TEA--WORLD'S MOST POPULAR HEALER
For colds, congestion, asthma, diarrhea, tooth decay, etc.

TEA TIME GOES WAY BACK;
Tea has been used in Chinese medicine for at least 3000 years
to treat headache, diarrhea, dysentery, colds, cough,
asthma and other respiratory problems.

By the 8th century, it was a favorite in India and Indonesia.
The Dutch East India Company first brought it
to Holland in 1610, and by 1640, black tea had
become popular with the English upper class.
They drank it as an afternoon
stimulant around 4pm, which is still known as tea time.

The Chinese called black tea pekho, and the British adopted
the term as pekoe.
They considered the beverage so divine, they named it tea
from the Greek thea, meaning Goddess.

Demand for tea spurred England's colonization of India,
Ceylon and Hong Kong.
By the late 18th century, tea was an integral part
of English culture, and around the world, the English simply
would not tolerate any threat to their tea supply.
In 1773, the British Parliament levied a tax on tea imported
into her North American colonies.
Outraged by this price hike, the residents of Massachusetts rioted.
They stormed tea ships in Boston harbor and dumped
enormous quantities of the herb overboard.
The Boston Tea Party helped trigger the American Revolution.
In Europe and North America, tea has always been used
primarily as a stimulant beverage.
Herbalists also adopted all of its Chinese medical uses.
Folk healers still recommend tea for headache, diarrhea, colds,
coughs and respiratory problems.

Ironically, few contemporary herbals even mention
the world's most popular healing herb.
In fact, most people don't even consider tea an herb.
They typically ask, "Would you like coffee, tea or herbal tea?"
Of course, coffee and tea are herbs,
so all these beverages are herbal teas.

HEALING WITH TEA
Tea contains three stimulant chemicals--caffeine,
theobromine, and theophylline-- that help account for some
of its uses in herbal healing.

Colds, Congestion, Asthma:
All the stimulants in tea are broncholdilators that ease breathing
by opening the bronchial passages, thus supporting its traditional
use in respiratory problems.
Physicians often prescribe pharmaceutical preparations
of theophylline to treat asthma.

Diarrhea:
Tea contains astringent tannins, which help account
for its binding action in diarrhea.

Tooth Decay:
Tea is also a good source of fluoride, which helps prevent tooth decay.
Both green and black teas contain more fluoride than fluoridated water, according to a report published in the University of California,
Berkeley, Wellness Letter.
The tannins in the tea also may help fight the bacteria
that cause tooth decay.

Radiation:
Among the tannins in tea are substances called catechins,
that may help prevent tissue damage from radiation.
One study shows tea helps keep radioactive
strontium 90 out of bone marrow.
This means it may help prevent cancer in people
who have been exposed to nuclear fallout.
And some experiments show tea helps
prevent leukemia in animals exposed to radiation.

Px for Tea:
For a pleasantly bitter infusion that may prevent tooth decay,
help ease breathing, or help treat diarrhea,
use 1 to 2 teaspoons of the dried herb per cup of boiling water.
(we are talking about loose tea here, not the  packaged stuff).
Steep 10 to 15 minutes.
Drink up to 3 cups a day.

Weak tea preparations may be given cautiously to children under age 2.
For older children and people over 65,
start with low strength preparations and increase strength if necessary.

Note: My grandmum always gave us tea in our bottles
when we were babies and were sick.
As we got older we got to use the 'big' cup.
She always made it very weak, and very milky for babies
....and the older ones got to have honey in it!
*demares*

The Saftey Factor:
A cup of tea contains about half as much caffeine
as a cup of brewed coffee.
Caffeine is a classically addictive drug that causes nervousness,
restlessness, insomnia, and many other potentially problematic effects.

Many studies show tannins have both pro and  anti-cancer effects.
Tannins role in human cancers, if any, remains unclear,
however, population studies show unusually high rates
of throat cancer among some peoples who drink large amounts of tea.
On the other hand, the tea loving British show no increased
risk of throat cancer.
Authorities generally agree that the British custom of adding
milk to tea exerts a protective effect.
The milk neutralizes the tannins.
So you might want to do as the Brits do - take your tea with milk!


SOURCE(S)
"Lilye"
This was taken from 'The Healing Herbs' by Michael Castleman

What a long, strange trip it's been...
Jerry Garcia {1942-95}
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