Tea Leaves

Camellia Sinensis

The leaves are a significant
source of caffeine. In addition to the leaves that can be made into tea, this plant is also known
for it’s fragrant blooms, which come late in the season. Tea plants like an area with some shade
for the highest quality leaves, but they can be grow in full sun. The highest quality green tea is
usually grown under shade cloth. A stressed plant is likely to have more bitter tannins. Tea
plants are fairly tolerant overall and can withstand light frosts. But for a better quality leaf, you
should ideally provide a shaded area with some morning sun, regular water and an acidic,
nutrient-rich soil. Tea plants can also be grow in pots indoors and outdoors similar to coffee
plants. The earliest written reference to the tea plant is contained in a document from
221 B.C.E., according to which the Chinese emperor Tschingschi-huang-ti had introduced a tax
on tea (Temming 1985, 9). Legend has it that Bodhidharma, a disciple of the Buddha, brought
tea from India to China together with the Buddhist teachings (ca. 519 C.E.). There, it was
enthusiastically received and passed on to Southeast and East Asia. The first handbook on tea42
was written by the Chinese Lu-Yu (740–804). In 801, the Buddhist monk Saichô brought the tea
plant to Japan (Okakura 1979, 34). The Zen monk Esai wrote the first Japanese book on tea
(and its healing properties) during the early thirteenth century (Iguchi 1991). The European
Engelbert Kämpfer provided the first botanical description of the tea plant after visiting Japan in
1712. Tea arrived in Europe in 1610, when Dutch merchants brought it from Japan to
Amsterdam (Gilbert 1981). The very first European description of the beverage, in Johan
Neuhof’s Reisebericht [Travel Report] (1655– 1657), praised its psychoactive effects: The
power and effect of this drink is / that it dispels immoderate sleep; but afterward those in
particular feel very good / who have overburdened their stomachs with food / and have loaded
the brain with strong beverages: for it dries and removes all other moisture / and dispels the
rising vapors or fog / which provoke sleep; it fortifies the memory / and sharpens the mind. (In
Temming 1985, 14) The tea plant is usually propagated from cuttings, although it can also be
grown from seed. The plant requires an average annual temperature of 20°C and a minimum of
1,300 mm of precipitation. The plant does not require any particular type of soil (for more on
cultivation, see Franke 1994, 85–94). The first harvest can be had three years after propagation,
but large harvests will not be produced until after six to seven years. The plant is harvested
throughout the year, sometimes at short intervals (ten to fourteen days). —The young leaves
(folia theae, thea folium); the best qualities are from young, small leaves from sorts that are
planted in favorable altitudes (Darjeeling). The processing method determines the type of tea.
Green tea consists of unfermented, dried leaves (thea viridis folium), black tea of fermented
leaves (thea nigrae folium), and oolong (also known as white or brown tea) of semi-fermented
leaves. Steps in processing include plucking, drying using hot steam or wilting, rolling of the
wilted leaves, fermenting, and firing or roasting. Tea is prepared by brewing the leaves in
boiling or hot water, resulting in a simple infusion. Steeping time varies by sort. Darjeeling tea
should not be steeped for longer than one minute, while heavily fermented black teas can be
steeped for up to three minutes and oolong teas up to ten. With green teas, the amount of time is
dependent upon the quality. The best sorts (e.g., Japanese gyokuro) require only thirty seconds,
and they can be reinfused several times. Black tea should always be prepared with water that
has reached a rolling boil, fine green teas should be brewed with hot water that is only between
60 and 70°C. Steeping tea for too long a time releases the bitter tannins. Dosages of tea vary
among individuals. Some people can tolerate up to thirty-five cups of tea per day, while others43
can handle little more than one cup at breakfast. One tea bag per cup yields approximately 60
mg of caffeine. The yield is lower with loose tea (only about 40 mg of caffeine is obtained from
the same weight). The renowned Tibetan butter tea, which is also made in Mongolia, is prepared
from brick tea (pressed black tea leaves bound together with ox blood). Shavings from the brick
are boiled in a mixture of milk and water (1:2) and flavored with rice, ginger (see Zingiber
officinale), orange peel, various spices, and salt. Finally, a piece of yak butter (not rancid butter,
as is often incorrectly stated) is added to the souplike tea. The entire mixture must then be
