Botany
Tsa is a shrub, about a meter or more high. Branches are smooth. Buds are silky. Leaves are elliptic-oblong, 7.5 to 20 centimeters long, 3.5 to 6 centimeters wide, tapering at either end, with toothed margins. Flowers are white, about 3 centimeters in diamter. Fruit is leathery, 3-celled capsule, each capsule containing a seed. Seeds are nearly spherical, obtusely angled, smooth, pale brown, about 2 centimeters in diameter.
 Distribution
- Introduced shortly before 1905.
- Scattered cultivation in the Baguio area.
- Originally from the triangle of countries of South China, Assam (northeastern India) and Cambodia.
- Planted in almost all tropical and subtropical regions of the world, but especially economically cultivated in China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
Constituents
- Tea leaves, depending on source and fermentation process, yield: caffeine 0.9 to 50/0 caffeine, free or bound with glycosdies; 0.05% theobromine; some theophylline; purine derivatives xanthine, methylxanthine, and adenine; tanning agents (tannin, polyphenols, gallic acid, and catechin derivatives), and chlorophyll (in fresh or unfermented leaves).
- Also yields vitamins (A, B2, C, D, P, nicotinic acied), minerals (manganese), and carbohydrates (dextrin, pectin), and essential oils (providing aroma).
Properties
- Natural scent of the tea is from a fragrant volatile oil.
- Essemtial oil is both euphoriant and calming.
- Stimulant effect of the tea from the caffeine and theobromine and small amounts of alkaloids.
- Considered astringent, cardiotonic, diuretic, expectorant, stimulant.
- Considered nutraceutical, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulatory, insulin-enhancing, chemopreventive, antimicrobial, antihypertensive.
- Fresh leaves contain four to five times more essential oil as dried or fermented leaves.
- Comapred to coffee, the stimulant effect of tea's caffeine manifest more slowly and persist longer, as the caffeine from tea must be liberated from tannic and glycosidic bonding.
 Parts used
Leaves
Uses
Edibility / Culinary
- Edible: leave
- Green tea made from steamed and dried leaves; black tea from fermented and dried leaves.
- Tea extracts used for flavoring alcoholic beverages, dairy desserts, candy, baked goods, pastries and puddings.
- Fixed oil from the seeds sometimes used in making margarine.
Folkloric
- Recorded as early in the 6th century as a Chinese herbal medicine, recommended particularly for people who slept too long. It was used to promote blood circulation, promote excretion of alcohol and other harmful substances, invigorate the skin, promote digestion, combat tiredness and depression, among many others. Strong infusions were used as external applications for skin ailments, eruptions, abrasions and athlete's foot.
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Decoction of leaves used as stimulant and to relieve fatigue.
- Used to soothe headaches, aid digestion.
Others
- Essential oil from fermented and dried leaves used for perfumery and food flavoring.
- Edible oil made from the seed.
- Residual cake containing saponin are made into little round balls, used by Chinese for washing hair.
- Teaseed oil used in the manufacture of sanctuary or signal oil for burning purposes.
- Dye: A source of varied food colors - black, green orange, yellow.
- Wood: moderately hard, makes into a good walking stick.
Legend
- The tea plant is rich in rituasl and legends. A monk version of its origin tells of Bodhidhama, a Buddhist disciple, afflicted with sleepiness, easily falling to sleep while meditating. Angered that he could not keep his eye open, he cut off his eyelids and cast them to the ground. On the ground, the first tea plant grew, its leaves resembling the eyelids. The monks noticed the animating power of beverages made from the leaves, and soon, it because a ritual drink before meditation.
 Studies
• Antioxidant: Tea contains flavonoids with its beneficial antioxidant effects.
• Anti-Diabetic: Study on the water extract of Thea sinenesis suggest the antidiabetic activity is derived, at least in part, from a decrease in plasma insulin, due to decreased insulin resistance.
• Genital Warts: Polyphenon E®, a proprietary extract of green tea, has been approved in the U.S. for external topical use for genital warts caused by human papilloma virus.
• Cardiovascular Benefits: Early studies suggest that regular intake of green tea may help reduce the risk of heart attacks or atherosclerosis. Further clinical trials are needed before firm recommendations.
• Hypolipidemic: (1) Animal studies and limited human research suggest benefits of green tea on cholesterol and triglyceride levels. (2) In a double-blind crossover study of green tea (Camellia sinensis) in patients with dyslipidemias, a beneficial effect was demonstrated with a significant reduction of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol.
• Lactose Intolerance: Study results suggest the lactose content of milk was reduced by adding tea extracts and suggests that with milk-related gastrointestinal problems have milk with herbal tea extracts.
• Saponins / Alcohol Absorption and Metabolism: Study showed the seed saponins of T sinensis seem to suppress alcohol absorption by slowing gastric emptying and inhibiting absorption across the cell membranes of the digestive tract.
• Effect on Drug Metabolizing Enzymes: Study on decaffeinated green tea is unlikely to alter the disposition of medications primarily dependent on the CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 pathways of metabolism.
• Antimicrobial: Study of extracts showed the highest % yield with chloroform bollowed by petroleum ether, methanol and diethyl ether. Organisms inhibited were P aeruginosa, B subtilis, S dysenteria, E coli, Yersinia, S typhi among others. Results indicate tea extracts have promising antibacterial activity, expecially for intestinal microorgaisms causing diarrhea and dysentery.
• Colds and Flu / T Cell Function: Study of a proprietary formulation of Camellia sinensis show it to be a safe and effective dietary supplement for preventing cold and flu symptoms and for enhanciing T cell function.
• Inhibitory Effect on Venom Neuromuscular Blockade: Study of Camellia sinensis extract showed an inhibitory effect against the neuromuscular blockade induced by the South American rattlesnakeCrotalus durissus terrificus venom. Although the mechanism is unclear, theaflavins is suspected to be significantly involved.
• Thea sinensis Melanin: Melanin extracted from Thea sinensis is a high molecular part of tea polyphenols with physiochemical characteristics similar to typical melanin. TSM has exhibited a wide range of biochemical and pharmacological activities - antioxidant, free radical scavenging, immunomodulatory, as well as protective activity against toxic substances - snake venoms, benzidine, among others.
• Nephroprotective / Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity: Thea sinensis melanin pre-administration can prevent the renal toxic effects of cisplatin as evidenced by inhibition of BUN elevation, prevention of oxidative stress, complete blockade of cisplatin-induced elevation of S creatinine.
• Hepatoprotective Against Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatic Injury: Study showed melanin derived from Thea sinensis leaves has protective effects against hepatic injury induced by NAPAP (N-acetyl-p-aminophenol).
Availability
Wild-crafted.
Extracts, capsules, ointments in the cybermarket. |
