The Tip of the Iceburg by Daniel James Ahern

For thousands of years, tea has been considered a healthy, even medicinal drink in China. And why not? China has a long history of herbal medicines. There is a widely-used herbal medicine called kugan that cures the common cold. The treatment for cancer is an herbal remedy which the patient must drink five times a day for a few years, a much more comfortable process than that used in the west. But, it was only recently that western methods have been used to study the science of Chinese medicine.

Since then, we've seen that Chinese medicines not only work, but work without the unpleasant side effects of manufactured medicines. But, until funding for such research increases, we'll have to continue using those manufactured medicines as prescribed by our doctors. FDA approval costs are high, and the drug industry, which does much of that funding, makes it's money from the manufacture of *patented* drugs, not from growing widely available herbs.

We have been blessed though, mostly by the British Medical Association, with research on that most common Chinese medicine - tea.

Not distinguishing here between different types of tea leaves, which all come from the same plant but are processed differently, we can explore the many health benefits of tea, most of which are closely related to its antioxidant content, and include benefits to metabolism, strong bones and teeth, hydration and prevention of aging diseases.

One not so well known fact about tea is its flouride content. One cup of tea will provide you with 70% of your minimum recommended daily flouride intake. Fluoride is, of course, needed to support bone mineralization and protect against tooth decay. Drinking two cups of tea a day will therefore have preventative effects against osteoporosis and cavities. It is a much better source of caffeine than coffee, therefore, since coffee has the opposite effect on bones.

Tea also has less caffeine than coffee, less than half of fresh-brewed coffee. It's not safe to consume more than 300mg of caffeine in a day. Your average cup of fresh-brewed coffee has 115mg of caffeine, while tea has a mere 50mg. Because of its caffeine content, tea is a central nervous system stimulant, aiding in your focus and attention; a bronchodialator, helping you to breath more easily; and a diuretic, helping you to clean your system out.

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BIO:

The author is an American living in China, working to pay off school debts before he continues his education in Chinese medicine. In the meantime, he is starting a site ilikegoodtea.com to begin marketing Chinese medicine to the west.

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