churned in a special tubular vessel until an emulsion results.Tea is sometimes combined with
other plants to alter its aroma. Moroccan tea, a mixture of green Chinese tea and the North
African nana mint (Mentha x nana), is quite typical. This tea is brewed strong and heavily
sweetened (in Morocco, it is drunk primarily during usage of kif; cf. Cannabis sativa). In
Yemen, tea is aromaticized with twigs of Catha edulis. In eastern Asia, oolong tea is often
mixed with the flowers of Chrysanthemum spp. A number of plants have been or are utilized as
stimulating tea substitutes; mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is an especially popular alternative. Ilex
cassine, Ilex guayusa, Ilex vomitoria, other Ilex species, coca (Erythroxylum coca),
and Ephedra spp. have also been used. The African rooibos tea consists of the leaves of the
leguminous Aspalathus linearis (Burm. f.) R. Dahlgr. ssp. linearis, which is devoid
of caffeine and other stimulating constituents (Rehm and Espig 1996, 257*). The legend of the
origin of tea explains both its stimulating effects and its ritual significance: A pious monk—
according to some versions, Bodhidharma, a disciple of the Buddha—was constantly falling
asleep while meditating in the cloister. Angered by the fact that he could not keep his eyes open,
he abruptly cut off his eyelids and cast them away. The first tea plant grew from the ground
where they had fallen, its leaves resembling the eyelids. Other monks witnessed this miracle,
collected some of the leaves, and poured water over them. They immediately noticed the
animating power of the new beverage, and from that time forward, they always drank tea before
meditating (Temming 1985, 9). Customs surrounding the use of tea, some of which exhibit
marked cultic or ceremonial qualities, have developed all across the world (Goetz 1989). In
China, tea was initially drunk by Taoists and Buddhists to aid them in their meditations and
sexual practices. This tradition evolved into the Chinese tea ceremony (Blofeld 1986), which
culminated in the Japanese tea cult: For us, the tea cult became more than simply an idealized
form of drinking; it is a religion of the art of living. Tea drinking gradually became a pretext for44
venerating purity and refinement, it became a sacred act through which host and guest came
together to create the greatest bliss. (Okakura 1979, 35) The tea path (cha-no-yu) is a true
entheogenic ritual in which a ceremonial master not only prepares the substance but also
determines the spiritual direction of the circle. At the beginning of the ritual, which is conducted
in a special house (teahouse) or a room furnished especially for the occasion, incense sticks
(joss sticks based on aloe wood, Aquilaria agallocha) or special mixtures of various fumigatory
substances (see incense) are burned. The tea is prepared in a ritual fashion: Powdered green tea
(macha) is added to hot water (approximately 60°C) and whipped with a tea whisk in a tea
vessel made of stone (chawan) until it froths. The dosage per person is “three and one-half
sips.” The guests must ritually wash themselves before the ceremony (ablutions) and be
prepared for philosophical discussion if the occasion should arise (Ehmcke 1991; Hammitzsch
1977; Iguchi 1991; Sadler 1992; Soshitsu Sen XV 1991; Staufelbiel 1981): Certainly, the tea
path is not the path for many, even though many follow the path. Only a few knowers attain its
ultimate goal—finding in the tea path a path to their true selves. They are liberated from their
concerns about the transitoriness of all that is earthly, they take part in the eternal, they find
their way back to nature, because they are in harmony with all living beings. (Hammitzsch
1977, 125) Similarly to the manner in which wine has shaped Occidental philosophy, Eastern
philosophy has been borne on the wings of the spirit of tea: Teaism is the art of shrouding
beauty in order to discover it, and to suggest something which one does not dare reveal. It is the
delicate secret of laughing softly and yet inscrutably about one’s self, and is thus the good mood
itself—the smile of philosophy. (Okakura 1979:19) Tea has long been prepared as an
aphrodisiac (cf. Stark 1984, 109*) and plays an important role in the Chinese and Japanese arts
of love (Soulié 1983) The Japanese name for a tea mortar is cha-usu. This word also refers to a
particular aspect of erotic play: The man lies on his back, and the woman squats over him and
places his “tea pestle” (kine) into her “tea mortar” (Heilmann 1991, 46). In many Taoist and
similarly erotic rituals, drinking tea is a required practice. Tea leaves are an ingredient in the
initiatory drink of the Afro-American Candomblé cult (see Madzoka medicine). Before tea
began its triumphant march through the world as an agent of pleasure, it was used primarily for
