offbeat Glossary of Restaurant Terms
Everyone knows what a bistro is...right? And a la carte is a
term that even a fifth grader knows...well, maybe not. And
what exactly does smart casual mean? There are so many
words and terms in the English language that are taken for
granted, including those used in the restaurant industry. In a
public service to diners from Boston to Bakersfield,
Boston's Hidden
Restaurants
(Note: This page is part of our restaurant features section.) presents a glossary of useful, as well as totally useless, restaurant terms.
A La Carte

A term used by more upscale, expensive restaurants that
means each item is separate. If a restaurant says that
bread and water are a la carte, flee as quickly as you can.

Bar Pizza

A type of pizza served in bars (duh!) that is smaller in
diameter (usually about 10 inches) and greasier than pizzas
found in restaurants or sub shops. Bar pizza tends to taste
better with beer, and MUCH better after many beers.
Bistro
If a place that calls itself a bistro does not have a wine list, it is simply known as a "small restaurant." A small restaurant, usually informal, that typically has a decent wine list.
Captain
An employee at a restaurant who supervises the waitstaff
and typically seats patrons. These people used to be called
"hosts," but for some reason, many restaurants now call
them "captains." Some restaurants include a place on the
bill for tipping captains. If you see this, flee as quickly as you
can.
Chef
Typically, the chief cook of a restaurant staff. Don't ever
call a chef a cook; he or she will not like that and may put
some extra MSG in your food.
Cold Tea

A term used, usually late at night, that means beer. This
term is fairly common in Chinese restaurants that stay open
after the bars close. The serving of cold tea is often illegal
and unethical, and we at Boston's Hidden Restaurants do
not condone the ordering of cold tea. But our view on that
may change from weekend to weekend.
Kosher
Food that conforms to Jewish dietary laws and rituals.
Pork and shellfish are never kosher, nor is meat mixed with
dairy products. If you see a restaurant named "Ralph's
Clam Shack and Rib House," chances are, it is not kosher.

Prix Fixe

Often, that set price will drive a person to drinking lots and lots of cold tea once his or her credit card bill comes in the following month. A full meal, typically with between three and seven courses that is offered at a set price.
Smart Casual
'Nuff said. George Costanza on "Seinfeld" coined this term. A dubious restaurant dress-code term, typically meaning, "no jeans and sneakers, but don't wear with a suit and tie, either." In other words, dress like you are playing 18 holes of golf (but don't wear metal spikes).
Special of the Day
Whatever didn't sell out the night before.
Trattoria
A restaurant, usually informal, that serves simple,
old-fashioned Italian meals. If a trattoria also has a decent
wine list, another name for the place would be bistro (see).
But a bistro cannot be a trattoria unless it serves Italian
food. However, if a bistro does serve Italian food but does
not have a decent wine list, then it is no longer a bistro. It is
a trattoria. Actually, it may be best to just forget the whole
thing. Both are restaurants. OK?
All Rights Reserved. Copyright Â© 2005, Boston's Hidden Restaurants.
Boston's Hidden
Restaurants
is a restaurant guide that
features top little-known dining spots in Boston and New
England.

Nail Fungus and Tea

2008-11-27T12:44:00.001-08:00

A tea made from the inner bark of a South American tree may have antifungal properties that will help cure onychomycosis, the ugly fungal nail infection that many people suffer from. Nail fungus and tea sounds like an odd combination, but for some people, the two do go together.
The tree is the Red-purple Lapacho tree, also known as the Pau D'Arco or Taheebo Tree. It has been used in indigenous healing practices for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. It's now being investigated for its possible applications in various medical conditions. Its healing properties may go far beyond nail fungus and tea is an easy medicine to take: the Lapacho Tree is rumored to work as a painkiller, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, antibiotic, antiviral, even a cancer treatment.
Of course, it could not hurt to both drink the tea and soak in it. Such yeast infections generally require a different treatment approach from nail fungus - tea from the Lapacho Tree might work better for the yeast when taken internally. It might be helpful as a remedy for yeast infections of the nail as well. It is consumed as a drink for most medicinal applications, and is particularly recommended as a treatment for vaginal yeast infections.

Pau D'Arco tea may be helpful both internally and as a solution that an infected hand or foot could be soaked in, though it's use in either capacity does not seem to be widespread - at least, not yet.
It, too, appears to have antibiotic, antiviral, and antifungal properties. This tree, like the Lapacho Tree is being actively studied for the medicinal benefits it may provide. Tea Tree oil is used as a topical treatment for onychomycosis, and it is already so popular that natural remedy suppliers are bottling the oil, and blending it with other essential oils and healing herbs for that very purpose.

In this case, the anecdotal evidence supporting this natural remedy is much clearer. Meanwhile, another tea and onychomycosis connection is well established with a tree from Australia, the Tea Tree. We don't know anything for certain about the nail fungus and tea remedy, but if the tree is being studied, we may learn something before long.
They just don't work for everybody. This isn't surprising though - it also frequently happens with FDA-approved, clinically tested drugs. Some people report good results after using these and other natural remedies, while others get no results at all.

Both of these nail fungus and tea remedies suffer from mixed reports: they don't always work.
She is a contributing editor to Drysdale is a freelance writer with more than 25 years experience as a health care professional. R.
nail fungus remedies
, a blog dedicated to the treatment of fingernail and toenail fungus.

Cholesterol Reduction - Great News for Tea Drinkers

2008-11-27T05:14:00.001-08:00

Your chest feels tight. Then a pain begins. You feel short of breath and every movement makes it worse. You are experiencing a coronary. Thankfully you survive and start to think about what went wrong and to find ways of adjusting your lifestyle. You may even require bypass surgery or to be on drugs for the rest of your life. Cholesterol is a major factor leading to coronary thrombosis, one of the biggest killers in western society. Most people have heard about cholesterol and appreciate that it leads to heart disease. But what is cholesterol? Why is it dangerous and how can you reduce its harmful effects?
There are a number of fats in the bloodstream; two of the important ones are cholesterol and triglycerides. There are two main forms of cholesterol, HDP (high density lipoprotein) and LDP (low density lipoprotein). The HDP is sometimes referred to as good cholesterol but most of the cholesterol in your blood will be the more sinister LDP - it is this that needs reducing. High levels of LDP and triglycerides cause thickening, hardening and roughening of the normally elastic walls of the arteries. Where the walls have been roughened, blood cells tend to stick, building up to form a clot. The clot can grow and block the artery or be dislodged and block the blood flow elsewhere. In the brain, it is called a stroke, in the lungs, a pulmonary embolism and in the heart, a coronary. Some of the cholesterol in your blood comes from the food that you eat and some is produced by your liver as it processes the nutrients from your food. There is no simple solution to high cholesterol levels; in fact you could be genetically predisposed to high cholesterol.
It is thought that the caffeine in the tea interacts with the flavonoids in tea to increase the rate of calorie burning. Their findings showed a small increase in daily energy expenditure when compared to a control group. In addition, green tea seems to speed up the metabolism, including fat calorie burning, according to researchers from the University of Geneva in Switzerland. However the fairly high levels of antioxidant flavonoids in black tea are thought to protect against arterial plaques, the fatty deposits that clog arteries, by preventing fat from being deposited on artery walls.

