Recently in tea & health Category

Just today I received a couple of links from different people which disappoint and concern me.  It appears that some Japanese tea from Shizuoka is tainted with radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant disaster which followed the earthquake and tsunami.

Here are three links:

1) Japan Today states that authorities in Shizuoka Prefecture suggested to a tea retailer that (s)he not publish news of tainted tea, for fear that people will overreact. 

2) Japanese news giant NHK announced that "radioactive Cesium exceeding the legal limit" was found in Shizuoka tea at levels beyond what is considered safe.

3) The Wall Street Journal reports one incident of Japanese tea in Shizuoka Prefecture testing above the legally permissible limit of radiation.

Note that Shizuoka prefecture is approximately 300km from the Fukushima Daiichi Plant, where several nuclear reactors continue to be compromised. Approximately 50-60% of Japanese tea is grown in Shizuoka Prefecture (County), and much of the tea grown in this region is Sencha. Keep in mind that this is only one incident, and It is hoped that much of the tea grown in Shizuoka and other areas further south will be spared, providing a healthy and delicious crop for tea drinkers worldwide.

How do you know where your tea comes from?  Ask your local tea retailer or online tea store administrators.
 
Keeping readers informed, whether the news is good or bad, remains a priority.  Yet, while it's important to report the news, it is also important to remain optimistic.  As far as I have heard, most Japanese teas growing in southern regions of Japan are still considered safe to drink.

So many continue to suffer in Japan, whether from loss of loved ones or loss of crops. Let every morning tea ritual begin with loving thoughts of health and healing for our friends in Japan, remembering that in tea, kinship is universal.

A good decision should lead you closer to your goals and further away from conflict with yourself and others.

No one seems to know the parameters of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in Japan that continues to play out in northern Honshu, about 150 miles north of Tokyo.  Recently given the  the highest rating for a nuclear crisis--a Level 7-- experts suggest that it will take decades to understand what has taken place and how it will effect the health of the planet--including human health--in Japan and elsewhere.
For those of us who are avid tea imbibers, there is an obvious question lurking: Should we buy or drink Japanese  teas in the coming months and years?  How about teas from neighboring parts of Asia like China and Taiwan? I don't think anyone yet has an answer, but what are the issues we can consider in order to make sense of it?

To offer some confidence, food safety monitoring agencies around the world are on high alert for possible radiation contaminants in Japanese exports. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is responsible for testing food products entering the United States from abroad.  They report the following reassuring news: "As part of our investigation, FDA is collecting information on all FDA regulated food products exported to the U.S. from Japan, including where they are grown, harvested, or manufactured, so the Agency can further evaluate whether, in the future, they may pose a risk to consumers in the U.S.." 

If we were to rely only on one agency, like the FDA, we might be concerned about the veracity of information supplied.  But because there are so many food regulatory agencies around the world, and news is so quickly and easily available regardless of borders, it is most likely that we will be able to carefully monitor whether new tea harvests pose any risk in regards to radiation levels. The challenge we face is in distinguishing the accurate from the inaccurate.

Water and food supplies from around Japan will be carefully monitored by domestic and international food safety agencies. Since tea is just one of many food crops grown in Japan, listening for news of other crops and the water supply will help us to understand whether or not teas are safe to drink, as they seem to be right now. 

One thing to keep in mind is that tea growing regions in Japan are several hundred miles south of the disaster, and at present, only neighboring prefectures (counties) to the disaster seem to be effected by levels of radiation that exceed normal standards.   

Taking a look at the above map, kindly provided by tea purveyor Ito En, we see that many tea farms in Japan are at least several hundred miles south of the disaster, and as luck would have it for the tea fields, the winds are blowing east, not south.

According to the Wall Street Journal "Immediate contamination could occur from particles from the air settling on plants or feed, or in the longer run radioactive elements could get washed to the soil where plants grow. The radioactive material, once incorporated, can continue to emit powerful radiation for some amount of time--the exact duration depends on how much and what type of the radioactive material was ingested--and can be passed on if a human then eats the plant or animal."  

Because the cocktail of radioactive materials released has never before been emitted simultaneously nor tested, even nuclear experts are uncertain as to the possible outcomes of such occurrences. We can only wait, hope, and keep our eyes and ears open for qualified, careful and honest reporting from sources we trust. 

Large, reputable tea purveyors like Ito En will also be testing their teas as they are harvested, according to Rona Tison of Ito En. Because their reputations are on the line, and testing will be done by many agencies who will be cross-checking each other's results, it behooves these large companies to carefully monitor the teas that go into their products.  If these teas are safe, it gives us a signal that small batch connoisseur teas grown organically or in the same areas are more than likely safe also.

Tea farmers who grow their teas organically will also be very interested to test their teas and to share the results, as they base their reputations on the integrity of their products.  Bon Teavant will be interviewing several tea purveyors and farmers over time on exactly this issue, so stay tuned here for more news as it arrives. 

In the meantime, relax and enjoy your tea. If you are very worried about Japanese tea, Bon Teavant sells some very nice green teas from China and India, including a Chinese-grown Genmaicha.

The tea plant, Camellia sinensis, has long been considered a healing agent, from Asia to Europe to the U.S.. Many claims have been made about its antioxidants, polyphenols, and even EGCG, the catechin said to combat leukemia, HIV, and other illnesses.

But there is a deeper healer in tea, one that scientists in laboratories cannot find through their dissection of the components of tea.  This element is what traditional healers would recognize as the spiritual aspect of the tea plant. 

