Green Tea Basics

Green tea is becoming very popular today, although many people do not know anything about green tea it is considered to be something healthy and good, something that will improve the quality of life of the one drinking it, and it is very true.
There are many home remedies that are associated with green tea, it is known that many people use green tea as a relief for nausea, for treating skin and teeth and many other conditions. For centuries people have been using tea as a special drink, sometimes as a ceremonial drink and sometimes used for medicinal propose, the benefits of green tea are not something that has been discovered lately but has been used and learned for many years.
The advantages of green tea are mostly famous for their ability to help people on a diet, the green tea diet has had great popularity in the west, and many people know about green tea because of the marketing effort made to sell the green tea diet products, but it is much more than a diet product or any kind of medicine that is used to assist in one or another pain or condition, green tea is a gift that can be used in many ways and in fact it is still researched and examined to see if there is more it can do.
For many in the west green tea is a blessing, the few last years has seen a sharp rise in the quantity of caffeine intake in most of the western world countries, as people drink more and more caffeine their bodies are becoming more dependent on it, and they are also responding to the huge amounts of caffeine in unnatural ways, many of us know the feeling of having too much coffee, and this is exactly why the green tea is so successful in the west, to relief westerners from the ever growing need of coffee.
There is no harm in drinking green tea and you may occasionally find a person who is treating himself by a green tea diet that lasts a few weeks, it has been found that green tea contains antioxidants that help the body regenerate energy and regain its power, it is true that this does not happen overnight, but when you start drinking green tea on a regular basis you will feel healthier almost immediately, especially if you are using green tea to avoid other, less healthier beverages or even behaviors.
Green tea is something westerners are not completely used to yet, and many have not even tasted green tea in their life, but the healthy quality that the tea has together with its ever growing reputation of being good for diet and for relaxation make sure that many will discover it soon, and these people may even be surprised at this alternative to the coffee and other caffeine loaded drinks. Green tea is not the greatest drink in the world, but it can do only good, and a cup or two a day will only result in better life and wider smiles.
Celia Namart an avid traveler has collected her thoughts and ideas during her many travels around the world, back from a recent trip to Asia Celia writes about
Green Tea
and natural health remedies.

Cold Sore Remedy - Mint Tea

A
cold sore remedy
proven very effective, as well as pleasant to use, is mint tea. Many times I've seen a cold sore completely healed in as little as 7 days using the mint tea cold sore remedy described in this article.
It's a cold sore remedy that has worked well for many others. It's a cold sore remedy to you for information purposes only. It's a cold sore remedy to you for information purposes only. It's a cold sore remedy I write about, I'm offering this cold sore remedy to you for information purposes only.

It's a cold sore remedy I write about, I'm offering this cold sore remedy to you for information purposes only. It's a cold sore remedy to you for information purposes only. It's a cold sore remedy to you for information purposes only. It's a cold sore remedy to you for information purposes only.

It's a cold sore remedy to you for information purposes only. It's a cold sore remedy to you for information purposes only. As with any cold sore remedy I write about, I'm offering this cold sore remedy to you for information purposes only.
In no way is this cold sore remedy presented as medical advice. Nothing takes the place of a one-on-one relationship with a health professional.
Keep in mind also - the best cold sore remedy is one that's applied topically. A cold sore is primarily an external problem and is easily treated this way. You may hear of a variety of vitamins or prescription medications that are useful as an internal cold sore remedy. These do sometimes help. But, the simple and direct approach will always give you the very best results.
This is true with a cold sore or any other problem in life.
Mint is a very powerful
cold sore remedy
Mint also has a very soothing effect, which has made it a favorite with many folks who've written me. because it has strong anti-viral properties.
But first, let's look at the "universal" cold sore remedy - ice.
Ice has been used as a cold sore remedy for centuries. Today ice is readily available anywhere at any time. Even a cold can of soda works as a cold sore remedy, when held to the sore.
The replication process of the herpes virus creates the cold sore. Ice, when applied to an emerging cold sore, discourages the herpes virus from replicating. The herpes virus hates cold. Applying ice or any cold object will stall the herpes virus from creating that hideous sore. And sometimes even send the herpes virus back into hibernation.
As a cold sore remedy, combining the ice method with mint is many times more effective.
Mint is very easy to find. The form we use is mint tea bags. These are available anywhere you find herbal teas. If the mint is combined with other herbs, that will work fine also. Just make sure the mint is primary. Mint can also be easily grown in a window pot if you want to try it fresh. I'll talk about a special cold sore remedy using fresh mint in just a moment.
This is how we turn mint tea into a very effective cold sore remedy.
Then freeze the wet tea bags. of water), we make a strong batch of mint tea. of bottled water and 5 tea bags (about one tea bag per 4 oz.

