Category: Tea and Coffee

NATIONAL TEA DAY APRIL 21st, 2022…

National Tea Day – 21st April 2022 – #tea #British #hot

The British love of anything to do with TEA dates back centuries and this soft spot seems to only get stronger with time! National Tea Day’s slogan is “Brew More. Do More.” The vision is to inspire special moments with tea. Working with a variety of partner companies throughout the year, they desire to bring tea drinkers, tea servers and the entire tea industry together.

Although tea originated from China, a lot of people associate it primarily with the United Kingdom, since it was the British who helped popularize tea in Europe.

Contrary to popular misconception, tea wasn’t introduced to Europe by the British; it was Dutch sailors who first brought it to the European continent from China. The earliest known mention of tea by an Englishman was by an agent for the British East India Company in 1615.

It is celebrated in tea rooms, hotels, pubs and cafés through special events, and charitable fundraising events held across the country, including a tea ‘Fes-Tea-Val’ at Chiswick House & Gardens in London. 

Despite the fact that tea has been popular in the UK for hundreds of years, the question of when to add the milk is one which still provokes many an argument! Most people first pour the tea into the cup, then add the milk, but others disagree. It is said that this was a way for the rich to show off their wealth. They often drank tea in porcelain cups, and it was only the better-quality porcelain that could withstand the temperature of very hot tea. This meant that people who had lower-quality cups needed to first pour the milk so that the cup wouldn’t break.

One fascinating fact – The average Brit drinks 876 cups of tea every single year – enough to fill two bath tubs. 

Source: National Today, Discover Britain Magazine, Learn English Wikipedia

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5 HERBAL TEAS THAT INTERACT WITH MEDICATIONS…

We all love our daily cuppa but did you realise that some teas can interact with certain medications? Here is a list of 5 herbal teas that do just that.

  1. According to Live Strong Chamomile Tea which is known for its mild tranquilizing effects may also help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. According to a small January 2016 study in ​Nutrition​, short-term intake of chamomile tea has beneficial effects on glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes. But drinking copious amounts may significantly lower your blood sugar.
  2. Green tea has also been shown to interact with some medications that are used to treat heart conditions. Green tea leaves (dried) contain vitamin K, which can increase blood clotting. Large amounts of vitamin K may interfere with the activity of some blood thinners, like warfarin.
  3. Green tea and ginger is another possible tea that interacts with medication. However, there is little research to suggest that drinking green tea and ginger could be harmful. Nonetheless , too much ginger can cause diarrhea, heartburn, and even an irregular heartbeat, writes Web MD.
  4. Ginseng and licorice teas can reduce the effectiveness of anticoagulant medications including warfarin. Avoid these teas if you experience blood clots and have deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or other health conditions that are treated with anticoagulants. Ginseng can also reduce the effectiveness of certain chemotherapeutic and HIV agents, calcium channel blockers, some statin medications and certain antidepressants.
  5. St. John’s wort interacts with a variety of medications, including antidepressants, birth control pills, cyclosporine, HIV drugs and blood thinners, so make sure to talk with your doctor before you drink teas with St. John’s wort. Live Strong point out that although many people claim that St. John’s wort can help treat depression in combination with antidepressants, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says that adding St. John’s wort to your depression treatment plan can lead to dangerous levels of serotonin in the body.

Source: Live Strong, Web MD Science Direct NIH