Humans and plants have responded in congruence for thousands of years. Since the beginning of human history, plants have served not only as our food but as our medicine. Traditional healers around the world agree that the plant world is suffused with spirit and personality, and each plant species has its own unique gifts to share.  Whether you agree with this premise or not, the tea plant will freely offer its medicine to you.  Here are some of the ways in which the spirit of tea acts as a healing agent:

Tea Inspires Intimacy & Compassion:  In nearly every culture of the world in which tea plays a dominant role, tea is the centerpiece of any gathering, whether a neighbor-to-neighbor afternoon chat or the celebration of an arriving dignitary. Tea acts as a social tranquilizer, providing a feeling of harmony and safety which inspires openness and sharing.  Heads of state in Asia often offer tea to their counterparts in other countries, as Chairman Mao did to Richard Nixon in 1972. Through the expression of goodwill and the sharing of  life stories and experience, the healing power of mutuality and compassion can occur, providing deeper connections between individuals, and even governments.

Tea Inspires Presence: Tea's origin is found in China, and for several thousand years, remained in China alone. When Buddhist monks arrived from Japan during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) to study with Chan Chinese monks, they discovered an amazing plant that assisted their colleagues in meditation and helped lead them to clarity and wisdom. 

Some people say that "tea is liquid wisdom." Tea heals by providing a state of restful, relaxed awareness.  And it is this state of mind that practitioners of meditation in any tradition--whether Christian, Buddhist or otherwise-- seek to attain. It is also only in this state of mind, Presence, that people can achieve revelation and epiphany. Anyone who has had a definitive moment of realization in his or her life will attest to the healing nature of such an event.

Tea Offers Relief:  The consumption of tea offers a feeling of relief and well being. This is why we are instinctively inspired to put on the tea kettle when a friend comes over to share a problem, or someone we care for is in a state of grief.  We innately understand that tea is an agent of healing through the quality of relief that it provides, even in the most dire circumstances.  Tea was thought to be indispensable in war for European as well as Asian armies. On the deepest level, leaders know the power of this plant to heal and revitalize anyone suffering from fatigue, grief, or lack of morale.

These are just three of the ways in which the tea plant acts as a healing agent. While scientists may offer a wry smile in response to these words, they too will reach for their stash of tea when their heart pounds or aches with grief. 

Plants have been known to heal people of various maladies for millenia, and in fact, form the basis for almost all medicines on earth. For example, aspirin is a synthetic form of willow bark, and digitalis, taken for heart imbalances, comes from foxglove.  The tea plant, Camellia sinensis, has a history of being considered a medicine, and has reached many continents with this reputation. But does tea heal people? And if so, how and of what?

First, I do not make any claims about the tea plant being a medicine capable of healing any ailment, and those who do are not necessarily to be trusted. While tea is loaded with polyphenols, antioxidants, and other agents that suggest excellent health benefits, one would not want to say that tea cures any particular ailment or disease without documented clinical substantiation of such claims, which you will not find offered here.

But I digress. Many herbalists believe that using real plant-based medicine can be more effective than using synthetic pharmaceuticals for a number of reasons, including the avoidance of grave and sometimes even fatal side effects caused by manufactured medicines. But a lesser-known, perhaps even more compelling, reason that traditional herbalists use plants for healing is how the "spirit" of certain plants can assist in healing the patient. This concept is referred to as "plant energetics" or "plant spirit medicine", and has been practiced by traditional healers around the world for thousands of years.

In this philosophy, plants are considered to have spirit, intention, and the capacity for relating to others with consciousness. And while certain herbs physically treat certain maladies, the spirit of the plant medicine can also assist the patient in healing the emotional constructs that are a part of the imbalance. Several compelling books have been written on the subject, including The Secret Life of Plants , The Lost Language of Plants, and Plant Spirit Medicine.  

Does Tea have spirit? Can that spirit heal people? Tea's reputation both as a medicine and as an aid to spiritual practice is what gave it such cache as it traveled from continent to continent, many times in the hands of Buddhist or Christian monks, as it was introduced to new lands like Japan and Portugal. When not spoken of with reverence by priests and monks, it was prized by herbalists and scholars. Some believed it cured plague and other serious maladies.  Of course, it does not, at least not scientifically, but what could tea possibly do as an agent of healing?

What I have learned in my own personal study of Tea (and by Tea, I mean only Camellia sinensis) is that some teas can be transformational and healing in terms of one's understanding of himself and of life. Tea has taught me kindness, deeper compassion, and a peace of mind that I had not experienced before despite years of meditation, yoga, and other relaxation practices.  Tea also brings community and sanctuary, often simultaneously, which in itself is rather a miracle in this age of virtual antipathy for congregation.

I have seen and so believe that people who drink tea are changed by it, in the moment, and if one drinks it regularly, in a very deep and lasting way. I have read numerous accounts of people expressing how their lives have been changed by tea--sometimes emotionally, sometimes spiritually, and sometimes physically.

Tea helped me personally to develop a greater capacity for kindness and compassion, both for myself and for others, and also to enjoy each moment, sometimes profoundly. It has also given me a greater appreciation of nature and of my immediate surroundings, and enhanced my sense of community and interrelatedness with the world. Are these qualities "healing"? For me, they have been, and I am grateful to this plant--just as I would be to a priest or a doctor who bestowed so many blessings on me.