Tea, camellia sinensis, has been in use for thousands of years in Asia, and from the beginning it has always been associated with healing and good health. A popular Chinese myth attributes the discovery of tea to Shen Nong, the legendary Emperor of China, inventor of agriculture and Chinese medicine, around the year 2737 BC. It is said that the wind blew a few leaves from a nearby tree into his water and when it began to change color the curious monarch tasted it and was pleasantly surprised by its flavor and restorative properties. A variation of the story tells that many people were getting sick and even dying from eating poisonous plants, so the emperor decided to taste all of the plants in the remote mountains so that he could advise his people about which plants to eat. He put the edible and healing plants in his left bag and the poisonous ones in his right bag. One day he came across a toxic herb that made him dizzy with a dry throat and made his tongue numb. He sat down with his back against a big tree full of lush green leaves. He plucked two of the leaves and chewed on them. Surprisingly, he became aware of their delicate fragrance and the leaves cured him of his ailment and he quickly recovered from his discomfort. Thereafter, Shen Nong kept these special leaves in his left bag, and every time he encountered a poisonous herb he would immediately take the tea leaves.

China is considered to have the earliest recorded use of tea in its history dating back to the first millennium BC. In the Han Dynasty (220-206 BC) tea was used as medicine and to improve mental functions. The use of tea became widespread among Buddhist monks due to its ability to keep them awake and improve their focus and concentration during meditation. During the Sui Dynasty (589-618 AD) tea was introduced to Japan by Buddhist monks where it became an integral part of their religious traditions and customs. In fact, both the beverage and the ceremony surrounding it played and prominent role in Japanese feudal diplomacy. Tea was considered to be a marvelous elixir of health with the capacity to prolong life.

Today tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world next to water! And it is still considered to be the single best thing you can add to your diet to ward off serious illness. The ancients believed it because of how it made them feel and today modern science reveals why. Green and white tea have been proven to reduce the incidence of both cancer and heart disease. They protect against osteoporosis. They strengthen the immune system. And recent studies suggest that they also have a significant anti-aging effect.

So what is it about tea that makes it so healthy? Doctors and nutritionists have been telling us for years to eat foods that are rich in antioxidants. Well, tea is loaded with them! As a matter of fact, Matcha, a Japanese powdered green tea, has more antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable on the planet! (More about Matcha later.) What exactly do these antioxidants do? The polyphenols and flavenoids found in tea (most significantly in green and white tea, but also in black) prevent free radicals from damaging DNA. In essence, they nip cancer initiation in the bud by regulating abnormal cell growth. Studies have shown that certain tea polyphenols may even destroy cancer cells without damaging the surrounding healthy cells. Many life-style and nutritionally linked cancers including prostate, stomach, pancreas, breast, lung and colon cancer can actually be prevented by tea consumption. One Japanese study compared the effects of drinking 3 versus 10 cups of green tea daily. Those that drank 10 cups had a 50% reduction in cancer incidence and there was also a significant delay in the development of those cancers that did occur. In July 1996 The American Journal of Epidemiology published a study of more than 35,000 postmenopausal women showing that those who drank at least two cups of black tea a day were 40% less likely to develop urinary tract cancer and 68% less likely to develop digestive tract cancer than those women who did not drink tea. Another study published in the Japanese Journal of Cancer Research combined cancer medication with tea polyphenols, specifically, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a catechin and potent antioxidant found in green and white tea. The resulting treatment was found to be 20 times more effective than the cancer drugs alone. (Important Note: Although this result has been found to be true with many cancer drugs, in 2009 Dr. Axel Schonthal of the University of Southern California conducted a study in the treatment of multiple myeloma and mantel cell lymphoma with the drug Velcade (Bortezomib) in which EGCG and the Velcade molecule actually created a chemical bond between each other, meaning that the Velcade could no longer bond with its intended target inside the tumor cells. As a result of these findings, Dr. Schonthal advises patients undergoing treatment with Velcade to avoid green tea and green tea extract. Dr. Schonthal is also studying other well-established chemotherapeutic drugs with which the inclusion of EGCG appears to yield an ‘encouragingly beneficial’ outcome along the lines of those in the above-mentioned Japanese study.) Recent studies have also shown that EGCG is 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times more effective than vitamin E at protecting cells and DNA from damage believed to be linked to cancer, heart disease and other serious illnesses. It also has twice the antioxidant benefit of resveratrol found in red wine. And the studies go on and on. (If EGCG is taken on an empty stomach the plasma concentration of free EGCG could be increased 5-fold!)

