Tea was first brought to the western world several centuries ago from countries such as China, India and Japan. In these countries tea has long been revered as a beverage with many medicinal qualities, even the English have long considered their favourite beverage to have a number of medicinal properties. In the middle of the 17th century there was a major debate in Europe concerning the health benefits of tea, but despite the debate, tea consumption continued to soar and spread around the world. While no one has ever been able to prove that tea is bad for you, there are significant indications that it does offer a number of health benefits.

Tea Is Full of Antioxidants

There has however, been a wealth of research concerning the high level of polyphenols or antioxidants that are found in tea. The human body uses these antioxidants to protect its cells from damage that is caused by free radicals. These can cause major damage to the cells and lead to a number of illnesses such as cancer, Parkinson’s Disease and more The regular consumption of tea is credited for preventing a number of major illnesses and diseases including oesophageal and stomach cancer. Those who drink significant amounts of tea have been seen to have fewer issues with high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol levels.

Tea Contains Amino Acids

There are a number of amino acids that can only be found in tea and when combined with the minerals, vitamins and a compound known as methylxanthines has been proven to improve your health and boost your immune system. Methylxanthines are known to stimulate the cardiac system and relax the smooth muscles, they are typically found in the caffeine most teas have and are actually used to treat those with COPD to provide them with short term relief.

Research

While there has to date been no conclusive research to prove that the consumption of tea and the antioxidants that it contains have any real effect on cancerous cells, there is a school of thought that is leaning towards the possibility that tea may actually be able to stop cancerous cells from forming in the first place. Recent research may indicated that by decaffeinating tea we are also removing the antioxidants along with the caffeine and that this will significantly affect the health benefits associated with drinking tea.

Consumption

There are no clear cut rules as to how much tea you need to drink on a daily basis in order to reap the health benefits of this truly amazing beverage. However, two to four cups a day on a daily basis seems to be considered by most to be the magic number. The good news is that tea has about half the amount of caffeine as coffee and is calorie free unless you add sugar, honey, cream or anything else to it. Many associate the incredibly long life of the Chinese with the fact that they consume so much tea. Given this, go put the kettle on and have another cup of tea.