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 It's the world's most popular herbal remedy and the second most popular beverage, after water. Technically, any concoction of plants steeped in water is a tea. But when most people say 'tea', they mean the bracing brew beloved by everyone from Chinese peasants to the English aristocracy: the fragrant leaves of an Asian evergreen shrub called Camellia sinensis. Several related species are also known simply as tea. As it happens, a nice cup of tea may give you more than just a morning lift. Research suggests that tea, especially the green tea popular in the Orient, may have beneficial actions against heart disease and cancer. Caffeine Plus Tea contains several stimulant compounds, including caffeine and theophylline. An average cup of tea contains between 10 and 50 milligrams of caffeine, depending on the type of tea and the preparation method. Caffeine and theophylline act as bronchodilators which are agents that can help open clogged respiratory passages. So your grandmother was right if she gave you hot tea to ease the misery of colds, flu or bronchitis. There's no firm evidence that caffeine in moderation poses any risk to most people, although excess caffeine can cause jitters and insomnia. Green is In Green tea supplies generous amounts of substances called polyphenols, including one called catechin. Black tea leaves, which undergo an added process of fermentation, contain less catechin. There's a small but growing body of evidence that the catechin and some related substances in green tea may have cancer-fighting properties. Tea for the Heart It is well established that moderate tea drinking does no harm to the heart. In fact it may do some good. Japanese researchers, however, found that green tea polyphenols seemed to lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure in laboratory animals. Researchers have also found that tea is a mild diuretic, helping to get rid of the excess fluid from the body.
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