Taking 20 oz.
Using the frozen tea bags in place of ice, we hold the tea bag on the cold sore area for about 10 minutes at a time. About 3 times per hour works well.
With this frozen mint
cold sore remedy
, you get the comforting and healing effects of ice. Plus, as the bag melts, you are applying a very strong anti-viral medication. This will kill thousands of herpes viruses.
Additionally, you can supercharge this cold sore remedy by sipping the tea. Also, apply the mint tea liquid to the sore with a cotton ball or paper towel. Now you have an internal as well as an external cold sore remedy.
This is also a perfect cold sore remedy for those rare people who get a cold sore inside the mouth. It works well for canker sores too. As a cold sore remedy, or for canker sores, you can use the tea as mouthwash. Swish it around for a minute or so, then swallow it for the internal benefits.
A variation of this cold sore remedy, we've used successfully, is to freeze the tea liquid. This works best for us using an ice cube tray that makes smaller ice cubes. This is a little messier as the cube melts. If you use fresh grown or bulk mint, then you won't have the tea bags to freeze. In that case, this may be one way to use your mint as a cold sore remedy.
One final note on using mint as a cold sore remedy.
Using this
cold sore remedy
, you may not want to, or can't, sit and hold the ice or frozen tea bags to your lip. If you're on the go, here's a very convenient and powerful way to use mint as a cold sore remedy.
You can quickly make an excellent cold sore remedy by crushing fresh mint leaves into a paste. If you don't wish to grow your own, mint is often available fresh or dried at your local health food store. With dried mint, add some water to reconstitute it and it will make a fine paste too. As you make the paste, mix in a little baking soda. This raises the pH level, which the herpes virus also hates.
Now you have a cold sore remedy you can use when traveling or at work. And, if made with fresh mint, the mint will be even stronger than in the dried tea form because you aren't heating it.
I hope you, as so many others have, find this to be an excellent, cheap and powerful
cold sore remedy
.
Learn more about cold sores, and cold sore remedies, by going to his wildly popular cold sore site. Denny Bodoh is a 33-year newspaper veteran, and an alternative health and nutrition research writer.
http://www.be-cold-sore-free.com/

Old Tea Traditions

Tea has been consumed in China for centuries, but other cultures are rich in history of this popular beverage as well. Two of those countries, Russia and England have developed decidedly different traditions over the years.
It is said that drinking tea began in China where over 5000 years ago, leaves from the plant accidentally fell into water being boiled for drinking. Needless to say, it was found to be very refreshing and it's use became widespread. Tea was introduced to Europe through the Portuguese in the early 1500's and it didn't take long for this beverage to become popular in many countries and traditions for English tea parties and Russian tea were formed.
This drink became so popular in both countries the each developed certain traditions as well as pots, vessels and cups to drink it from. Although the introduction of tea is centuries old, the popularity of it and the traditions associated with it remain in these cultures to this day.
In the early 1600's, tea made it's way to Russia. Of course, it was only the wealthy that could afford tea at first but by the end of the 1700's the price was dropping and it's popularity was spreading throughout the country.
In Russia, tea is never taken with meals. Traditionally it is taken after the meal or as a mid afternoon snack. For centuries, Russians have used a device called a Samovar to make tea. The samovar is usually put in the center of the table after dinner and everyone gathers round and takes tea which they can dilute or sweeten as they like. Russians traditionally sip tea in glasses set in silver holders and favor their tea as strong and highly sweetened - some recipes even call for tang or lemonade added to tea!
In the late 1700's to well known tradition of afternoon tea was started by the Duchess of Bedford. Tea was introducted to England in the mid 1600's and it's popularity spread so quickly that it was soon as popular a drink as ale!
Prior to that, the English enjoyed only 2 meals - a breakfast and a dinner. The dinner was served at the end of the day and by mid afternoon you can imagine how hungry and energy depleted many felt. So, the tradition of afternoon tea was begun where tea would be served along with little cakes and sandwiches. Of course, this proved to be immensely popular and still is today!
These pieces are still made and used today, and the antiques are highly collectible. Of course the tradition included fancy porcelain tea cups to drink from as well. In addition, small porcelain tea pots were used to pour at the table and they were refreshed with the hot water from the silver pot when needed.

The main pot that heated the water was usually made of silver (still a very popular item today) and this was kept over a flame so that it would be hot at all times. One of the great benefits of the afternoon tea was that it necessitated fancy pieces to for service and drinking.
Lee Dobbins is a writer for
Online Gourmet Foods
where you can
find out more about gourmet foods and
tea
.