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Herbs have been used since the dawn of time as medicines and, in fact, many common drugs are ,in actual fact, made from herbal extracts. The natural chemical properties of certain herbs have been shown to contain of themselves, medicinal value. However, unlike conventional medicine, herbalists use the 'whole' herb or plant rather than isolating and breaking down chemical compounds and then synthesising it. This is because the plant, being a part of Nature, is said to represent perfect balance; healing requires the natural combination of elements in the plant or herb, not just a single chemical within it.rn

Tea accessories are an essential element in preparing the perfect cup of a steaming, flavorful blend. Before making a decision to buy your tea accessories, learn a little about the beverage we all love so much.

There are hundreds of different green teas with different flavors. For example, Sencha tea has a very vegetal taste, while Jasmine quite flowery, Gunpowder smoky, and Lung-Ching and Mao Feng more subtle aromas. So you may need to “experiment” a bit to see which one(s) you prefer. In general, green tea should be brewed at a lower temperature and for a shorter time than black tea to avoid a bitter taste. Most green teas do contain caffeine. Decaffeinated varieties are available, but may not be as effective, although, adequate testing has not been done. Need to know more about tea? Find the answer here.

These days, there are a whole host of different types of teas available, so sitting down for a quick cuppa needn’t mean purely having traditional black China tea. As well as speciality teas, organic versions, green tea and teas from different countries, there’s a wide variety of herbal offerings. Herbs have been used for centuries as remedies for various ailments and drinking infusions is a great way of gaining the benefits.

Green Tea has been receiving much attention lately. As a result, we now have many medical reports and studies by accredited institutions concluding that Green Tea does contain many healthful and healing properties. Drinking Green Tea has been shown to provide the human body with numerous health enhancing components. Green Tea contains a very high value of Catechin Polyphenols that have antioxidant properties that are known to fight against cancer. In addition, Green Tea provides Polysaccharides, Flavonoids, Vitamin B complex, Vitamin C (there's more vitamin "C" in one cup of green tea than in an orange), Vitamin E, R-Amino Butyric Acid and Fluoride in it's natural state.

Since the early 1990s, research on the medicinal properties of the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree oil) has been conducted by a group of scientists within the School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences at The University of Western Australia. The primary aim of the group is to investigate and characterise the medicinal properties of tea tree oil, in particular the antimicrobial properties. So far the group has shown that tea tree oil has broad-spectrum in vitro antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral activity. Laboratory studies are ongoing and some clinical work has also begun. These studies are critical if tea tree oil is to be accepted as a topical antimicrobial agent.

Archeological evidence suggests that people consumed tea leaves steeped in boiling water as many as 500,000 years ago. Botanical evidence indicates that India and China were among the first countries to cultivate tea. Today, hundreds of millions of people drink tea around the world, and studies are now suggesting that green tea (Camellia sinesis) in particular has many health benefits.

China is the origin of tea. It was in the South-West part of China that Chinese tea was first found. South-Western China falls in the tropical and sub-tropical climate zone. It is covered by large areas of primeval forests. The warm and moist environment is the perfect cradle for tea trees. Huge, 2,700 years old wild tea trees and 800 years old planted tea trees can still be found there. Find more tea here.

It's a little known fact, but after its introduction to Europe in the 17th century tea was tremendously popular in France. It first arrived in Paris in 1636 (22 years before it appeared in England!) and quickly became popular among the aristocracy. . . Tea was so popular in Paris that Madame de Sévigné, who chronicled the doings of the Sun King and his cronies in a famous series of gossipy letters to her daughter, often found herself mentioning tea. Find more about tea here.

Green tea contains between 30 and 40 percent of water-extractable polyphenols, which previous studies have already linked to weight loss benefits, protection from Alzheimer's disease, and a decreased risk of certain cancers. Find more tea studies here.