As always with biological research, there may be other contributing factors, the Dutch team acknowledge that people who drink tea generally have a healthier lifestyle and diet. Just one or two cups per day seemed to have a marked effect. A study by the Dutch suggests that tea drinkers, particularly women, may derive some protection against the build up of cholesterol in their arteries.
The British Medical Journal has also reported a Japanese study on the benefits of green tea consumption in preventing cardiovascular disease, liver disorders and possibly cancer. The study, in the 1990s, involved over 100 men aged over 40. Tea consumption was classified as less than 3 cups, between 4 and 9 cups, and over 10 cups per day. It was found that consumption of green tea was significantly associated with lower serum concentrations of lipids and lipoproteins. The study also found that the strong association remained unaltered after age, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and relative body weight were controlled for.
Not only does it taste good, it may protect your heart, reduce your chances of cancer and help to keep your weight down, all by drinking just a few cups per day! So in short, tea drinking is a great habit to develop, especially if it is a good quality, pure organic green tea.
You should seek the assistance of a qualified physician if you require medical advice on any condition mentioned in this article. When pregnant or nursing only small amounts of green tea only and should not be regarded as medical advice in its own right.
Kevin Woodward looks after the In Nature web site at
http://www.in-nature.com/teas/
Memberships are available which entitles you to discounts on the products and a free health consultation based on traditional Chinese medicine. which offers top quality pure organic Chinese teas, including green tea, plus Chinese medicinal herbs for sale securely online.

Financing a Vehicle is Your Cup of Tea with Used Vehicle Finance

2008-11-26T12:46:00.001-08:00

It is quite possible that buying a new vehicle is not a cup of tea for all. In such situation, one can go for used vehicle. It is also possible that the person might find difficulty in arranging an amount to buy a used vehicle. And, fortunately the financial market also provides financial assistance in the form of used vehicle finance for buying a used vehicle.
Used vehicle finance
Secured used vehicle finance offers better and low rates than unsecured used Secured used vehicle finance offers better and low rates than unsecured used vehicle finance. Secured used vehicle finance offers better and low rates than unsecured used vehicle finance. This implies that if the person is not able to place collateral, then he is not at all required to worry as he can avail unsecured used vehicle finance. Secured used vehicle finance can be availed in any of the two forms that are with collateral and without collateral.

On the other hand, if he can and willing to place collateral against the loan amount then he can go for secured used vehicle finance. This implies that if the person is not able to place collateral, then he is not at all required to worry as he can avail unsecured used vehicle finance. Secured used vehicle finance can be availed in any of the two forms that are with collateral and without collateral. Secured used vehicle finance offers better and low rates than unsecured used vehicle finance.

Commonly, used vehicle finance offers better and low rates than unsecured used vehicle finance. can be used to buy any used car or any other automobile.
An amount which can be borrowed in used vehicle finance depends on many factors such as:
•Value of collateral
•Credit score
•Financial status
•Repayment ability
•Credit worthiness
Making high down payment is always recommended in order to avail competitive and low rates. Even the person with poor credit score can avail used vehicle finance on competitive rates which is only possible through co-signer. Otherwise, generally a bad credit scorer is obliged to pay high rate of interest.
And, further he can easily choose the lender offering most competitive rates by making comparison. The person is suggested to visit each lender located, as this will help him in knowing the trend and the rates prevailing in the market. In reality it is not a simple task as it requires lots of research work to be done.

But, which source must be chosen to avail used vehicle finance? As it is true that financial market has number of lenders who offers used vehicle finance that is banks, building societies, private lenders etc.
The best way of applying used vehicle finance is through online mode which simplifies the task of locating, comparing and applying to the lender. Online mode not only saves times but effort and money also.
To find He holds a masters degree in Finance. Gary Grobowski is working as financial consultant for Used Vehicle Finance.
Used vehicle finance
, used vehicle finance UK visit
http://www.usedvehiclefinance.net

Antioxidant In Green Tea Helps Fight Alzheimer's Disease

2008-11-26T05:13:00.001-08:00

Scientists from the University of South Florida found that high doses of the antioxidant epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) found in green tea prevented Alzheimer's-like damage in the brains of mice bred to develop symptoms of this disease.
After several months of injecting the mice with pure EGCG on a daily basis, the nerve cells of the mice generated 54% less beta-amyloid proteins than not-treated mice. One of the possible causes of Alzheimer's disease is the harmful accumulation of beta-amyloid, which is just a very small protein fragment of a larger protein in brain cells.
The drinking of green tea alone would not be sufficient to have this particular effect. In the case of humans, we would need a daily dose of 1,500 to 1,600 mg of pure EGCG to achieve the similar effect experienced by the mice and this daily dose has been studied in healthy human volunteers and was found to be safe and well tolerated.
Journal of Neuroscience (2005) 25(38):8807-8814 Reference: "Green Tea Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG) Modulates Amyloid Precursor Protein Cleavage and Reduces Cerebral Amyloidosis in Alzheimer Transgenic Mice" Kavon Rezai-Zadeh, et al.
Related tips:
Alzheimer's Disease
Antioxidants
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Tai Chi, NOT Chai Tea!

2008-11-25T12:44:00.001-08:00

Those of you that have either completed a one-on-one program, purchased an on-line program or have read anything else that I have written in the past have most likely determined by now and realize it is quite evident... I am a huge supporter and advocate of integrated and phase-based training as optimized methods of health and fitness technologies/systemologies. And it wasn't until I started researching Tai Chi as an alternative form of exercise (I have been exercising for three-and-a-half decades consistently) did I understand how such a slow-velocity activity can help decrease blood pressure, reduce stress, help develop a greater degree of coordination and diminish the number of falls experienced by the elderly. The affects of resistance and aerobic type activities and their impact on health is unequivocal. Resistance training improves strength and the development of lean muscle mass, as well as an increase in bone-density and cardiovascular training improves the efficiently of the heart, lungs and circulatory function while decreasing mortality rates. However, over the past few decades, Eastern practices such as Tai Chi and Yoga have complimented mainstream fitness training programs by demonstrating comparable health benefits to traditional fitness training. A closer look at Tai Chi is warranted and yes this is coming from a fitness coach who intrinsically knows and has meticulously practiced and has been the recipient of the absolute benefits of weight bearing exercise for over 30 years.
What is Tai Chi Anyway? So...
Tai Chi is used as an alternative form of exercise that requires a greater degree of movement than yoga and eliminates the impact nature of many aerobic or cardio-respiratory type activities.
Vitality: The Health and Well-Benefits of Tai Chi
Recent research also suggests Tai Chi to be an effective program in the reduction of blood pressure and blood lipid levels. The practice of Tai Chi has also been linked to a reduction of falls and injury for the elderly, an important attribute given that one in three adults 65 years or older fall each year. Overt health benefits such as decreased stress, improved cardiovascular fitness, balance, muscle strength, coordinative reflexes, arthritis relief and flexibility in people of all ages have been reported.

