Health benefits of tea

Studies claim that the polyphenol content of green tea has antioxidant properties that can help prevent cancer, however research is ongoing.

There is also a suggestion that it can increase endurance in exercise by improving fat metabolism.

One should consult a doctor before using high concentrations of tea for disease prevention.

Ingestion of large amounts of tea may cause nutritional and other problems because of the strong binding activities of tea polyphenols and the caffeine content, although no solid data exist concerning harmful effects of tea consumption.  The possible beneficial health effects of tea consumption have been suggested and supported by some studies, but others have not found beneficial effects.

Tea

Tea is a product made by processing the leaves or buds of the tea bush Camellia sinensis. Tea is produced from leaves and leaf buds of Camellia sinensis, the tea plant.

All tea varieties, such as green, oolong, and black tea, are harvested from this species.

Herbal tea

An herbal tea, tisane, or ptisan is an herbal infusion not made from the leaves of the tea bush. Tisanes can be made with fresh or dried flowers, leaves, seeds or roots, generally by pouring boiling water over the plant parts and letting them steep for a few minutes.

There are many varieties of herbal tea.

White tea

White tea is tea made from new growth buds and young leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis. The leaves are steamed or fried to inactivate oxidation, and then dried.

White tea therefore retains the high concentrations of catechins which are present in fresh tea leaves.

The buds may also be shielded from sunlight during growth to reduce formation of chlorophyll. Green tea is made from more mature tea leaves than white tea, and may be withered prior to steaming or firing.

Although green tea is also rich in catechins, it may have different catechin profiles than white tea.

For white tea, the little buds that form on the plant are covered with silver hairs that give the young leaves a white appearance.

The leaves come from a number of varieties of tea cultivars, the most popular are Da Bai (Large White), Xiao Bai (Small White), Narcissus and Chaicha bushes.

White tea is steamed and dried almost immediately after harvesting (sometimes before even leaving the fields).

This method of minimal processing may account for white tea's higher than normal medical benefits.

Green tea

Green tea is a "true" tea (i.e.Camellia sinensis) that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing.

The first of the less processed teas were white teas.

Lavender oil

Lavender oil is an essential oil obtained by distillation from the flower spikes of certain species of lavender. Two forms are distinguished, Lavender Flower Oil, a colorless oil, insoluble in water, having a density of 0.885 (g/mL); and Lavender Spike Oil, a distillate from the herb Lavandula latifolia, having density 0.905.

Lavender Flower Oil is a designation of the National Formulary and the British Pharmacopoeia.

It is not a pure compound; it is a complex mixture of natural products.

Lavender oil should never be taken internally.

Lavender oil, which has long been used in the production of perfume, can also be used in aromatherapy.

Lavender oil has recently been implicated in gynecomastia, the abnormal development of breasts in young boys.

Source:www.sciencedaily.com