Most people perceive tea as a healthy drink and recently there has been an increasing amount of scientific evidence to prove the value of this proposition.

The main power behind the positive effect of tea on human health lies in its antioxidant content. Antioxidants are chemical substances that prevent human body from accumulating free radicals - molecules formed as a result of normal activity of different organs. Free radicals attack other molecules damaging cells and initiating chain reaction leading to the appearance of new free radicals. These reactions in turn may lead to such diseases as thrombosis, heart attack, cataract, arthritis, Alzheimer disease and many other chronic diseases.

Recently there has been an increasing amount of scientific proof confirming that antioxidants contained in tea reduce the amount of free radicals and reduce the risk of developing the above-mentioned diseases. Another unique substance contained in tea is called teanin. Over 50% of amino acids in tea comprise this substance and its mass share amounts to 1-2% of the dry tea leaves. Green and black tea contain equal amount of teanin.

The results of research conducted by the Japanese scientists have shown that teanin leads to brain relaxation (on the basis of activities of Alpha waves). The availability of both caffeine and teanin in tea explains the unique combination of both relaxing and invigorating effects of drinking tea. Moreover, recent scientific research also proved that tea teanin bolsters our immune system fencing off virus and fungous infections.

Despite the opinion that started to spread fairly recently (because there simply has been more research devoted to green tea) scientific data shows that black tea is as healthy as green tea. However it is true that differences in production technology lead to different proportions of various antioxidants contained in black and green tea.

More detailed information about the positive influence of tea on human health may be found at the following web site:
www.teahealth.co.uk