Three Minutes Crucial to Efficacy Tea

When the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung not drink the water that fall leaves are turned Dauh wild bush tea, perhaps until now the pleasure of tea is not widely known.

That said, on a journey, when the troupe Shen Nung was resting and cooking water to drink, the leaves of wild tea bush accidentally fell into the water. Emperor who lived from 2737 BC was then realized that the drinks are delicious taste.

Eastern medicine has long recommend drinking tea for disease prevention. However, only recently have scientists recognize content in tea is beneficial to health.

The compound is a potent tea polyphenols, especially flavonoids, antioxidant compounds found in many medicinal plants. Tea also contains amino acids, especially theanin. Research shows that theanin can increase the body's ability to fight infections by stimulating T cells

Some studies also proved that tea can reduce stroke risk. People who drank three cups of green tea have a stroke risk 21 percent lower than non-tea drinkers.

Another benefit is very diverse, from relieving stress, slimming, antikerut face, to stop the development of precancerous cells.

Rina Poerwadi, holistic aromatherapy expert, said that to get the properties of polyphenols, the tea should be brewed no more than three minutes before drinking.

"Brewing that are too long can make the compounds in tea to die," said the woman who is healthy culinary experts.

Can stale

Tea is left too long it could also be stale. "It's the sugar in tea could be a preservative, but it must be the sweetest. Therefore, tea or tea in bottles that we usually make at home can also be stale," said Alex Rumodor, General Manager Marketing Activation & Public Relations of PT Sinar Sosro in talk show themed "Tea for Health Benefits" at Kidzania, Jakarta, Thursday (13/01/2011).

Signs of stale tea, according to Alex, can be viewed in plain view of the change in color. "To be sure the color is changed to cloudy. This occurs because microorganisms in the tea breeding and metabolized. Sometimes also arise in small particles floating on tea. Tea that stale taste too sour," he explained.

To get a delicious taste of tea, Alex suggested that brewing tea made separately between the tea and sugar. "Tea and sugar brewed its own, the new blended. It would be more enjoyable," he said.