medicinal purposes. In traditional Chinese medicine, the “foam of liquid jade” is regarded as an
excellent panacea. It was first mentioned as a medicine in a Chinese herbal from the sixth
century and was recommended particularly for people who slept too much (Leung 1995,45
241f.*). In the Chinese literature, tea was attributed with the following properties: promotes the
circulation of blood into all parts of the body; aids clear thinking and mental wakefulness;
promotes the excretion of alcohol and other harmful substances (fats and nicotine) from the
bodily organs; strengthens the body’s resistance to a broad spectrum of diseases; accelerates the
metabolism and the absorption of oxygen by the organs; prevents loss of teeth; cleans and
invigorates the skin, which contributes to the maintenance of a youthful appearance; prevents or
slows down anemia; purifies the urine and promotes its excretion; resists the effects of the
summer heat; is good for the eyes and makes them more shiny; promotes digestion; soothes
discomfort in limbs and joints; prevents harmful mucous secretions; alleviates thirst; combats
tiredness or attacks of depression; enlivens the spirit and brings about a general feeling of well-
being; increases life expectancy. (Blofeld 1986, 209) In Japan, “newborn tea”—gyokuro,
literally “precious dew,” referring to the first harvest of the year—is generally attributed with
potent healing properties and is regarded as a rejuvenant. Many Japanese drink green tea
together with a shot of sake or whiskey (alcohol) when they have a cold. Strong infusions of tea
are suitable for external application in treating skin ailments (athlete’s foot, skin eruptions,
inflamed abrasions). Depending upon their source and fermentation process, tea leaves contain
0.9 to 5% caffeine (previously: theine or teine), which occurs freely or bound with glycosides;
0.05% theobromine; some theophylline (C 7 H 8 N 4 O 2 ); the purine derivatives xanthine,
methylxanthine, and adenine; 5 to 27% tanning agents (tannin, polyphenoles, gallic acid, and
catechin derivatives); and chlorophyll (only in fresh or unfermented leaves). Also present are
vitamins (A, B 2 , C, D, P, nicotinic acid), minerals (e.g., manganese), and carbohydrates
(dextrin, pectin), as well as traces of essential oils, which are responsible for the aroma (the
fresh leaves contain some four to five times as much essential oil as dried or fermented leaves;
Aleíjos 1977, 103). The greatest amounts of essential oil are found in the so-called flying tea
from Darjeeling (the first harvest of the year, which is exported by air freight; cf. Vollers 1981).
“One drinks tea to forget the noise of the world.” Because of the often high amounts
of caffeine it can contain (up to 4.5%), tea has strong excitant and stimulant effects. The
tanning agents are strongly astringent and “tanning” and are used as dyes in tanning
hides. The stimulating effects of tea manifest themselves more slowly than those of coffee
(see Coffea arabica) but also persist longer, as the caffeine often must first be liberated
from the bond to the tanning agents and the glycosidic compounds. The tannic acids form46
toxic alkaloids and stimulate the digestion of fats. The essential oil has euphoriant as well
as calming effects upon the nerves (Aleíjos 1977, 106; Blofeld 1986, 212). The essential oil
as such has stimulating effects very much like those of caffeine. Japanese studies on the
pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of green tea have demonstrated that the national drink of
Japan has anti-carcinogenic effects, lowers cholesterol levels, and has hypoglycemic properties.
It also hinders the development of arteriosclerosis. Numerous longitudinal studies in Japan have
shown that drinkers of Japanese green tea develop cancer significantly less frequently than
those who do not drink tea (Blofeld 1986, 214; cf. also Scholz and Bertram 1995). The
relatively high amounts of vitamin P in tea have positive effects upon high blood pressure and
heart diseases. A recent study of the medicinal effects of black tea revealed that the hot-water
extract (what is normally drunk as “tea”) has antiulcerogenic effects (Maity et al. 1995).
Theaflavine has bactericidal properties (Vijaya et al. 1995). Strong tea has general detoxifying
properties and is a useful antidote for alcohol poisoning, overdoses of hashish and opium, and
nicotine or heroin withdrawal (Blofeld 1986, 211). Tea is also used in homeopathy, both as a
mother tincture and in various dilutions (Thea chinensis hom. HAB34, Thea sinensis
hom. HPUS78). According to the homeopathic medical description, tea is used among other
things to treat stomach weakness, headaches, circulatory problems, states of excitation, and ill
feelings (Teuscher 1992, 638f.).