In 2006 our own Mayo Clinic initiated studies on tea at the bequest of several of their cancer patients.   These patients, having heard of the benefits of green tea, started taking green tea extract and drinking green tea on their own. In EVERY case there was a marked improvement in their condition. EGCG was found to annihilate CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia.) It also reduced the levels of the protein Mcl-1, which is a protein that is essential to the survival of human myeloma cells. Up to now most studies have been geared towards green tea as a preventative measure but now, according to Discovery’s Edge, The Mayo Clinic’s online research magazine, doctors at the clinic are now studying green tea as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of cancer. Of course, the Mayo Clinic cautions that more clinical trials are needed to determine the optimal dosing, schedules, toxicities and clinical benefits of green tea.

And what about tea’s affect on cardiovascular disease, anti-aging and osteoporosis? It is commonly known that cigarette smoking is very prevalent in China and Japan and yet in both countries heart disease is rare. Of course, diet plays a significant role in this and tea is a very important part of that diet. Tea polyphenols prevent LDL cholesterol oxidation. Japanese studies have found that there was a 30% reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease among those people who drank 10 cups of green tea daily. Another study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that women aged 55 and older who drank one to two cups of black tea daily were less likely to have severe atherosclerosis. The more they drank the less their risk.

We all know that obesity in the United States has reached epidemic proportions. So why do the Japanese people remain so thin? Once again, tea is one integral reason. The Japanese drink green tea with every meal. Tea polyphenols inhibit the activity of amylase, a startch-digesting enzyme found in the saliva and in the intestines. As such, starch is broken down more slowly and the rise in serum glucose is minimized, so you don’t crave sweets and other snack foods after eating a meal. You may already know that insulin is our most fattening and, with cortisol, pro-aging hormone. EGCG has been shown to suppress the increase of glucose and insulin concentration in the blood. It also lowers appetite, body weight and blood sugar. Since blood sugar tends to increase with age, you can see that this is an extremely important anti-aging benefit of tea.

According to the United Nations’ estimates from 2005-2010, Japan has the highest average life expectancy in the world at 82.6 years (79 for men/86.1 for women. China is second with an average of 82.2 years (79.4/85.1.) The United States ranks 37th out of 194 countries with an average of 78.3 years (75.6/80.8)—not bad, but I’d prefer the Japanese odds. That is, unless I’m all shriveled up and bent over with osteoporosis! Tea to the rescue again! In addition to increasing one’s lifespan tea also helps you stand up straighter and look younger—so to speak! According to a study conducted by the Cambridge School of Medicine drinking caffeinated tea may protect against osteoporosis. Women between the ages of 65-75 who drank one cup of tea daily in this study had significantly higher bone density in the spine and thighs than those who did not. In recent years it has been discovered that white tea actually has three times as many antioxidants as green or black tea and it has a calming and detoxifying effect on the skin. Several of the top cosmetic companies have started using white tea in their skin creams because it is 100% more effective than their previous ingredients at mopping up the free radicals that cause skin to sag.

