Taking tea: drink up! - organics: all things purely organic

To some, tea is more than just a beverage, it's a vaccine. Even as far back as the sixth century, tea was considered a remedy tot headaches, kidney trouble, poor digestion and ulcers. In the past decade, tea sales in the United States have doubled as Americans seeking healthier lifestyles have turned to tea for its benefits.

Healthy Habit

Studies have found that tea is rich in antioxidants that neutralize flee radicals-harmful inns that can damage cells in the body and lead to cancer, heart disease and stroke.

A recent study at Harvard found that one cup of black tea a day cuts the risk of heart attack by 44 percent. At tire Third International Scientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health, researchers concluded that 30-32 oz. of tea daily (about 4 or 5 cups) could decrease the risk of DNA damage caused by smoking. In February 2003, Yoshikazu Takanatal, a researcher at Tokyo Medical University in Japan, found that an alter-dinner cup of tea helps to counteract some of the harmful effects of a fatty meal by promoting healthful blood flow, thereby reducing stress on the arteries.

Tea is also rich in vitamins and nutrients. According to a 2002 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the fluoride in tea might help protect women against osteoporosis. A study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that black and green teas are more effective antioxidants than garlic, broccoli, carrots and even Brussels sprouts.

Though tea contains caffeine, one cup of black tea the most heavily caffeinated variety--contains only about half the caffeine of a cup of coffee. So tea doesn't produce the jitters that coffee does. As Sebastian Beckwith of the tea-importing company In Pursuit of Tea says, "Tea makes you happy; coffee makes you nervous."

Tea Types

Two factors determine tea type: how the plant is processed (whether it is dried, steamed, etc.) and where it is grown. Here are a few of the most popular types.

* Black Tea

There are more than 3,000 different varieties of black tea, or red tea, as it's known in China. (Not to be confused with rooibos, a red botanical from South Africa, also known as red tea.)

Black teas contain complex antioxidants. In a study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture, researchers found that drinking black tea along with a diet low in fat, cholesterol and saturated fatty acids--reduced cholesterol. Two reviews published in 1996 by the American Journal of Epidemiology and the International Journal of Oncology noted the protective effect of black tea in digestive, lung, liver and breast cancers.

* Green Tea

Green tea is known for its smooth taste and delicate flavor. Sencha, Gyokuru, and Matcha Uji are the most popular varieties. Green tea has high levels of antioxidants but less caffeine than black tea. It's also high in vitamins and minerals, including ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Five cups of green tea a day provides 5-10 percent of the daily requirement of magnesium, riboflavin, niacin and folic acid, and 25 percent of potassium.

* Oolong Tea

Oolong tea is grown in China and has a complex flavor and aroma. It call be any shade of green to black and is noted for having many of the same cancer-fighting properties as both green and black teas.

* White Tea

White tea has a subtle, sweet flavor. This Chinese tea is very rare and expensive. Because it goes through the least amount of processing, white tea contains higher levels of antioxidants than most other teas, and it may have the strongest potential for fighting cancer, especially colon cancer.

* Rooibos Tea

Rooibos (pronounced roy-boss) tea comes from the Aspalathus linearis plant. Though not traditionally thought of as tea, this red herb from South Africa is high in vitamins and minerals. Women in Africa drink rooibos during pregnancy because it contains no caffeine, settles the stomach and is rich in iron.

Ardent lea drinkers, however, say that tea>s benefits go beyond health. Steve Smith, founder of Tazo, notes that although tea is healthful, it's also communal. "Tea is very social," Smith says. "In many cultures, it brings people together in a way that other beverages don't."

Some even say that "taking tea" is a way of life. According to Barbara Graves, Republic of Tea's minister of commerce, "There's great therapeulic benefit to taking time out for a pot of lea." Republic of Tea advocates a sip-by-sip approach. Beckwith agrees. "People should learn to enjoy tea for how it tastes, not just for the antioxidants." As Aleksandr Pushkin once said, "Ecstasy is a glass full of tea."

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