Tea (Chay)
Also known as
Latin : Camellia
thea
English : Tea
Plant
Sanskrit :
Syamaparni, caha
Hindi : Chay
Marathi : Chaha
Marathi : Teyilai
Telugu : Teyaku
Malayalam : Teyila
Kannada : Teyaku
How it looks : - It is an evergreen shrub or tree, about 9-15m in height with leathery, oily
leaves and white fragrant flowers. The fruits are 3 cornered and 3 seeded.
What we use : - Leaves
What it does :- It is digestive, carminative, diuretic
and a nervine tonic
How we use it :- How to prepare a healthy tea infusion-Contrary to general prevalence, tea leaves should never be boiled in water. Put some tea leaves in a kettle and pour hot water into it. After a few minutes, filter this water and add milk and sugar according to preference before drinking.
Origin of Tea :-
In one popular Chinese legend, Emperor Shennong was drinking a bowl of just boiled water because of a decree that his subjects must boil water before drinking it. Sometime around 2737 BC, a few leaves were blown from a nearby tree into his water, changing the color and taste. The emperor took a sip of the brew and was pleasantly surprised by its flavor and restorative properties. A variant of the legend tells that the emperor tested the medical properties of various herbs on himself, some of them poisonous, and found tea to work as an antidote .Shennong is also mentioned in Lu Yu's famous early work on the subject, The Classic of Tea. A similar Chinese legend states that the god of agriculture would chew the leaves, stems, and roots of various plants to discover medicinal herbs. If he consumed a poisonous plant, he would chew tea leaves to counteract the poison.
A rather gruesome legend dates back to the Tang dynasty. In the legend, Bodhidharma, the founder of Chan Buddhism, accidentally fell asleep after meditating in front of a wall for nine years. He woke up in such disgust at his weakness that he cut off his eyelids. They fell to the ground and took root, growing into tea bushes. Another version of the story has Gautama Buddha in place of Bodhidharma.
Mythology from China
One day, the Buddha was trying to focus his thoughts to meditate when sleep kept overwhelming him. After repeated efforts in vain, the Buddha, stood up decisively, cut off both lids from his eyes and flung them on the ground. Lo! A sapling sprung up from the very place. Intrigued, he plucked a tew leaves from the young plant and ate them. To his surprise, he felt invigorated immediately and could easily concentrate on his objective. This young sapling came to be known, later, as tea, which is why the Chinese hold tea to be a divine drink and even allot a special room in the house for tea drinking [Source: Camphor ]
How we use it : - In fatigue and listlessness-Possibly
the most popular use of tea is to banish sleep and infuse freshness in the mind and
activity of the drinker. The method of preparation is given in the box.
In heart diseases – Drinking an infusion of tea leaves every day is highly bendicial to the heart and has recently been medically proved to be a cardiac tonic.
In cold and throat irritation - Drinking ginger tea is quite prevalent in
India at the first sign of cold or sore throat. Add a few crushed pieces of fresh
anger to water boiling for tea, and then make the tea.
In dysentery accompanied
by pain - The decoction of tea with a tsp of free works wonderfully to Heal inflammation
of intestines in case of blood and mucous in stool.
In tonsillitis-A gargle of tannin-rich
tea is effective in healing score throat and tonsillitis.
This treatment is especially followed in hilly regions,
In fevers-Caffeine in tea acts
as a diuretic and brings down temperature.
In eye inflammation-A brew of tea leaves, can be used as an eye wash,
after filtration, and brings down irritation and swelling quickly.
In eczema—Wash the lesions
twice a day with a solution of tea and rock salt. This can be followed by
applying a paste of fenugreek seeds and Rakta chandan (red variety of sandal
wood)
To dye hair-Tea extract serves as
a good hair dye and rinsing hair with concentrated tea decoction, at least
twice a week, ensures that grey hair turns brown or black
Tea is rich source of
-
1. Beta-carotene, an anti-oxidant.
2. Vitamin B, Vitamin B, and Vitamin B,
3. Nicotinic acid and pantothemic acid.
4. Vitamin C, an anti-oxidant.
5. Folic acid
6. Maganese and
7. Potassium