That’s all great. So I drink my ten cups of tea a day (more on that later,) I have a much better chance of living to a ripe old age without cancer or heart disease. I’m slim. I stand tall and look younger. What’s it worth if I’m miserable because all of my non-tea drinking friends secretly hate me for my youthful, healthy appearance? Well, I’m not saying that won’t happen, but an important amino acid in tea, L-Theanine, is a natural antidepressant and stress reliever. This particular amino acid is found exclusively in the tea plant. Connoisseurs describe the taste of theonine as “umami”, or savory, fresh and lively. It is what gives tea the characteristic sweet taste that counters the astringency in tea. Theanine is also a flavor enhancer. It has a similar affect on the taste buds as monoisodium glutamate (MSG.) Theanine is a derivative of glutamine. As such, it has a small molecular size which allows it to cross the blood-brain barrier. It boosts alpha wave activity in the brain, promotes a relaxed state of concentration and reduces stress. It does this by increasing the brain’s production of serotonin, dopamine and GABA, neurotransmitters that are associated with relaxation, sleep and the feeling of well-being. It improves alertness and focus without making you jittery. Not only that but it will give you a six hour boost of sustainable energy. (The Buddhist monks knew this about tea centuries ago, though they probably did not know that L-theanine was responsible.) An added bonus is that L-Theanine also enhances the immune system and lowers blood pressure. And for those of you who are sensitive to caffeine, L-Theanine actually counteracts the harmful side effect of caffeine. Within 20 to 30 minutes of drinking a cup of tea it will calm you down. Although pound for pound tea leaves have more caffeine than coffee, once they are brewed there is 50% less. The caffeine in tea is trapped, so to speak, in the polyphenols and is released progressively. It takes approximately ten hours for the caffeine in tea to be released into the body.

Up to now we have been focusing primarily on green tea, with a few mentions of black tea. Well, black tea drinkers, all is not lost! In September 1998 at the Second International Scientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health in Washington, DC, Dr. John Weisburger presented his report on tea’s role in preventing cancer. He indicated that in the previous five years he had done a comparative study of common supermarket green and black teas. He said, “black tea is just as effective in cancer prevention as is green tea. They are identical because they come from the same tea leaf.” (That is true, they are both camellia sinensis, however, recent studies, have shown that EGCG, the cancer fighting catechin in tea, is temperature sensitive. That would present a problem for those of us tea snobs who insist on using boiling water when brewing black tea.) Although green and black teas are from the same leaf, the processing is completely different. Green tea is not allowed to oxidize, whereas black tea is fully oxidized. Due to its processing black tea requires boiling water in order for the full flavor of the tea to be released in the water, whereas green tea is best when brewed between 160 and 180 degrees, which just happens to be the optimal temperature when it comes to EGCG effectiveness.

That brings us to the subject of Matcha, which was mentioned earlier as having the most antioxidants of any fruit or vegetable on the planet. How can that be true if it is the exact same leaf as all the other green and black teas? Again, it’s all in the processing. Matcha is the powdered Japanese green tea that has been used for centuries in the Japanese tea ceremony. It is made using the finest shade grown tea, Gyokuro. Shading the leaves increases their chlorophyll content. After hand harvesting the leaves are briefly steamed to halt the enzyme activity and to trap nutrients in the leaf. It is then dried and lightly roasted to remove any trace of moisture. The final stage of production involves grinding on slow turning granite wheels to produce a fine powder which has much the same consistency as cornstarch. The careful processing of the leaves ensures that the nutrient content is as high as it can possibly be. Because Matcha drinkers consume the entire leaf—not just a simple infusion—they have the benefit of a higher concentration of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibers than other teas—in fact 10 times more than any other green tea. There is no other fruit or vegetable in the world that provides more antioxidants than Matcha! According to the 2004 Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry the top antioxidant superfoods (ORAC units per gram) are wolfberries   with 303g;   gojiberries with 253g; dark chocolate with 227g; pomegranate with 105g; acai berries with 60g; wheatgrass with 49g; and—get this!—Matcha with 1384g.

So, you might ask, ten cups of tea daily? You’ve got to be kidding! Well, no, I’m not. One cup of Matcha is equal to 10 cups of tea. (Incidentally, in speaking of tea, one “cup” equals 6 ounces, not 8, although the difference between drinking 60 versus 80 ounces of tea a day may be splitting hairs.) Matcha can be an acquired taste for some Americans, so if you are not a fan, you might try Genmai Cha with Matcha. Genmai Cha is a Japanese blend of Sencha with toasted rice that frequently has Matcha in it. But if that’s not your cup of tea, green tea extract is readily available at many health food stores and online as a dietary supplement.

As for me, I think I probably do drink about ten cups of tea a day, if not more! As a matter of fact, I think it might just be time for another cup right now!

Frankee Muller is a Certified Tea Master, the only one in the state of Montana. Her business The Home Page Cafe will be making a reappearance in Bozeman very soon. For now you can enjoy her teas at www.athirstfortea.com