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Tea and Blood Pressure study

Australian scientists have released a study that suggests that 3 cups of black tea per day can reduce blood pressure. This is more good news for tea! The study suggests that "those who drank black tea three times a day enjoyed a slight drop in blood pressure when compared to others who had another beverage." (cited from Ozarks First dot com) This conclusion would also suggest then, that black tea is good for the heart! And of course, it is great news for those on the borderline of high blood pressure. A slight change in lifestyle by drinking tea could improve health radically.

Steeped Tea offers lots of delicious ways to enjoy black tea! What are your favourite black teas? Do you drink tea for enjoyment or for health?

Give Your Face a Pick-Me-Up!

We've shared many times about the value of green tea with its antioxidants - great for you inside and out!

You've maybe also heard that dark chocolate contains antioxidants. Why not combine the two for a wonderful spa-like experience, at home. Especially when the seasons are changing, our skin can often use a boost.

Healthy Glow Chocolate Tea Mask
Start with our Green Clay Mask, add 1 tbsp of dark cocoa powder, and mix with water as usual, to make a paste.

Alternately, if you do not have the Green Clay Mask, start with 1 tbsp matcha tea and add 1 tbsp dark cocoa powder, and 1 tbsp honey.

Leave the mask on for up to 20 minutes and then rinse off and pat dry.

Depending on your skin conditions, you can add yogurt, oatmeal, or essential oils to your mix before applying.

 

 

Under the Weather?

This winter seems to have carried a lot of viruses and everyone you talk to seems to have felt a little unwell at least once this season.

When your tummy if feeling not quite right, consider tea.

Peppermint tea is lovely for tummy ailments as it calms the stomach muscles.

Ginger tea (or try ginger rooibos) will soothe if you are experiencing nausea.

Chamomile tea is gentle on the tummy, too.

A touch of cinnamon is nice, too.

I have found our new Hot Yoga Tea with its spices, is quite soothing.

 

Health Benefits of Oolong

I am not sure what came first: the huge surge in sales and popularity of green tea, or the scientific studies of green tea and health. With oolong taking far less of the tea market, there are far fewer studies on its impact on health, but studies are out there and it's easy to believe there will be more as the scientific field will want to confirm the truth of some of the claims of Oolong, or Wu-Yi tea. Wu-Yi you may know is the infamous diet tea touted by Oprah and others. What have the studies proven so far?

Oolong Tea Health Benefits #1: Antioxidants

Free radicals are linked to many signs of aging, including wrinkles, dark spots and certain diseases, even cancers. They are everywhere - in the air we breathe, the food we eat and even the sunlight. Tea contains antioxidants that mop up the free radicals before they can hurt us.

A 2003 study conducted by Kenichi Yanagimoto compares green tea, oolong tea and black tea for their antioxidant activities.He found green tea to be the most potent antioxidant, followed by oolong tea, then black tea.

Green tea blocked oxidation by almost 100% over 40 days.

Oolong tea blocked oxidation by 50% over 15 days.

Black tea showed only slight antioxidant activities.

Oolong Tea Health Benefits #2: Promote weight loss

Oolong tea has a reputation for weight loss, and rightly so.

Scientific studies have found that it does so by increasing metabolism, burning fat and blocking dietary fat absorption.

There is a lot of hype about what it can do, with some vendors claiming that it can help lose 2 pounds of weight a week. Claims such as this have yet to be proven, but it is true that oolong will increase the metabolism and burn fat. Combine that with some exercise and you've got some serious potential to lose weight and tone your body.

 

Oolong Tea Health Benefits #3: Promote heart health

Oolong tea is good for the heart in several ways.

A 2007 American study using rats found that oolong reduces blood concentrations of triglycerides (the most common form of fat that exists in the body) by a whopping 80% compared to rats on normal diet.

Another 2001 Japanese study found that it reduces cholesterol after 1 month of regular drinking.

A 2004 Japanese study conducted by Osaka City University found that oolong tea increases plasma adiponectin levels. Low levels of plasma adiponectin are associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease (CAD). The study concluded that oolong tea may have beneficial effects on the progression of atherosclerosis in patients with CAD.

Oolong Tea Health Benefits #4: Treat skin disorders

Atopic dermatitis (AD) skin disease, or eczema, causes the skin to become red, flaky and itchy. Mild forms of eczema can be treated. But many people suffer from what is called the recalcitrant AD, which does not respond to conventional treatment.

Green tea has been known to be anti-allergic. Perhaps drinking oolong tea can help? A 2001 study conducted by Uehara from Shiga University found that drinking oolong tea is good for recalcitrant AD. 118 patients participated in the study. They maintained their dermatological treatment, but also drank 1 litre of oolong tea (made from 10 grams of leaves) a day. Beneficial effects were observed after 1 or 2 weeks. 63% of the patients showed marked to moderate improvements after 1 month.

