Jasmine Green Tea Prevents Strokes, Heart Attacks And More
Jasmine Green Tea is different from regular Jasmine Green Tea health benefits in that it is both a leaf and the blossom of the flower. Jasmine is cultivated widely for its beautiful flowers. Over 200 species are known, each with fragrant white, yellow, or red flowers.
Though brought to China from Persia sometime in the third century AD, the jasmine plant never became popular in China until about 1000 AD. Popular versions of jasmine are Xiang Pian, Dragon Phoenix Pearl, and Mo Li Hua Cha. This last one is possibly the most popular scented tea in the world. Yin Hao is considered the finest jasmine tea.
Jasmine green tea is made by starting with a Chinese green tea for a base. Some will use pouchong/oolong or black tea but green is more common. The tea leaves are plucked and processed in April and May and then kept dry until the jasmine flowers bloom in August and September.
Timing is everything when gathering the flowers. They must be fully open and for this reason they are harvested at midnight, or early in the morning. Then the open flowers are placed with the tea so that the scent of the flower can be absorbed into the tea over the next four hours. After this the flowers are removed. This process is repeated from two to seven times over a month. Then the tea is ready for sale. The grade of the tea is determined by how many scentings the tea has gotten over a month. High grade jasmine tea has had up to seven scentings over the month. Low grade has had two to three scentings.
Most green teas with jasmine contain a significant amount of polyphenols, plant-based substances that have proven to have anticancer, antiviral, and antioxidant properties. This helps prevent certain cancers and slows aging by eliminating free radicals. Jasmine is good for diabetes prevention and reducing high blood pressure. It is believed to prevent strokes, heart attacks, thrombosis, and arterial sclerosis.
Other Jasmine Green Tea include the ability to reduce the risk of blood clot, prevent allergy and flu, reduce blood sugar, keep fluid balance, boost the immune system and provide oral care and fluoride that helps protect against cavities and prevent tooth decay. One of the jasmine tea health benefits is to improve intestine conditions by blocking development and growth of bad bacteria and strengthening good bacteria.
In addition, jasmine tea gargled is an effective way to fight influenza because of its ability to fight viruses. Jasmine green tea also helps with the consequences of food poisoning, including piccoli (causing gastric ulcers), cholera, and dysentery.
Jasmine is also used as an herbal anti-depressant, helping with post-natal depression and menopause problems among other things. It is said to also enhance romantic feelings. The tea also functions like raspberry leaf tea by helping in childbirth and with milk production. It can sooth muscle and joint pain, including chronic back pain.
Recent studies show that drinking jasmine tea may fight fat. People who consumed tea with green tea extract during the period of three months lost more fat than those who consumed regular oolong tea. It seems substances found in jasmine tea, known as catechins, trigger weight loss by decreasing body fat and stimulating the body to burn calories.
The tea is easy to make. Just add a half teaspoon of the jasmine mix to a cup of nearly boiling water and allow it to steep two or three times for two minutes. Then drink at least four cups of this a day. A good quality jasmine green tea will work well with fruit and flower salads, or with desserts made with flowers, or soft cheeses with pressed flowers. Jasmine green tea is also served with strongly flavored foods, curries, chicken and fish, and vegetarian dishes, or served alone.
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