Sunday, November 9, 2008

Green Tea with Lemongrass

Have you tried Green Tea with Lemongrass? I have and was pleasantly surprised. It gives it a different unique flavor that is a welcome break from the everyday flavor of basic Green Tea. And for those unfamiliar, it is nothing like lemon, thankfully. I can't stand lemon in my tea - hot, cold or anyway. I know that's odd as it seems that 99% of people who drink tea like it with lemon. If it wasn't so popular, Lipton :( would probably go out of business.

Good Earth has a version in tea bags that isn't bad. In fact I use it at work because of the ease. Although, I would kind of like to see if I can find just some lemongrass somewhere so I can infuse it with my regular Green Tea. If anyone knows where I can get lemongrass, let me know. In the mean time, try the Green Tea with Lemongrass by Good Earth. It's worthwhile.

And don't forget to check in and see what's new at TeaInYourLife.com website.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Where Tea Came From

I just found out something rather interesting - if it's true. According to a blog post I found at www.skincare-news.com, tea as a beverage, was discovered, or rather invented by accident.

As it turns out, back in 2737 B.C., a Chinese Emperor by the name of Shen-Nunb, was trying to boil some water underneath a terrace or plant covered structure, when some wind happened to blow some loose leaves from a nearby tea plant into the hot water. He then tasted the resulting brew and discovered that it was good. It wasn't long before the special liquid drink would spread throughout China and the Far East.

It would be another 4300 years before tea was introduced to the Western World when Dutch traders brought it back from trading with the east. About the same time the British started bringing Black Tea back from the Orient which quickly became their hot drink of choice. But by now tea and its production had evolved greatly from that first happen chance cup of tea so long ago, which by the way, would have been a cup of Green Tea, given that the leaves went from the plant directly to the water. It took a while to discover that fermenting the leaves would create and completely different kind of brewed tea.

I guess it doesn't really matter whether it's true or not since it happened so long ago, but it's amazing how so many of man's inventions come out of pure chance or accident.

We have many more Fun Facts like this at www.TeaInYourLife.com where we are always trying to find new ways to get more Tea In Your Life.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Tea Guy Speaks: Tea Blog List

Tea Guy Speaks: Tea Blog List

Friday, July 25, 2008

More On Theanine

In an earlier post I mentioned that you might be able to Cure Insomnia With Tea. I also promised to bring you more on Theanine. Well this is what I found.

Theanine, which is a chemical found in tea, apparently does a good job of reducing stress. In an earlier post, I wrote about how a little Tea in Your Life could help to cure your insomnia. I am finding out more about this mystery chemical.

As L-theanine is digested in your small intestine, it stimulates the production of alpha waves in your brain. Alpha waves will make you feel relaxed and alert but not drowsy. L-theanine also helps you stay relaxed by stimulating your body to produce other calming amino acids, such as dopamine, GABA, and tryptophan. You've heard of tryptophan. Everyone talks about it around Thanksgiving and how it will knock out an entire gathering after a hefty meal of turkey.

The Japanese have been studying L-theanine and in 1998 did a study involving some Japenese college students. They gave the students increasing amounts of L-theanine mixed in water over several weeks. As the dosage of the L-theanine increased, so did the alpha waves produced by their brains. Also, they all reported being less stressed.

Apparently you can buy Theanine capsules at health food stores on the net. Frankly, I prefer the old way of injesting it by brewing a good cup of tea. I mean it works for me. Just another reason to get more Tea In Your Life.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Green Tea’s Metabolic Influences

Posted by Green Tea Man on February 26th, 2008

One of the primary reasons green tea is effective at aiding in weight loss is due to it’s metabolic influences. Green tea possesses Catechins which influence metabolism by decreasing fat absorption, increasing fat excretion, suppressing appetite, inhibiting intestinal lipases along with several other functions. Catechins are present in high quantities in green tea, upto 30% of the tea by weight. This makes green tea an ideal source of concentrated Catechins.The relationship between Catechins and weight loss has been well researched.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Cure Insomnia With Tea

At first glance, this idea may seem somewhat counter intuitive. After all, tea contains caffeine. And doesn’t, caffeine tend to keep you awake. Well yes – But… This is largely anecdotal, but I have found a correlation to drinking tea and sleeping very well at night.

While I was doing research for some of the articles on my website TeaInYourLife.com and most specifically “Caffeine In Tea”, I came across a fact that I had not previously known. That is that while tea definitely contains caffeine, it also contains a chemical or substance called Theanine. And Theanine apparently has a calming effect such that it will help to keep your mind from racing at night. A racing mind is what is usually happening to me when I can't sleep.

I didn't think much of it at the time, but I do remember that I was experiencing terrible sleepless nights or going to bed and not being able to get to sleep as my mind reviewed every thing I had done, was going to do, needed to do, and problems in my life. I would lay there sleepless for hours. In the morning after I had finally gone to sleep and then woke up in the morning, I was not rested. I started taking pills to assist me. I didn’t like that though as it was making me groggy in the morning.

Then I started drinking more tea. It wasn't because I was trying to do something about my insomnia, but I just decided to get back to drinking more tea like I did years before, in part due to my love for it and my decision to do this blog and website on the subject. Now a few months later, I have noticed that I am sleeping like a baby, and I don’t fear going to bed and not being able to get to sleep any more. I remembered that article I wrote that mentioned the Theanine. It must work. I'm even going to bed earlier, unafraid of laying there in the dark solving the problems of the world (and my own).

I am now drinking two or more cups of Green Tea a day and occasionally have a cup of something else like Cocoa Chai Tea (mmmm) or Oolong tea. Now that I have linked drinking tea to a restful night’s sleep, combine that with all of the other benefits of drinking Green Tea, I think I will continue drinking the stuff. After all, it can’t hurt. I may even do some more research on it and post the findings here. So tune in next week.

For more about Tea In Your Life, visit out website.

For more information on Tea In Your Life visit our website at www.teainyourlife.com

Friday, June 6, 2008

Green Tea Flavonoids Protect Smokers from Lung Cancer

Yet another scientific study has found out another benefit of drinking tea whether it is Green Tea or Black Tea. UCLA Cancer Researchers have found that smokers who drink and consume the flavonoids that are present in Green Tea and Black Tea, had a lower risk for lung cancer. Although, the same flavonoids that exist in Tea are also present in fruits and vegetables.


This first of its kind study at UCLA was published in the June edition of Cancer Journal, stated that smokers who consumed three or more servings a day of foods rich in flavonoids such as fruits, vegetables and drink Green Tea or Black Tea, may be protecting themselves from lung cancer.


Many of us know or have heard of people who have been heavy smokers for most of there lives and never seemed to suffer from the ill effects of lung cancer, while many others are killed by smoking related lung cancer. In fact ninety percent of all lung cancer is caused from smoking. But a much smaller percentage of smokers actually develop lung cancer. I wonder; could it be that these people, who don’t develop the deadly disease, are the ones who have been eating more healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables and drinking tea?


As I stated in an earlier blog, we are frequently seeing some new report or research that finds that drinking tea can benefit your health. You don’t have to convince me, but maybe now you can see that it is time to get more tea in your life.


For more on this important research study on Tea and Lung Cancer visit www.teainyourlife.com