The life force or energy in Tai Chi is a moderate intensity exercise where aggregate energy expenditure is comparable to walking at a pace of 3.5 mph. Talk about Synergy...
Integrating Tai Chi and Strength/Training.
Since Tai Chi creates a state of tranquility, calmness and relaxation it is best to perform the activity on days off from your regular While the movements may look simple, proper execution of forms take months of practice. Similarly, muscular effort can be increased by emphasizing knee bends, arms swings, twisting of the trunk and overall body recruitment when carrying out and finishing the forms. The forms can be performed in a quick controlled pace to raise the heart rate and induce a greater aerobic intensity. The forms are completed very slowly and consist of many sequential and continuous postural changes from the beginning to the end of the workout session, including both double stance and single stance weight-bearing maneuvers.

Alternatively, you may complete the circuit on Monday and Thursday, followed by a warm-up to increase blood-oxygen flow and body temperature. All sessions begin with a few minutes of meditation to calm the mind as well as the body, followed by a short 20-minute cardio session on both days, and practice Tai Chi on Tuesday and Saturday. Ahh…yes, a typical Tai Chi session can last five minutes to an hour depending on the experience and fitness and primary conditioning level of the participant.
Traditions...
Using a phase-based training approach, Tai Chi is a valuable form of exercise to help relax your body and replenish your energy stores from the intense fitness workouts you are accustomed to, so good luck and may God bless each and everyone of you. Combined with a proper fitness training program and nutrition, Tai Chi can provide the alternative form of movement that you have been searching for. Life is about balancing tasks while nourishing your mind, body and spirit.

In over 25 countries around the globe, people are enjoying the many benefits of practicing Taoist Tai Chi in friendly atmospheric locales. The gentle movements of Taoist Tai Chi convey the essence of this tradition to the modern world. The ancient Taoists were renowned for their study of the arts of health and longevity.
-To Your Absolute Health, Kurt Lee Hurley

Can Green Tea Protect Against Atherosclerosis?

2008-11-25T05:19:00.001-08:00

Out of control cholesterol is a leading contributor to heart disease, blood clots and stroke. One of the things that all of us should be concerned with in our quest to live long and healthy lives is our cholesterol levels. Heart disease and high cholesterol are some of the most prevalent health concerns in our country today.
High levels of this type of cholesterol are too low, the bad cholesterol is allowed to take over. HDL cholesterol actually carries bad cholesterol away from the heart and deposits it to the liver so that it can pass from the body. HDL cholesterol or (high density lipoproteins) is what we refer to as "good cholesterol".

Cholesterol comes in two forms.
It is this process that turns the LDL into plaque. Part of the "hardening" process in LDL is what is known as peroxidation. When an artery is blocked, this can cause heart attack or stroke.

These narrowed arteries make it for a clot to cause a blockage. This is what we call atherosclerosis. It forms plaque, a hard substance that clogs the arteries. When too much LDL circulates in the blood, it can build up in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. LDL cholesterol (low density lipoproteins) is the "bad cholesterol".
See your doctor for a blood test to determine your cholesterol levels. If you fall into this category, you may need medication along with lifestyle changes to get your cholesterol under control. You can significantly affect your cholesterol levels by with lifestyle choices; though some people are just genetically inclined to have high LDL levels.

It's critical for all of us to know our cholesterol levels and make sure that we have high levels of HDL and low levels of LDL.
How Can I Improve My Cholesterol Levels?
Here are the basics If you know that your cholesterol numbers could use some improvement, there are many things you can do to improve those numbers.
Exercise - Just 30 minutes of walking, 3-5 times a week can help bring your cholesterol numbers in line.
Taking the weight off can improve these numbers. Lose weight if you're overweight - Overweight people tend to have higher LDL levels.
Don't smoke - Smoking contributes to high LDL levels and to low HDL levels.
Managing Your Diet
Diet is the most important factor in controlling your cholesterol levels. Whether or not you need to lose weight, a healthy diet is critical to maintaining good cholesterol levels. Here are the diet basics you should follow.
Use egg substitutes or egg whites rather than egg yolks. Opt for chicken, fish and turkey more often; beef and pork just once or twice a week. Reduce the amount of red meat in your diet.
Choose low fat cheese, yogurt and sour cream.
Oatmeal and whole wheat are great options. Increase your whole grains - Replace simple, white flower based products with whole grains.
For the highest levels of anti-oxidants, be sure to eat your share of blueberries, red beans, artichokes and tomatoes. They are also filled with anti-oxidants, which can prevent disease by combating our body's free radicals. They fill you up on fewer calories, so you can eat less and lose weight. Increase your fruits and vegetables - Fruits and vegetables provide vitamins and fiber.
These good fats can help raise your HDL levels, without elevating your LDL levels in the process. Use olive oil, flaxseed oil and canola oil as your primary fats. Stay away from anything that contains "trans fats". Use good fats - We all need fat in our diets, but the types of fat we choose are important.
There have been many studies that have concluded that green tea's anti-oxidants have a powerful influence in preventing heart disease. Green tea is rich in anti-oxidants, just like fruits and vegetables. Add Green Tea to your diet - Green tea is one of the most under-recognized health protectors.
In this study, some mice were fed a diet high in saturated fats and other products known to raise bad cholesterol. The University of Shizuoka in Japan conducted a study on green tea and its ability to prevent atherosclerosis. One study, in particular is worth noting.
After about eight weeks, the mice who were fed green tea showed significantly less propensity to have atherosclerosis.* While the high level of LDL could still be spotted in the blood, it was not being converted to plaque.
So, even when the diet was higher than normal in "bad cholesterol" foods, the green tea seemed to prevent this cholesterol in the blood from turning into artery blocking plaque. The study concluded that green tea has the ability, likely because of its high anti-oxidant level, to prevent the peroxidation of the LDLs.
However, it does indicate that green tea may be highly effective at preventing the bad cholesterol that we do ingest from turning into arterial plaque. Now, this doesn't mean that it's ok to eat a diet high in fat and cholesterol and rely on green tea to take care of the problem.
It may give you an extra edge to winning the cholesterol battle! But, it's also wise to add green tea to your diet. So, for the best plan for preventing heart disease and stroke, it's wise to follow a low cholesterol diet, maintain a healthy weight and get regular exercise.
At their website, you can learn more about their current Stout is the Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea carefully selects the finest rare and orthodox teas, which are processed slowly and handcrafted with extreme care. Jon M.
tea
offerings, including their exceptional
green tea
, white tea, black tea, oolong tea (also known as wu-long and
wu long tea
Visit goldenmoontea.com for all details concerning the Golden Moon Tea Company's fine line of teas. ) and chai.