Oolong Tea Health Benefits #5: Complement diabetes treatment

A 2003 Taiwanese study found that drinking oolong tea is helpful to diabetes patients. 20 patients who had type 2 diabetes and took the prescribed hyperglycemic medicaitons participated in the study. They drank either water or 1.5 litres of oolong tea daily for 30 days. The scientists found that those who drank oolong tea experienced reductions in plasma glucose and fructosamine concentrations by 30% and 20% respectively. Those who drank water experienced no changes. The scientists concluded that oolong tea complements oral agents in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Oolong Tea Health Benefits #6: Reduce high blood pressure

A 2004 study by Yang found that drinking green and oolong tea for at least a year reduces high blood pressure. Regular drinkers are 46% less likely to develop high blood pressure if they drink one-half to two-half cups a day. They are 65% less likely to develop high blood pressure if they drink more than 2 cups a day.

Oolong Tea Health Benefits #7: Inhibit bacteria that causes tooth decay

A 1993 study conducted by Nakahara found that oolong tea inhibits the enzyme activities of bacteria streptococci. The bacteria has been known to cause dental plaque to form on teeth, which can lead to dental caries. Nakahara examined green tea, oolong tea and black tea in his study. He concluded that oolong tea extract "exhibits the most prominent inhibitory action among various tea extracts".

Oolong Tea Health Benefits #8: Expectorant

Recent studies suggest that the volatile aromatic vapors from Oolong help dislodge toxic residues from the bronchia and air sacs of the lungs. They can then be expectorated (coughed up and spat out). This effect may help to explain why Chinese men, among the heavier smokers on the planet, tend to have fewer cases of lung cancer.

Tea and Health in your Senior Years

Preventing Alzheimer's in our old age - now that's some good news! Even better? Tea helps! Read all about it, in this article from the Chicago Sun Times!

Exercise, tea, vitamin D could stave off dementia

Alzheimer's Association calls findings 'encouraging'

Get lots of physical activity. Drink plenty of tea. And make sure you get enough vitamin D.

Three studies presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Honolulu link all of those things to a lower risk of brain decline with age.

"These types of studies make people think, 'Well, gosh, maybe I can do something about this disease,' " said William Thies, chief medical and scientific officer of the Chicago-based Alzheimer's Association, who called the results "encouraging."

• One study tracked more than 1,200 elderly people over 20 years; 242 developed dementia. Those who got moderate to heavy levels of physical activity had about a 40 percent lower risk of developing any type of dementia. Those reporting the least activity were 45 percent more likely to develop dementia than more-active people.

• A 14-year study that followed more than 4,800 men and women 65 and older found that tea drinkers had less mental decline than non-tea drinkers. Those who drank tea one to four times a week had average yearly rates of decline 37 percent lower than people who didn’t drink tea.

• In a third study, researchers who examined data from 3,325 Americans 65 and older found the odds of cognitive impairment were about 42 percent higher in those deficient in vitamin D, and 394 percent higher in people severely deficient.

Gannett News Service

 

Tea and Your Dental Health

We've mentioned a few times about the health benefits to dental health. Here's yet another article, this one from Medical News Today, to substantiate it!

Greater Concentrations Of Fluoride In Tea Than Once Thought

Black tea, a Southern staple and the world's most consumed beverage, may contain higher concentrations of fluoride than previously thought, which could pose problems for the heaviest tea drinkers, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.

"The additional fluoride from drinking two to four cups of tea a day won't harm anyone; it's the very heavy tea drinkers who could get in trouble," said Dr. Gary Whitford, Regents Professor of oral biology in the School of Dentistry. He presented his findings at the 2010 International Association of Dental Research Conference in Barcelona, Spain.

Most published reports show 1 to 5 milligrams of fluoride per liter of black tea, but a new study shows that number could be as high as 9 milligrams.

Fluoride is known to help prevent dental cavities, but long-term ingestion of excessive amounts could cause bone problems. The average person ingests a very safe amount, 2 to 3 milligrams, daily through fluoridated drinking water, toothpaste and food. It would take ingesting about 20 milligrams a day over 10 or more years before posing a significant risk to bone health.

Whitford discovered that the fluoride concentration in black tea had long been underestimated when he began analyzing data from four patients with advanced skeletal fluorosis, a disease caused by excessive fluoride consumption and characterized by joint and bone pain and damage. While it is extremely rare in the United States, the common link between these four patients was their tea consumption - each person drank 1 to 2 gallons of tea daily for the past 10 to 30 years.

