16 Ways to Use Tea and Tea Bags

There are other ways to use tea and tea bags besides making the usual cup of tea, and this article will list 16 of them. Chinese legend has it that tea leaves accidentally fell into boiling water that Emperor Shennong was preparing, and that this is considered to be the first cup of brewed tea, which happen in 2737 B.C.

So we all know tea has been around for thousands of years, yet some thought tea originated in England. However, England wasn't introduced to tea until 1600, when the East India Company was formed by British merchants, and during that same time, it was also introduced to the American Colonies.

Tenderizer For Meat
The tannin in tea makes a wonderful meat tenderizer. Just put equal parts beef stock and strong tea that has been brewed into the pot with your roast.

Germinate Grass Seeds
For each pound of grass seed you have, mix 2 tablespoons of strong, cold tea that has been brewed in with them. Put the seeds in the refrigerator and leave them for 5 days. After 5 days, take them out, spread them on newspaper so they can dry, then they are ready to be planted.

Foot Deodorizer
Since tannin is also a drying agent, if you follow this procedure, you will dry out your feet and stop odor from returning. For 10 minutes, boil 4 tea bags and 1 quart of water. Add cool water to lower the temperature. Soak your feet in this solution twice a day, for 30 minutes. When the odor is gone, continue the procedure twice a week to control the odor.

Spray Stuffy Rooms
Make your own room deodorizer by mixing 1 quart of brewed tea to 4 tablespoons of lemon juice. Pour into spray bottle and spray room.

Get Rid Of Diarrhea
Eating toast and drinking lots of tea will help relieve your diarrhea. The tannin eases the diarrhea, while the liquid prevents dehydration.

Sooth Sunburn
Use your wet tea bags to pat the area that is sunburned.

Relieve Eyes
Putting wet tea bags over your tired eyes for 15 minutes will sooth and relieve. Try either warm or cool tea bags, whichever feels better.

Highlight Your Hair
If you have brown or red hair, try rinsing with brewed tea to put golden highlights in your hair.

Polish Lacquer
Clean any of your black lacquer furniture with strong brewed tea, then wipe them clean with a cloth.

Dye Fabric
If you have white items that are basically gray, change the color by soaking them in very strong tea until they are the color you want, then rinse in cold water.

Relieve A Burn
Put a wet tea bag onto the burn area and keep in place with a gauze bandage.

Liven Up You Plants
Once a week water your house plants and ferns with very weak tea that is room temperature.

Your Broken Fingernail
If you want to save a broken fingernail, just cut out a piece of the tea bag paper so that it fits the nail. Cover it with clear fingernail polish, then cover with your regular polish.

Relieve Sore Throat
Make a mixture of lemon juice, honey and tea.

Clean Woodwork
Use cold tea to clean any kind of varnished woodwork.

Use On Bleeding Gums
Make sure the tea bag is cool and moist. Place it against the spot where the tooth was removed. This should stop the bleeding.

Tea grown on the slopes of the Himalayan mountains are considered to be the best because tea grows very slowly when it's cooler, the slow growing process is what gives tea a better flavor, so any height between 3,000 feet and 7,000 feet is considered to produce the best teas.

This is why 1/3 of the tea in the world comes from India, then China then Sri Lanka, and according to US Department of Agriculture, the average American drinks about 7.8 gallons of tea a year.