Drinking Green Tea May Help You Lose Weight

2008-11-24T12:46:00.001-08:00

Green Tea Also Has Anticancer Properties
A new study in the March issue of the International Journal of Obesity concludes that green tea extract increases the burning of calories and fat needed to lose weight. Green tea, which has been reported to have anticancer properties and to raise levels of antioxidants in the blood that may ward off heart disease, now appears to have the potential to promote weight loss.
Green Tea In Liquid Or Capsule May Aid In Weight Loss
Previous animal studies showed that green tea in liquid or capsule form may be an effective way to aid weight loss.
In the new study, conducted by Abdul Dulloo, from the
Institute of Physiology at the University of Fribourg in
Switzerland, researchers exposed a particular type of fatty
tissue from rats to caffeine and to
green tea extract containing small concentrations of
caffeine.
Green Tea Containing Caffeine Can Raise Metabolism
Green tea containing caffeine significantly increased
thermogenesis by 28% to 77%, depending on dose, whereas
caffeine alone resulted in no significant increase. When the
stimulant ephedrine was added to green tea with caffeine,
the increase was even more significant compared with
caffeine alone and ephedrine alone. Caffeine and ephedrine
are used together in some herbal weight loss preparations,
but there are many safety concerns regarding ephedrine
because it raises heart rate and blood pressure.
Dulloo and colleagues also tested the plant compound EGCG
found in green tea. They found that the stimulant ephedrine
alone had no effect on thermogenesis, but that caffeine plus
ephedrine resulted in an 84% increase. However, adding EGCG
to the caffeine plus ephedrine mix increased thermogenesis
even further.
"Our studies ... raise the possibility that the therapeutic
potential of the green tea extract, or indeed a combination
of EGCG and caffeine, may be extended to the management of
obesity," Dulloo and co-authors write.
A researcher who reviewed the study for WebMD says that
while the work is interesting and extends this group's
previous findings by showing that compounds in green tea
other than caffeine are involved in thermogenesis, caution
should be used in interpreting animal data and applying it
to humans.
"It doesn't rule out the significance of the findings, and it is a good model to use to look at the effects of caffeine and the [plant] compounds that are present in green tea, but until better clinical trials are done in humans, it's hard to say what the physiological significance of this actually may be." non-obese people," says Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr, PhD. "They used [a particular type of fatty tissue] from rats and we don't really know how significant that tissue is in humans or if it is different in obese vs.
Zidenberg-Cherr, who is an associate professor of nutrition
at the University of California, Davis, also points out that
thermogenesis plays only a very small role in energy
expenditure in adults. Most of the energy expended is used
to maintain basic body functions such as breathing and the
flow of blood throughout the body.
She says green tea may have many health benefits due to its
plant compounds, but cautions that it is not the answer to
weight-loss woes. "Green tea can't be used, and it shouldn't
be used, as a 'magic bullet' for weight loss," she tells
WebMD. "You've got to combine it with other changes,
including increasing physical activity and reducing a
high-calorie diet."
You may reprint or publish this article free of charge as
long as the bylines are included.
Original URL (The Web version of the article):

Drinking Green Tea May Help You Lose
Weight

Drinking Tea Can Actually Help You Lose Weight

2008-11-24T05:14:00.001-08:00

The following are the ones that have some scientific research behind them. Although experts are divided on exactly how healthy green tea, there is no doubt that it has some health benefits.
Tea can help reduce your chances of getting heart disease by up to half, as well as fight dental plaque and cavities (although it will also stain your teeth if you don't make sure to drink plenty of water and brush regularly, so watch out). Firstly, green tea shares all the health benefits that are thought to come from black tea, except in a more effective form, as the tea is fresher.
Drinking tea also burns more calories than it contains, meaning that could potentially help you to lose weight if you drink enough of it.
Black tea will make it a little redder - it sounds too far-fetched to be true, but many women swear by it, particularly in India. Strangely enough, tea is also thought to affect the colour of your hair if you drink it in sufficient quantities.
Unfortunately, there is also no shortage of people willing to claim that green tea will help you with whatever condition is fashionable at the moment. For that reason, read this list with some scepticism - it's up to you if you want to believe in green tea, or if it makes you personally feel better, but little has been proven scientifically either way. Green tea has been mooted as a cure for cancer, Alzheimer's, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, cardiovascular disease and HIV. But if it worked, surely we'd all be drinking it by now?

Tea Blending-An Accidental Invention! It Needs More Support From Tea Research!

2008-11-23T12:47:00.001-08:00

There was an English tea merchant selling tea packs in his town during the year 1660 A.D. He used to get a bag of tea from one estate or the other and make small packs and sell them to the people in his area.
People were buying from him, but used to make remarks on the quality of the tea he supplied.
THE GOODNESS OF TEAS!
The flavor was not always the same. Again, when the taste was good, the tea color was very low. Again, when the taste was not so.

Again, when the taste was not so. Again, when the taste was not so. When the color was good, the taste was good, the taste was not so. They said, "The tea was good last time, but it is different now".

It had become quite customary to hear comments of his customers about his tea.
The merchant was not able to find out a way to escape from the unsatisfied customers' remarks. Man could be a silent listener of all these things and cannot control. The tea characters change from grade to grade, season to season, process to process and even time to time.

This is because the teas grown in different estates differ in their characters. When ever he buys a new tea bag and distributes it in small packs, the customers' comments were also changed.
NO SINGLE TEA HAS ALL CHARACTERS IN PERFECT MATCH!
It was quite surprising to hear from almost all consumers that the tea was good that time in all respects. To cover up the time, he mixed all the remainings of tea bags and made into small packs and sold to his customers with all the reluctance. Once it happened that the merchant sold almost all the tea bags as remnants.
He had actually mixed all the leftover teas purchased so far and supplied to the consumers only to avoid the time gap. But, the customers were satisfied and started asking to supply only similar teas in future also.
MIXING MAKES IT BETTER - AN ACCIDENTAL INVENTION!
The color, taste and flavor are average and were acceptable to the people of the town. It was fine; blending of various kinds of tea had helped the merchant to run his business without much of bad comments. He started mixing and selling!

The trader understood the idea and started buying different kinds and grades of teas from a number of estates!
THANKS TO THE ANANYMOUS TEA MERCHANT!
We cannot continue with just mixing any kind or grade of tea available in the market as did by the merchant. But, this will not suffice the varying market needs of this modern day. It has its own merits!

So, tea blending was born. Though accidental, it was really an invention worth to be written in the history of tea industry!
WANTS ARE DIFFERENT! TEAS ARE DIFFERENT!
The tea taste changes with so many factors, natural and man made too. Some like leaf teas and others dust teas. Some love teas made by orthodox way and others the modern CTC way of production. There are different kinds of people loving different kinds of teas to make varying tea drinks.
NEED TO INVENT, INNOVATE AND STRATEGISE!
The growth of any product depends on the merits of invention to begin with, innovation in course of time and finally the strategy to cope up with the market competition.
RESEARCH NEEDED!

Hence, there is a need to do a research at a higher level with identification of tea grades, their physical and functional characters in relation to the final tea drink. There is also a compelling need to have an unbiased tea evaluation technique to judge true market values of the teas in question.
ART OF TEA TASTING - WITH HUMAN ERRORS!
Evaluation based on this gives only artistic values and do not speak about the real value of tea. It has erroneous influences of human mind. Simply because, the traditional tea tasting is an art and has no scientific base.

However, it has all the demerits of the human errors. It took a number of years gradually to improve up on the art or knowledge of tea tasting.
You know an art is enjoyable, but contains more of illusions and not the truth always. An art is always kept as a secret and not open for scientific analysis and confirmations.
SCIENCE IS TRUTH, A FOUNDATION FOR GROWTH!

However a revolutionary tea research culminating into a unique "scientific tea testing, tasting and blending technique" was done only very recently. Science is truth always and gives confirmative results and paves way for innovative and progressive growth of any business.
There is delay and it is due to the strong belief of the tea industry as a whole!
TEA TESTING, TASTING AND BLENDING TECHNIQUES:
Is it different from traditional tea tasting?
Yes. With all scientific base!

Is it a competition technique to the art of tea tasting?
No, it is complementary and supportive!