"When we tested the patients' tea brands using a traditional method, we found the fluoride concentrations to be very low, so we wondered if that method was detecting all of the fluoride," Whitford said, noting that the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, creates a quandary when measuring fluoride. Unique among other plants, it accumulates huge concentrations of fluoride and aluminum in its leaves - each mineral ranges from 600 to more than 1,000 milligrams per kilogram of leaves. When the leaves are brewed for tea, some of the minerals leach into the beverage.

Most published studies about black tea traditionally have used a method of measuring fluoride that doesn't account for the amount that combines with aluminum to form insoluble aluminum fluoride, which is not detected by the fluoride electrode. Whitford compared that method with a diffusion method, which breaks the aluminum-fluoride bond so that all fluoride in the tea samples can be extracted and measured.

He tested seven brands of store-bought black tea, steeping each for five minutes in deionized water, which contains no fluoride. The amount of fluoride in each sample was 1.4 to 3.3 times higher using the diffusion method than the traditional method.

The new information shouldn't deter tea drinkers, as the beverage is safe and some teas even have health benefits, Whitford said. "The bottom line is to enjoy your favorite tea, but like everything else, drink it in moderation."

Including Whitford's presentation, School of Dentistry faculty and students are making 24 oral and poster presentations at the International Association for Dental Research conference July 14-17.

Source:
Paual Hinely
Medical College of Georgia

Sunless Suntan with Tea

Came across this article recently via Tea Guy...

With all the concerns of sun exposure or overexposure, fake tans are increasing popularity. If you want to save money on tanning beds and lotions (do they still turn your skin orange, rather than tanned looking?), here's a home remedy. We at Steeped Tea haven't tried it, but with it being tea-related, we thought it would be fun to share the recipe, and if you still have some old tea bags laying around that you don't use anymore, because you drink loose leaf now, here's a way to use them up:

Self Tanner Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 tea bags of black tea
• 1/4 cup lanolin
• 1/4 cup sesame oil

Directions:

1. Pour ¾ cup of boiling, pure water over 3 teabags and steep for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Remove the teabags and put ¼ cup of the tea.
3. Put ¼ cup lanolin and ¼ cup sesame oil into a blender. Blend these ingredients together at slow speed, adding the rest of the tea slowly. Apply this sparingly to your skin.  Those with oily skin should avoid using this on face.

The Visible Effects of White Tea on Your Skin

I read this article on T Ching the other day and thought it was a good one, so I am sharing it here. The author is Gold Kelly.

Eighty percent of our skin’s weight is from collagen, the protein that keeps our skin in shape from the inside out.  Beauty products have targeted this large population of proteins for a reason - its degeneration is behind the feared wrinkles and softening of the skin’s natural elasticity.  But instead of applying facial creams or getting injections, why not drink a cup of white tea?  For those of you who already drink white tea, you are on the cutting edge of anti-aging practices!  White teas, like many other teas, contain antioxidants and damaging enzyme inhibitors that benefit the body in numerous ways.  White tea stands out among products with extrinsic anti-aging properties in that it has large amounts of anti-collagenase and anti-elastase enzymes.

Anti-collagenase and anti-elastase enzymes battle against the body’s own enzymes, collegenase and elastase, which break down the components (collagen and elastin) that help retain the structure and flexibility of the skin.  White tea contains high levels of these enzymes, more so than most teas.  Kingston University in London performed tests on 21 plants that are believed to possess anti-aging mechanisms and found that white tea was able to inhibit 89 percent of elastase activity and 87 percent of collagenase activity; in short, with white tea, the majority of harmful enzymes are prevented from attacking the skin’s cells.

White tea not only offers protection against harmful enzymes, but against other substances that could damage skin cells.  The antioxidants in white tea slow the oxidation process caused by chemicals, UV rays, and the body itself, protecting the skin’s cells from deterioration.

If you haven't tried white tea yet, why not taste some at your next Steeped Tea party, or browse our catalogue and order some. Mild, smooth, sweet and delicate!

Soothing Your Skin with Tea

One of our consultants shares this article and recipe for cleansing grains - thanks Amy!

Amy’s Easy Green Tea Cleansing Grains

Did you know our beautiful skin plays an active role in our health and is just as busy as its fellow organs - the heart and liver?

Our amazing skin is the largest organ we have and consists of over three million cells responsible for regulating temperature, manufacturing vitamin D, protecting our body from external invasion and eliminating metabolic waste. The skin is responsible for excreting approximately one quarter of the body’s waste products and any skin dysfunction will put the toxic burden onto the kidneys, lungs and bowels.

