Sri Lankan tea is mainly grown in Kandy, Badulla, Matale, Kegalle, Sabaragamuwa, Nuwara Eliya, Kurunegala and Matara districts.
Sri Lankan tea is divided into three main categories. Those are,
- Up country Tea (High Grown)
More than 4000 feet above sea level
- Low country Tea
Less than 2000 feet above sea level
Health benefits of drinking tea
Many recent studies have shown that many of the diseases that are caused by our lifestyle are caused by free radicals that are additionally formed by the metabolic processes of our body. The antioxidants in tea react with free radicals and slow down their activities, thus reducing cell and tissue damage.
Studies have shown that tea is a natural source of antioxidants. (Adding sugar or milk to tea destroys that quality.)
A study conducted by 'Dora Liasoru' in Russia has revealed that there are many benefits of drinking black tea. Her study of 663 patients with cancer of the rectum revealed that tea has a wonderful ability to prevent cancer of the rectum.
Studies in Rotterdam and Boston have shown that regular tea drinkers have a lower risk of heart attack and death.
A study done in 1996 of 35,369 menopausal women in the USA in Iowa province found that tea drinkers had a natural defence against cancer of the digestive tract as well as bladder stones.
The ancient Chinese also identified some health benefits of tea. They say that drinking tea relieves loneliness, fatigue, and pain.
Also, drinking tea facilitates digestion and relaxes the nervous system. Tea has also been shown to keep our stomachs, spinal cord, and intestines refreshed.
Numerous studies around the world have shown that tea is good for improving memory, keeping the mental balance, strengthening blood vessels, improving thyroid function, providing fluoride to prevent tooth decay, as well as providing the body with vitamins B and E.
Ingredients for making a tea for 3 people
- 2 teaspoons of tea
- 4 teaspoons of sugar
- 1 or 1½ teaspoons of malt
- 4½ teaspoons of milk powder
Do not add too much water when making tea. Add only the required amount of water to the tea. Then you can get strong tea. You can adjust these amounts as your need.
Evidence-based health benefits of black tea.
1. Has antioxidant properties
2. May improve heart health
3. Cholesterol can be reduced
4. Can improve intestinal health
5. Helps to lower blood pressure
6. Can lower blood sugar level
7. Helps to reduce the risk of cancer
8. Attention can be improved
More than two billion people in the world drink tea. Many people have a habit of adding a little milk and sugar to a cup of tea. The habit of adding milk to tea or adding tea, coffee, cocoa, and sugar to milk has been introduced by Europeans.
"Plain tea or tea...?" It's normal to hear that when you go to a shop to have a cup of tea, or before treating a guest to a house. In our country "Plenty" is just tea. "Tea" means milk tea. Many people prefer to drink milk tea. Milk tea and plain tea, whichever way you drink it, many people are accustomed to drink with added sugar.
Tea is the next drink that people in Sri Lanka drink near water. Tea has also become an essential consumer product of the people of this country. But many people drink tea for habit and pleasure, not care about its health benefits. The habit of adding tea, coffee, cocoa and sugar to milk is a matter of taste, but scientists say that the milk and sugar added to tea, coffee and cocoa can completely negate all the health benefits of those natural beverages.
Many people drink tea because of its stimulant properties and because it is a pleasant, refreshing beverage. But tea has a number of very beneficial health benefits. They were well known by the ancient Chinese and Indians. Tea is the cheapest and most common beverage consumed by people near water. Drinking tea has been considered a healthy habit since ancient times. Modern medical research provides a scientific basis for that belief. With each new study published in the scientific literature, the evidence for the health benefits of drinking tea is strengthened.
You get all these medicinal properties of tea by drinking tea properly. Scientists emphasize that if you add milk or sugar to your tea, the beneficial properties of the tea can be completely eliminated.
A research report published in the journal "European Society of Cardiology" says that milk eliminates the protective effects of tea on the cardiovascular system, a vital function of tea. Experiments have shown that the addition of milk significantly disrupts the ability of tea to relax and dilate arteries.
Tea has been found to relax blood vessels by producing nitric oxide on the inner walls of blood vessels. Adding milk weakens that ability. Experts say that the sticky casein protein in milk blocks the activity of the most important polyphenolic catechins in tea. All the benefits of drinking tea to the body depend on those polyphenolic compounds. Milk tea is even worse with sugar.
According to a study published in the journal "Chiang Mai Journal of Science", it has been suggested that drinking milk tea with sugar may further weaken the antioxidant polyphenolic components of tea. Generally, Sri Lankans are accustomed to drinking milk tea with more sugar. Although doctors believe that consuming more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day for an adult may increase the risk of developing non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. A Sri Lankan consumes 6 teaspoons of sugar only by drinking 1 teacup and 2 milk teacups per day by adding 2 teaspoons of sugar per 1 teacup. In addition, the amount of sugar ingested in sugary sweets and beverages a day increases the risk of non-communicable diseases, and the addition of sugar to a cup of tea, on the other hand, reduces the ability of tea to reduce non-communicable diseases.
As Sri Lankans, we drink tea every day. But we do not seem to get any of the aforementioned health benefits of tea. On the one hand, it is reported that the tea trade is now highly corrupt. Despite boasting of producing the best tea in the world, many Sri Lankans may have had to drink degraded waste tea containing various chemicals. Due to that, despite the health benefits of the tea leaves people have the opposite effect on health. On the other hand, even though tea leaves are excellent in quality, due to the aforementioned wrong practices of drinking tea, we lose an easy way to get rid of serious diseases.
This is another important point that needs our attention. There is also no good to say about the milk or milk powder that we add to destroy the quality of the tea. Milk that is picked up by our brains, hypnotized by advertisements, also does not bring good benefits.
So, if you do not want to tarnish the rich benefits of tea, try the Russian way of drinking tea, that is, with honey or lime juice. Otherwise, like the Slavic people or the Chinese and Japanese, at least make it a habit to drink tea without adding sugar. If green tea is your choice it is much better. But it is becoming increasingly difficult for many to follow all the scientific advice regarding food and health.
Many people in this country today are in the habit of seriously neglecting many health consultations due to habits, addictions and commercial influences. It is their bodies that suffer the consequences and their children, who are seeking care. Therefore, these scientific facts will be very important only for those who have good mindfulness and perseverance to change the wrong habits to which they are addicted.
Green tea
Green tea is a very fresh tea made from tea leaves. These are more active than black tea as they do not ferment during preparation. Quality and price are high. Green tea is high in vitamins A, C, E, D, B, B5, K, magnesium, zinc, chromium and selenium. It is an antioxidant. Drinking at least three cups of green tea a day can have a positive effect. Do not drink green tea in the morning on an empty stomach. The properties of green tea increase immunity. It Increases memory capacity. A powerful anti-cancer agent. Reduces high blood pressure. Prevents blood clots. Reduces belly fat. Protects the liver. Strengthens teeth and bones. Protects the kidneys. Green tea is good for gastritis patients, young children, pregnant women and people with iron deficiency.
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