Tea researchers and students will also get benefited! In a big way! Yes.

Will this help the tea business and industry?
Tea blending, an accidental invention has opened new vistas to tea industry through scientific tea testing, tasting and blending techniques!
To know more about scientific tea testing, tasting and formulae of tea blending, please contact: pnkguru@yahoo.com Also visit:
http://www.teablends.blogspot.com/
RESOURCES:
FROM OWN RESEARCH AND BUSINESS EXPERIENCES OF THE TEA SCIENTIST AND THE AUTHOR.

Tea Tree Oil Nail Fungus

2008-11-23T05:14:00.001-08:00

You may have read or heard about a tea tree oil nail fungus treatment and wondered if this is some kind of gimmick designed to part the unwary and the desperate from their hard earned money. These schemes abound today as much as in the past: tea tree oil however, deserves a hard second look.
First, tea tree oil, marketed as a natural remedy for toe nail fungus and other fungal infections, does not come from tea, but from an Australian tree called the tea tree, Melaleuca alternafolia. It contains a number of naturally occurring substances, but the one that is thought to be the most important is terpinen-4-ol. To extract it and produce a tea tree oil nail fungus remedy, leaves and stem of the tree are subjected to a steam extraction process. The resulting oil is either sold as a pure oil, or blended with other plant extracts.
The important point to understand is that good scientific research has been conducted on the medicinal properties of tea tree oil nail fungus treatment appears to be able to penetrate the thick layers of an infected nail to reach and act on the fungus: lack of nail penetration has been a serious impediment to the development of topical treatments for fungal nail infections.
It seems that tea tree oil nail fungus remedy has everything to recommend it: it's available without a prescription and is relatively inexpensive compared to prescription medications for nail fungus; it's a topical treatment, so potential side effects of a systemic drug are not an issue; it's a genuinely natural remedy for toe nail fungus, and it appears to work. One note of caution is in order: tea tree oil has not been proven safe for ingestion, so only use it topically, and if you have sensitive skin, choose a product that is not pure tea tree oil (terpinen-4-ol, or some other component of the oil, can be irritating to skin).
Always consult a medical professional for a proper diagnosis before embarking on a self-care program for any health problem.
R. Drysdale is a freelance writer with more than 25 years experience as a health care professional. She is a contributing editor to
Tea Tree Oil Nail Fungus
, a blog dedicated to the treatment of fingernail and toenail fungus.

Cooking with Green Tea

2008-11-22T05:14:00.001-08:00

Green tea has a very distinct flavor that many enjoy and cannot be easily emulated by anything but green tea itself. The other reason would be flavor. In fact most Asian countries have used green tea for cooking purposes for these very reasons.

It lowers cholesterol, is high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Well green tea is filled with a wide array of health benefits. Recently it has become popular to cook with such a thing.
This is why loose leaf tea is generally recommended. The stronger the tea is the more flavor and color will remain in the end product. When you do this keep in mind that you want the green tea to be strong.

This is probably the best way for someone who is experimenting with a recipe or this style of cooking. A very simple way is to substitute the water in a recipe with brewed green tea (at room temperature or as specified by the recipe). So now the big question, "How do I cook with green tea?" Well as I said earlier it's really very easy to do.
You may be surprised to find several already available. Simply go online and search for "green tea" and your favorite recipe. I see new ones popping up every day. You may also just want to look for green tea recipes.
A lot of green tea recipes will ask for green tea powder or matcha. This is ground up green tea leaves. Matcha specifically is ground up Gyokuro leaves and is used for tea ceremony purposes. You will find matcha generally more expensive than green tea powder, which can be made from almost any green tea. However you may find matcha worth the extra price for those specially recipes.
If you have never done it, I recommend buying green tea powder or matcha and trying it on some of your favorite recipes. You will find it amazing how much color and flavor one teaspoon of this stuff can provide.
John Newman is an author for Teanobi.com.
http://www.teanobi.com
Matcha

Types Of Chinese Tea

2008-11-21T12:46:00.001-08:00

Probably you are familiar with the Chinese saying, "Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea are the seven necessities to begin a day." Though tea is last on the list, we can still see how important the tea is for the Chinese.
These include green tea, oolong, black, red, white, yellow, flower, and compressed tea. However, if we will consider tea in terms of quality, there are actually eight classes of Chinese tea. These are usually classified by procedure, quality, and preparation methods and so on.

There are actually thousand of Chinese tea varieties.
Now, let's take a look at these classes one by one.
Green Tea
Green tea is said to be the most natural type of Chinese tea. It is usually picked, naturally dried and fried briefly to get rid of its grassy smell. Unlike the other types, green tea skipped fermentation process.
Today, about 50% of China's tea is green tea. The aroma of this type of Chinese type range from medium to high, while the flavor is usually light to medium. According to some experts, green tea has the most medicinal value and the least caffeine content of all Chinese tea classes.
Oolong Tea
Chinese also call it "Qing Cha" and its typical leaves are green in the middle and red on the edges as a result of the process to soften tea leaves. This type of Chinese tea is halfway between green tea and black tea in a sense that it is half fermented.
Then, it is fried, rolled and roasted. Oolong tea leaves are basically withered and spread before undergoing a brief fermentation process.
Black Tea
The leaves of this variety become completely oxidized after processing. Also, this type of Chinese tea undergoes withering, then left to ferment for a long while, and then roasted. The Chinese black tea produces full-bodied amber when brewed.
Red Tea
It is also considered that red tea has low aroma and medium flavor and it is now divided into three subclasses: Kung Fu Red Tea, Ted Tea Bits, and Small Species Red Tea. This color is strongly highlighted during the fermentation process. As the name implies, this type of Chinese tea has red leaves and red tea color.
White Tea
This type of Chinese tea is sometimes considered as subclass of green tea. Perhaps it is for the fact that it is only withered and then roasted. Just like green tea, white tea escaped fermentation process. And, it has low caffeine content.
Yellow Tea
Apparently, yellow tea has yellow leaves and yellow tea color. According to some experts, this type of Chinese tea is an uncommon class of Chinese tea. The flavor of yellow tea is usually mild and refreshing.
Flower Tea
Generally, this class has light to medium flavor and medium to strong aroma. The Scented Tea, on the other hand, uses green tea and red tea as base and mix with scent of flowers. Well, the Flower Tea is just based on a simple concept that dried flowers are used, without much processing, to make tea. It actually subdivides into Flower Tea and Scented Tea.