Because the natural process of skin renewal slows down as we age, we need help to remove the top layer of our skin that consists mainly of flat dead dry cells. Gently using cleansing grains daily will stimulate rapid cell regeneration in the dermal area, increasing circulation to the facial surface and providing nourishment for your face. The more rapidly the dead surface cells are replaced by the newer ones beneath, the softer and smoother the skin looks, and the more efficiently it can perform its important detoxifying duties. If you use cleansing grains you do not need to use soap, which can clog the skin's deep pores.

There are many simple recipes for cleansing grains in circulation. My Green Tea Cleansing Grains recipe has been inspired by Rosemary Gladstar's "Miracle Grains". The recipe is very basic, is gentle enough for daily use, and can be used for all skin types. The Matcha that is used in the Steeped Tea Green Tea and French Clay Facial Mask is an excellent way to help your skin fight the constant battle it fights against the pollution and free radicals it deals with on a daily basis. Matcha is loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and Chlorophyll, an important detoxifying agent and will help your skin and body immensely! To really boost the antioxidant qualities, add a drop of tea tree oil once a week to wet grains for a facial mask.

When making this recipe try to purchase organic products where possible - only the finest ingredients should be used on your face. These cleansing grains, a perfect soap replacement, are mild, nourishing, suitable for all skin types, and can be used daily.

Recipe

· ½ Cup finely ground Oats

· 1 Container Steeped Tea Green Tea and French Clay Facial Mask

· 1/8 Cup finely ground Almonds

· 2 tbs finely ground Lavender

· 2 tbs finely ground Roses

· 1 tbs Black Poppy Seed

 To make:

· (1) Grind all ingredients to the desired consistency. You may wish to grind the oats very fine. The almonds are nice with just a touch of "grit" left in them. Generally try to powder the roses and lavender as much as possible; they will always have a bit of coarseness or graininess left. This coarseness is desirable as it serves as the cleansing "grains". The clay and tea is already finely powdered. I have found that electric coffee grinders work best for grinding small amounts of herbs, flowers, and spices. However, a word of wisdom, do not use the grinder you use for coffee. Your herbs will all smell like coffee, and your coffee will forever smell and taste like roses and lavender. Blenders work well, also.

·
(2) Mix all ingredients together. You may wish to add a few drops of essential oil(s) to enhance the scent and the effect of the grains. The oils must be PURE essential oils such as lavender, peppermint or orange. Do not use synthetic oils; they could possibly burn or irritate the skin. I usually add essential oil at the time of my using them, tea tree oil is great as an antibacterial agent.

·
(3) Your cleansing grains are now ready to use. Store in a pretty glass container. A shell makes a nice scoop and mixing receptacle as well. You can also store in spice jars with shaker tops. To use, mix about one to two teaspoons of the cleansing grains with water. Stir into a paste and gently massage face. Rinse off with warm water.

·  

· USES:  Mix a tablespoon of grains with enough warm water to make a slurry, apply to face in small circular motion, rinse face with warm water. Pat dry and use a nice toner like a combination of rosewater, glycerine and witchhazel to tone skin.

·  

· To make moist miracle grains for a facial mask: add enough honey and a small amount of pure distilled rose water (or plain distilled water) to the dried powdered mixture to make a nice paste. The honey serves as a natural preservative for the grains as well as adding its wonderful moisturizing quality. I usually mix only enough moist grains for a week or two to prevent spoilage from occurring. I store the remainder of the grains in dry powder form and mix as needed.

Tea and Hair Care

As you stroll through the aisles of your grocery store or drug mart, you will notice more and more products containing tea. At times, it is a tea fragrance, but more often, especially if the store has a health food department, the tea ingredient is a pure one. Here are a few we spotted recently:

This first is a bottle of detangler, targeted for kids and it contains white tea. With all the research on the effects of green tea and health, white tea tags along, getting even higher praise because it is even higher in antioxidants. Green tea, and by association white tea, has a gentle cleansing property that makes it ideal for hair care products. To find out more about the connection between green tea and shampoo, click here.

This line of hair care products features red tea, or rooibos tea. Until recently, rooibos has not been as diligently studied as green tea. However recent studies are discovering great things about rooibos - it contains a different and unique antioxidant to that of green (which makes sense, since it does not come from the camellia sinensis plant). Rooibos has a calming effect on skin inflammations, eczema and allergic reactions. There has also been a study in France that indicates that rooibos has an ability to help develop thicker hair and researchers are looking at its potential as a possible remedy for those men and women who experience thinning hair. If you'd like to review the test results click here.

Look for tea in your skin care products, or try adding a little to the bottle in the bathroom now. Tea is not just for drinking!