Tea leaves are used not only for preparing the tea brew. Tea is also used in cosmetics, medicine, chemical and other industries. Below there is some information on usage of tea for some important purposes other than beverage preparation.

Tea - especially green tea - is very often used in manufacturing cosmetic products. EGCG, the most widespread polyphenol contained in tea, reactivates dying skin cells. When EGCG contacts the old cells they start to reproduce themselves and release more energy. For this reason cosmetologists use it for producing creams for aging skin.

Vitamin B2 contained in tea renders stimulating effect to human skin, makes it more beautiful, resilient, prevents skin from peeling. Due to these properties tea is also used for manufacturing of tonics and face creams.

Tea is also used as one of the important ingredients in creams for cellulite skin, aromatherapy, perfumes and even depilation wax.

At home tea maybe used for the following cosmetics purposes:

• For protecting skin from sunburns one should drink strong tea. Moreover, even if you already burned your skin tea brew also can help. One should brew 4 tea bags in one litre of water and let the brew cool down. Then the cloth napkins are dipped in the infusion and applied to the skin areas burned by the sun.
• For the beauty of your eyes apply to the skin around your eyes warm teabags after brewing them. Keep them on your eyes for about 10-15 minutes and you will forget about tired appearance of your eyes.
• For the beauty of your face it is recommended to dub the skin with the cubes of frozen tea brew. It is especially effective for greasy skin as it revives it. For the normal and dry skin a honey mask may be recommended: mix 100 grams of honey and 2 tablespoons of strong tea and apply on your face for about 10-15 minutes, then wash away with cool water. For invigorating your body you can also take tea baths, brew 5 spoons of dry tea leaves in 250 grams of water, let the brew stand for some time and then pour it into the bath.

Tea is an important raw material for pharmaceutical industry. It is used for obtaining pure caffeine and vitamin P. Tea is also used as the basis raw material for manufacturing drugs for treating radiation sickness and haemorrhage.

Tea can also be used at home for medical purposes.

• Very strong and hot tea with sugar is an effective remedy for alcohol or medicine intoxication.
• For insomnia one can brew tea with camomile or follow Chinese recipe and collect the used tea leaves in a bag until the quantity is enough to make a pillow. Tea aroma is known to have soothing effect on human nervous system. Such a tea pillow may be used for several months.
• For toothache. A couple of garlic cloves are squeezed into a strong brew of green tea that is afterwards sipped in and kept around the aching tooth.
• For treating bruises or dislocation of a joint one can prepare the following remedy: tea is boiled for 15-20 minutes. The warm moist tea leaves are put on the injured part of the body and fixed with cloth. Even a simple teabag may help if you apply it to the place that was hurt.

Tea can be used not only as beverage, but also as the edible dye - for colouring and simultaneously vitaminizing jelly-candy and lozenge (yellow, green and brown colours may be obtained from tea). In Asia dry tea is used as seasoning for dishes with meat, fish and game. In China and Burma tea is also used as seasoning in combination with garlic. More than that, in Burma they add tea leaves into salads and Tibetans cook soup with tea leaves. There also exists so called sour tea.

Tea may be used for cleaning smooth surfaces. For example, to make you mirror shine you may wipe it with a diluted tea solution.