Here is a unique type of Chinese tea - the Flower tea.
Compressed Tea
The final type of Chinese tea is the compressed tea. This class uses black tea as base tea. It is steamed and compressed into bricks, cakes, columns, and other shapes. Also, compressed tea has all the characteristics of black tea. It can be stored for years and decades.
Improve your health dramatically with the use of chinese tea -
http://www.chinese-tea-today.info

The Origins of the Humble Tea Leaf

2008-11-20T12:44:00.001-08:00

The Origins of Tea
According to mythological fables, there are many tales of the origin of tea. The first one comes from over 4500 years ago. The Second Chinese Emperor Chen Sung(circa 2737-2697 BC) was sitting beneath a tree while his servant was boiling some water. A leaf from the tree above fell into the boiling water and Chen Sung tried the brew and liked it. The tree was a tea tree, of course.
Another fabled origin of tea comes from Bodhidharma, the traditional founder of the Zen school of Buddhism. The Japanese claim that he brought tea with him from India to China. The Indian legend proclaims that after 5 years of a 7 year sleepless meditation exercise on the Lord Buddha, BoddhiDharma began to feel sleepy. He immediately plucked a few leaves from a nearby bush and chewed them which thereby kept him awake. The bush was
a wild bush tree. Another story along these lines has him plucking off his eyebrows when they started drooping and he threw them on the ground. It is reputed that 2 tea trees sprang up that had the power to keep him awake and alert.
Whatever the truth is, the raw leaves of the tea tree were probably used as food from the earliest times by the native populations of Southern China. A chinese text of 50 BC mentions tea being prepared by servants. Historians and scholars have tea being cultivated in Szechuan around the 3rd Century AD. There are many authentic references to tea in the Chinese dictionary circa 350 AD.
In the 8th Century the Chinese author Lu Yu wrote the first book on tea, the "Ch'a Ching". This book summarised all the accumulated knowledge to date about tea growing and preparation. There were many illustrations of tea making utensils. This book succeeded in giving a major impetus to the drinking of tea by the upper classes. Some say that this book inspired the Buddhist priests to create the Japanese tea ceremony.
Early Processing of tea.
In the 4th Century the fresh green tea leaves were picked , squeezed into cakes and then roasted to a reddish color. These cakes were crumbled into the water and boiled, meanwhile adding onion, ginger, and orange peel. This tea was considered to be a good remedy for stomach problems, bad eyesight and many other diseases, but must have been a very bitter brew indeed.
Tea was beginning to be exported to Tibet, Turkey , India, and Russia because of its easy transportability. In the Tang Dynasty, this tea recipe was the national drink of the ruling classes. Around about the 8th Century the bricks of tea were now boiled with only a little bit of salt.
The first mention of tea outside China and Japan was by the Arabs in 850 AD. Some say that they introduced it into Europe throught the port of Venice. The Portuguese paved the way for the entry of tea into Europe also because of their exploration of the sea passages to China as early as the 16th Century. Jesuit priests coming back from the East brought back their tea drinking habits back to Portugal. The Dutch merchants got in on the act as well. In 1610, regular shipments of tea to ports in France and Holland were started. In the late 17th Century, the English East India Company entered the trade.
Beginnings of the names for tea.
In the 4th Century in China, the Chinese word t'u was often used to describe shrubs besides tea. The modern term for tea comes from early chinese dialect words such as Tchai, Cha and Tay. These words were used to pertain to both the drink and the leaf. Tea is known as Cha or Chai in India to this day. In japan, the word Cha is used to describe both tea and a hot broth.
Early Benefits of Tea.
From the earliest times tea was recognised and enjoyed because it is a healthy refreshing beverage. Made from the dried leaves of the camellia sinensis plant, tea is said to have antioxidant properties, can fight the flu virus, and boosts the immune system.
http://www.healthfromtea.com

Benefits of tea and the spiritual and health factors that add to our enjoyment of the refreshing taste.

Lessons Learned in the Tea Room

2008-11-20T05:14:00.001-08:00

Take two parts training and three parts hard knocks. Shake them together and you get a lifetime of lessons learned on the front line in the tea business industry. 8 years of ups and downs have taught me a few simple steps that can save you hours of heartache if applied now.
Here are the top 3 lessons that I learned in the tea business:
Lesson #1 A Consistent Atmosphere Creates Loyalty
Before you enter the door you know what atmosphere to expect and are inwardly grateful. I would venture to guess it is a consistent atmosphere. What does the public library and Starbucks have in common?
Be it the old fashion "silence" of the library or the wafting smells of grinding beans an knowing what's coming cannot be beat. Expectations met in this era of constant change can be soothing.
So, ask yourself...What type of atmosphere am I creating for my customers and how will I keep it consistent?
The key comes in presenting that same experience again and again like clockwork. Consider your types of tea, food and services which all contribute to the overall impression and ultimate experience your guest will look forward to .
If you can achieve that your customers will look to you as a refuge from the storm of life and keep coming back for more.
Lesson #2 The "Show" Must Go On
A tea business is a "show" and the "show must always go on. Just at a consistent atmosphere will keep your customer flow returning, a sense that someone else is in charge will extend a comforting blanket to a ragged and weary public.
They do not need to know that the lead actress has the flu or that the set has a hole in the wall which you carefully covered with a large mirror. The audience need not be aware of the chaos behind the stage. If you plan to run a tea business think of it as a play.
They long to enjoy themselves and get away from their day to day drudgery. The audience wants is to be entertained and kept blissfully unaware of the dangers that lurk in the night.
The smart owner recognizes that customers want the "show" to go on. He or she will make sure that customers are not aware of fires in the kitchen or the staff that didn't show up. A successful tea business owner is like a great stage manager.
Give them a break and don't share what goes on behind the magic curtain. Customers have their own set of problems. Not likely. Did you feel relaxed?

Think about this: Have you ever been to a small business where the owner told you all about their cares and woes?
Lesson #3 A Dash of Mystery Keeps Them Coming Back For More
In the 1930- 1940's serial mysteries played daily on radio and in movie theaters. These short episodes left audiences hanging in suspense compelled to return for next week's installment.
A creative entrepreneur knows how to keep their customers involved in their tea business. In today's society, competition for one's time is fierce. So too, a tea business owner must project a sense of mystery and intrigue to keep clients enthralled.
Consider daily menu's, themed events, costumes,festive holiday decor or even contests as part of the mystery your customers crave. A mix of consistency with the great unknown makes for phenomenal stage productions and unimaginable customer loyalty.
In summary, your mission, should you choose to accept it is simple. Provide a consistent, care free enviornment that sparks creativity and delight. Your clients will thank you with their money time and time again.
Dawnya Sasse is the creator of the ultimate tea business training school allowing students to discover the secrets of the tea industy,"quickly and easily" without ever leaving home.
Free audio mini course Discover how to "Unlock the Secrets of the Billion Dollar Tea Industry from the Comfort of Your Own Computer" and make your tea dream a reality. Why do some people succeed in the tea business?
www.StartATeaBusiness.com
This article may be distributed freely on your website, as long as this entire article, including links and this resource box are unchanged.
Copyright 2006 Dawnya Sasse All Rights Reserved. Tea Events
www.TeaEvents.com

Basic Steps To Make Great Tasting Tea

2008-11-19T12:44:00.001-08:00

Tea can be made many different ways but there are some guidelines you can follow to insure you get a great tasting cup. Some people learn by trial and error and others have the information passed down from their parents or other relatives. Not everyone knows how to make tea the correct way.
Some people even add a little sugar or other sweetener but this is all up to preference. Believe it or not this can greatly affect the flavor and overall enjoyment of the tea. You also want to use fresh, high quality water.

Try to get it as fresh as possible for the richest flavor. Before beginning make sure you have a high quality tea from a reputable source.
These are some basic guidelines to follow but always refer to the recommendations set forth by the tea manufacturer. Popular green teas should be steeped at a temperature of 160 to 180 degrees for a lesser time of 2 to 3 minutes. Popular green teas should be steeped at a temperature of 160 to 180 degrees for a period of 3 to 5 minutes.

