Tea House History

A tea nutrient is an interesting subject. We all have heard of the health benefits of tea. But what substances do tea leaves contain?

After being processed, most of the natural compounds are still reserved in tea leaves. The amount of these helpful tea nutrients depend on the extent which the leaves are processed. The more processed are the leaves, the less natural chemicals retained in the tea. Tea is the second most consumed drink in the world. So what are the nutrients in tea to gain this drink such popularity? We will try to answer these intriguing questions.

There are 3 main components that make up the nutrients of tea:
Polyphenols
Vitamins - minerals - amino acids
Caffeine

1st of tea nutrients: polyphenols...

First, let's talk about Polyphenols- for they play very important roles in the medicinal benefits of tea. Polyphenols are chemical molecules that exist naturally in plants. These molecules are responsible for the antioxidant properties of the tea.

The amount of polyphenols decreases as the oxidation time increases. For this reason, tea that is least processed like green tea and white tea contains more polyphenols than oolong tea and black tea. Extract green tea contains even more of these antioxidants since it didn't go through any processing.
Polyphenols make up about 1/3 of all of the chemical components of the tea leaves. There are 4 types of polyphenols (sometimes they are called the Catechin group)

Epicatechin (EC)
Epigallocatechin (EGC)
Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG)
Epicatechin (ECG)

Each of the tea leaves contains different amount of each of the antioxidants above. But, often, the EGCG exists in highest amount while EC exists in smallest amount. Since tea leaves contain so much EGCG, these specific antioxidants mostly contribute to the health benefits of tea.

Recent studies have shown that EGCG molecules have the abilities to kill viruses, reduce the risk of plaque formation in the arteries, slow the spreading of cancer, and regulate the amount of sugar in the blood- which is very helpful for people who are suffering from diabetes.

EGCG also have positive effects on the respiratory tract. Scientists are testing the hypothesis that drinking green tea can help people to quit smoking.
Another important antioxidant that is important in tea nutrients is Flavonoid. It is a natural chemical in plants. Flavonoid is also abundant in red wine and vegetable (but still less than in tea).

This antioxidant promotes the effects of vitamin C, thus strengthening the immune system. It helps reducing the level of LDL (also known as "bad" cholesterol).
It is known to increase the level of HDL (also known as "good" cholesterol). This antioxidant also reduces the risk of developing heart diseases.
Studies have shown that flavonoids play a role in slowing the spreading of breast, intestine, and stomach cancer.

Vitamins, Minerals, and Amino acids - important parts of tea nutrients

Second most important component of the tea leaves are the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. The levels of vitamins, minerals, and amino acid are different for different types of tea plants. They also depend on the soil and the conditions which the tea plants are grown. Like polyphenols, vitamins and minerals also decrease as more oxidation takes place.

Major vitamins in tea nutrients include:
a. Vitamin A
b. Vitamin B
c. Vitamin C (abundant in green tea)
d. Vitamin D
e. Vitamin E
d. Vitamin K As for green tea, the amount of vitamin C is much higher than that in oolong and black tea. Green tea is kept from being oxidized, thus it can retain much of its original vitamin C.

Tea nutrients - minerals and amino acids...

Tea leaves also contains a wide varieties of minerals such as Sodium, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Strontium, Iron, Manganese, Chromium... The body only needs a small amount of each of the mentioned minerals to function properly.

One of the important minerals that many enzymes in the body need is Manganese. This mineral makes up a part of the structure of the enzymes. In our body, the enzymes are very important in forming connective tissues and breaking fat, sugar, and protein for the body.

Besides the above helpful minerals, tea, especially green tea, is a rich source of fluoride . Fluoride is very important to enhance the strength of bone and teeth. Fluoride is effective in prevent dental cavities and plaque formation. The daily requirement of adult is about 1 mg /per day. 16 ounces or 1/2 L of green tea provides your body more than enough fluoride each day.

Tea nutrients also include many helpful amino acids. Amino acids are the building block of life. Every cell in our body is either made up of amino acids or needs amino acids to live and function. Several common amino acids that are found in tea include: tyrosine, threonine, glutamic acids, tryptophan, isoleucine, histidine, lysine, proline... One amino acid that exists only in plants leaves like tea leaves is Theanine.. It occupies 1/2 of all of the amino acids in tea leaves. This amino acid is responsible for the pungent taste of tea. Recent research is pointing out that theanine may play an important part in producing polyphenols.

Caffeine - tea nutrients?

As you probably have some ideas of what caffeine will do, but here are some more information that you might or might not know. Caffeine doesn't hold so much nutritional value. They are there to stimulate and energize you. Coffee, sodas, and tea all contain certain amount of caffeine. Recent surveys state that more than 80% of Americans consume certain amount of caffeine each day.

Caffeine in coffee and sodas is absorbed into the blood stream immediately, causing sudden feelings of alertness. But these feelings quickly went away, forcing people to constantly provide the body with more coffee. Unlike caffeine in coffee and sodas, caffeine in tea leaves are chemically bound to other molecules called tannic acids molecules. Thus, the caffeine molecules are released into the blood stream at a lower rate. This leads to prolonged feelings of relaxation and refreshing.

What did caffeine molecules do to create such feelings?

The general answer is like this. Once consumed into the body, the caffeine molecules travel in the blood stream to the brain. These molecules are able to cross the brain barrier and affect the blood blow to the brain--creating stimulating yet relaxing sensation.