Tea Facts and Quotations

• "I stir wild honey into my carefully prepared cedar tea and wait for meaning to arise - to greet and comfort me." - Paula Gunn Allen, 1983.
• "Muscat" refers to the aroma/flavor of Darjeelings, often associated with grapes or black currants.
• Giving your tea a stir while it is brewing will improve the antioxidant levels in your cup!

Tea and Health News

Study shows another mechanism by which tea catechins may prevent heart disease: Researchers in Japan looked at green tea catechins, specifically ECG and EGCG, and their effect on rats' blood-fat levels (triglycerides) after a meal. A rise in the level of fat in the blood is normal after a meal and is partially due to an enzyme in the pancreas that helps to break down fats (pancreatic lipase). Green tea catechins appear to dose-dependently interfere with this enzyme, thus slowing the rate at which fat gets broken down and absorbed by the blood. The authors conclude that because highly elevated blood fat levels after eating "is a risk factor for coronary heart disease, our results suggest that catechins . . . may prevent this disease." (So make sure your pet rat drinks some green tea!!) J. Nutr., February 1, 2005; 135(2): 155-9.

Tea and Health News provided by: TheTeaTable.com

Return to current newsletter.   ~   View archived news.