Oolong tea is recommended for approximately 190 to 203 degrees for a period of 3 to 5 minutes. Black tea usually requires boiling water of around 212 degrees for a period of 4 to 6 minutes. This occurs when the tea is placed in the water for a period of time, but this will vary greatly with the type of tea you are making. Steeping is an important process that allows the tea to flow into the water.
It is a good idea for the tea to be brewed in a large deep pan, to give ample room for expansion of up to 5 times the leafs' original size. The best way is to just brew the leaves loose in the pot as the ancient cultures once did. Plus you get the full experience of brewing tea, not just the enjoyment of the cup. To get the leaves out when steeping is done you can strain them or use a tea infuser. These are products designed to remove every excess leaf from the water at the right time.
Drinking tea is a terrific way to relax with your friends. Now you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
James McDonald writes for findteaonline.com where you can find
flavored tea products
Read our related articles for tea information and even find a teapot or fun gifts for the tea lover in your family. including green, black, white, and other delicious teas.

Wholesale Tea: A Market of Possibilities

2008-11-19T05:14:00.001-08:00

With the rise in the accessibility of "foreign" countries, one seemingly small item has now exploded onto the market; Wholesale Tea. A wide variety of items are available and relatively simple to acquire as the internet provides a gateway to export companies from all nations. As the business world grows, the physical globe shrinks as products from all nations become business opportunities for companies of all sizes.
Before only available to those with contacts in Eastern nations including, China, Japan, India, and Sri Lanka, wholesale tea has now grown to suppliers in African nations, and importers through out the world, as a simple entry of "wholesale tea" in any search engine will provide users with a list of options supplying not only suppliers of Wholesale Tea, but also suppliers of wholesale tea bags, wholesale gift boxes and gift sets containing tea, and a variety of other similar items.
A now global commerce, items such as gourmet tea bags that you will find the tea bags in a store sold under a third company's brand name.
In regards to the tea itself, there are a multitude of tea variations, including Jasmine Green Tea, a slight variation on tradition, Rooibos, perhaps the most popular herbal tea, Lemongrass, one of many relatively new herbal teas to the mainstream industry and a very long list of blends. Now we see a variety of companies creating an even larger number of options in every facet of the wholesale tea market. This is not to say that Wholesale Tea was not available 5 years ago, but the industry has grown far beyond green tea and breakfast tea.

Experimentation with blends and tea bag designs are the current trends in an up and coming business. As you may have noticed, the tea bag market has a full listing of names and an even fuller listing of variations.
Generally containing a low quality tea dust, these bags focus more on price than quality. In the tea bag world, there are few variations with the machine packaged and stapled standard heavily dominating the market.
Though packaging may not be as easy and all practicality aside, the quality is generally higher than the standard as some form of loose tea is included inside and the look is potentially more appealing. Another design that is available is a pyramid shaped bag.
A new method allowing for design flexibility and the inclusion of high quality loose tea, these gourmet tea bags will put up a good fight against the aforementioned variations. Square and Round shaped, hand sewn bags are now starting to make their way to the industry with a few select companies offering both manufacturing and wholesale tea bag distribution. The newest entry to the market is a smooth balance between the two.
With a little creativity and a good manufacturer, any budding entrepreneur looking for an opening, or any currently established business looking to expand, can now step into the Tea bag world. With the many variables available in both tea blend and tea bag manufacturing, wholesale tea is a prime example of how with the growth of communication and transportation, business opportunities are as easy to find as your kitchen cabinet.
David Giusti is the owner of Sabaidi Tea Co., Ltd.,
http://www.Sabaidi.net
You can read more on the company's home page at , a company that manufactures and exports Handmade Gourmet Tea Bags, Gift boxes and other specialties from Thailand.
http://www.Sabaidi.net
.

Arthritis Relief with Tea Tree Oil

2008-11-18T12:45:00.001-08:00

Symptoms of all of these diseases include pain, stiffness and swelling of the joints, and can affect other parts of the body such as other bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Quite often, arthritis is cause by the deterioration of cartilage in the joints. The term "arthritis" is used to refer to one or more of a group of over 100 rheumatic diseases.
Tea tree oil is very good for arthritis as it is able to penetrate and desensitize irritated nerve endings.
Put in a dark bottle and shake before applying it topically two to four times a day as a massage oil. For relief from pain caused by the various arthritic afflictions (rheumatoid arthritis , osteoarthritis, etc.), combine 18 drops of tea tree oil with 1/8 cup of almond oil.
Putting 2-3 drops of tea tree oil into a warm bath is also a great way to alleviate the joint pain associated with arthritis.
Omega-6 fatty acids are found mostly in plant seed oils such as evening primrose and sunflower oil, and can also have a positive effect in relieving arthritis symptoms. Omega-3 fatty acids switch off the enzymes that break down joint cartilage, and are found mainly in oily fish such as sardines, salmon and cod liver oil. Changing the type of oil in the diet to one rich in omega-3 fatty acids suppresses the inflammatory that the body makes. In order to go beyond merely relieving arthritis symptoms, it is important to make dietary changes.
Foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids are:
* canola oil (the oil and margarine)
* salmon oil
* cod liver oil (mmm yum :)
* soybean oil
* soybeans
* walnut oil
* walnuts
* avocado oil
* fresh avocado.
Foods to avoid:
Red meat is also a good source of iron, so be sure to eat lots of dark green leafy vegetables and other foods rich in iron so as not to be deficient. Try replacing much of the red meat you consume with oily fish.
* alcohol
* tea
* coffee
* saturated fats
* processed foods
* fried and grilled foods
You cannot expect to cure arthritis through dietary changes but, in conjunction with using tea tree oil, the right foods can alleviate many of the painful flareups.

Oolong Tea - A Healthy Refreshing Drink

2008-11-18T05:14:00.001-08:00

Green tea is often touted as a wonder drink providing all sorts of health benefits. Studies have shown that green tea can prevent cancer, lower blood pressure, boost the immune system and reduce hypertension. Although green tea gets the spotlight, many of these same health benefits can be attributed to all sorts of tea including oolong.
Tea is, after all, tea. The only difference between green, oolong, and black tea is the way it has been processed after harvesting. White tea is a little bit different because of the way it is grown, but all tea is from the same plant - Camelia sinensis. And this plant has naturally occurring antioxidants that are beneficial to human health.
Antioxidants are also present in other types of food such as nuts, fruits, vegetables, and wines. They are good for disease prevention by combating free radicals - substances in the body linked to cancer, Parkinson's disease, senile and drug-induced deafness, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's.
There are several components in tea that act as antioxidants including catechins, flavanoids, and polyphenols.
White, Green or Oolong?
Oolong tea is produced by allowing the tea leaves to oxidize for a short time after picking. Oxidation is the process which makes the leaves turn dark on exposure to oxygen. Oolong is semi-oxidized; black tea is fully oxidized; and green tea is un-oxidized.
Fresh tea leaves are high in catechins. Processing the tea reduces these levels, so the more the tea is oxidized the lower the catechin levels. This means that white tea has the highest levels of catechins closely followed by green tea.
Catechins are the media darling of green tea promoters and usually receive the most coverage when discussing the health benefits of tea. There is one point, however, which is often overlooked: As the levels of catechins decrease during oxidation, the levels of theaflavins and thearubigins increase.
These two substances are found in higher concentrations in oolong and black tea than in green tea and have anti-allergy, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. A 2001 Chinese study indicated that the antioxidant properties of green tea and black tea are equal.
So it appears that oxidation does not eliminate the health properties of tea, but simply reduces one type of antioxidant while increasing other health-promoting compounds.
So is Oolong Good for You?
It is safe to say that all tea is good for you, but since we are particularly interested in oolong, let's see what the medical literature has to say.
Diabetes - Oolong tea may be an effective adjunct to oral hypoglycemic agents in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Eczema - Japanese researchers reported that patients with a form of eczema improved after drinking a liter of oolong tea daily.
Allergies - Two catechin derivatives (C-1 and C-2) with potent antiallergic activity were isolated from Taiwanese oolong tea.
Bacterial infections - Oolong tea polyphenols strongly inhibited the enzyme activities of some types of streptococci.
Cavities - Oolong tea polyphenolic compounds could be useful for controlling dental caries.
Obesity - Consumption of oolong tea stimulates both EE and fat oxidation in normal weight men.
Cancer - Oolong tea extract has a chemopreventive action against hepatocarcinogenesis.
Great stuff! Drinking oolong tea will make you healthier, live longer, be more beautiful and have great teeth!
The Bottom Line
Drink oolong tea for your health, but don't lose sight of this simple fact - people have been drinking tea for thousands of years because it is a great tasting beverage. Sit back, relax, and savour the sensations as you sip this wonderful drink. It's good for the soul, and what's good for the soul is certainly good for the body.
__________________________________
References:
J. Agric. Food Chem., 47 (5), 1906 -1910, 1999. 10.1021/jf981114l S0021-8561(98)01114-5
Archives of Dermatology, January 2001
Diabetes Care 26:1714-1718, 2003
Appl Environ Microbiol. 1993 April; 59(4): 968-973.
131:2848-2852, November 2001 Nutr. The American Society for Nutritional Sciences J.
Caries Res. 1993;27(2):124-9.
Jpn J Cancer Res. 1996 Oct;87(10):1034-8.
Journal of Nutrition. 2001;131:2248-2251.
Copyright © 2006 by Ross MacIver
TeaFromTaiwan.com
This article may be redistributed freely on the Internet or in ezines as long as the resource box and hyperlinks remain intact.
Ross MacIver is the webmaster of
Tea From Taiwan
, a Taiwan-based merchant of high-quality oolong tea. Taiwan produces the best oolong tea in the world. All the tea carried by
Tea From Taiwan
is hand picked and hand processed. The tea is shipped worldwide by Taiwan air post.

Green Tea: Natures Miracle Heath Drink

2008-11-17T12:45:00.001-08:00

It is best to drink pure green tea without preservatives or other artificial flavors. The best variety is said to originate from tea farms in China, especially those protected from pesticides. "Camellia Sinensis" or Green Tea is rich in Catechins, which are antioxidants.
In Japan, it was discovered that drinking 10 or more cups of green tea daily delays the onset of cancer by some nine years among women and about three years in men. Green tea in particular can also help in battling cancer. Teas have been found to have powerful effects on levels of cholesterol in the blood stream and on your health in general.
Pure green tea is said to be 100 times more effective than vitamin C from other sources, and 25 times better than vitamin E from other sources. Green tea also has carotenoids, chlorophyll, polysaccharides natural vitamins C and E, manganese, potassium, and zinc, all essential to your health. Catechins destroy free radicals. These are delicious teas and contain large amounts of polyphenols and flavoniods (catechins which are also immune system boosters), and natural vitamins and minerals.

Pure green tea is the high-grade tea sold at Japanese Tea Online. Green tea also has carotenoids, chlorophyll, polysaccharides natural vitamins C and E, manganese, potassium, and zinc, all essential to your health. Catechins destroy free radicals. These are delicious teas and contain large amounts of polyphenols and flavoniods (catechins which are also immune system boosters), and natural vitamins and minerals.

Another source of good green tea is the high-grade tea sold at Japanese Tea Online.
You may find green tea mixed with other medicinal herbs in leading drug stores, but rarely can you find pure green tea sold alone. Green tea is usually sold in tea bags, but modern processing has made possible its liquefied form in bottles, and also its powdered form in sachet packages, without damaging its health and healing benefits.
Green tea and other natural food supplements carry micronutrients that feed your immune system and strengthen your body cells. When the immune system becomes stronger, tissue and cell repair is enhanced in a way that the body retains the ability to heal itself; thus, ailments and even serious diseases are healed. It is not the food supplement itself that heals, but the empowered immune system.
A Japanese monk, Eisai, wrote in 1211 AD that (green) tea is a miraculous medicine for the maintenance of health. "Tea has the extraordinary power to prolong life. Anywhere a person cultivates tea, long life will follow."
Eisai further wrote that tea in general was known as an elixir that created the "immortal" mountain dwellers.
It eliminates distress by refreshing your mind and body. It actually delays the aging process. In the 16th century, European explorers were said to have found that tea, especially green tea, was used to treat fever, headache, joint pains, and stomachaches and some other health ailments.Green tea, according to modern nutritionists and herbal medicine experts, can help prevent high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, heart ailments, skin diseases, and lung ailments.

Useful Information About Tea

2008-11-17T05:15:00.001-08:00

Tea is drunk in more countries than any other beverage. It is one of the most popular drinks today. Little wonder it is known as "the cup that cheers."
The only difference between them is the way they are made. The main types of tea available today are black, white, green, and oolong. China is a major producer of green tea. Other countries that produce tea are Kenya, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

India is one of the leading tea producers offering 720 million kilograms each year. The yearly worldwide production of dried tea leaves is over 2.6 billion kilograms.
Though mechanical pluckers are sometimes used, hand plucking is said to be a better option. Approximately 18 kilograms of tea leaves can be harvested a day to produce about 4.5 kilograms of manufactured tea. or a growth of new shoots with many leaves and a bud, which are picked by hand. Grown on hill slopes on tea estates, its botanical name is "Camellia sinensis." In about four to five years the tea tree produces a ?flush?

The tea tree is an evergreen plant with small, white, sweet-smelling flowers.
Tea is graded according to the size of the leaves, which has nothing to do with the quality of the tea. In order of size, they are orange pekoe, pekoe, and pekoe souchong. The smaller or broken leaves are used in tea bags. Each tea company has tea tasters who select only specific teas.
1773 was the year of the famous Boston Tea Party. By 1657, it was being sold in English coffee houses. In the 1600s, it was imported into Europe from China by the Dutch.

In Japan, tea drinking was elevated to a full-fledged ceremony by 600 A.D. It finds its mention in Chinese around 350 A.D. It was supposed to have been discovered by Emperor Shennong of China in about 2737 B.C. Tea has a colorful history.
Today tea is a popular beverage all over the world. The country importing the most tea is the UK, importing a total of about 180 million kilograms per year. It has been calculated that the British drink 3.2 kilograms of tea per person every year. Australians and New Zealanders are also great tea drinkers and each person would, on an average, be drinking about 1.4 kilograms of tea annually. Special varieties of tea are also gaining ground; the market is expanding and offering a greater choice to the consumer. It really is the cup that warms a lot of hearts all over the globe!
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