History of Tea and its Medicinal Properties

The Tea plant (Camellia sinensis), was found to grow naturally in tropical South East Asia that includes parts of China, India, Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand. The Tea drinking habit and the cultivation of tea originated in China around 6th century A.D, gradually spreading to neighboring countries, including Japan. European traders, firstly the Dutch, introduced tea to Europe on a small commercial scale in the 17th century and, thereafter, to other countries. At the beginning tea was considered as a medicinal drink in China and in the other countries to which it was introduced.

By the 19th century the Dutch had started cultivation of tea in Java and Sumatra. Later, the British established more successful cultivations in India and notably in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), enabling the British to emerge as the leading tea trader in the world. By the beginning of the 20th century tea had become the most consumed beverage next to water in the world. By this time medicinal properties of tea were mostly forgotten and it was consumed regularly as a pleasant beverage. In the 1980s there was a renewed interest in the medicinal properties of tea, due to the emergence of results from modern scientific research on tea and consumers all over the world, now view tea in the context of its proven health beneficial properties.

Origin and Nomenclature of Tea

Before organized cultivation started, the tea plant was naturally found in the tropical forests of South East Asia, which include Yunnan and Sichuan (Szechwan) provinces of China, Assam of India, parts of Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia and Thailand (Siam). Botanical nomenclature of plants was initiated by the Swedish botanist Linnaeus who first published the names of plants in Species Plantarum in 1753. He listed the tea plant as Thea sinensis on page 515 of Volume I of Species Plantarum, duplicated as Camellia sinensis on page 698 of Volume II of the same work.1 This had given rise to the debate whether there are two species of tea, the large leaf variety originally found in Assam, India and the small leaf variety originally found in China.

Consequent to more detailed studies of the plant and the flower, botanists concluded that only one species existed, identified today as Camellia sinensis. The two main types are named as

varieties, i.e. Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Assam type) and Camellia sinensis var. sinensis (China type). A sub species of the tea plant known as the Cambod type, Camellia sinensis ssp. Lasiocalyx also exists. Genetic diversity studies carried out recently, using modern molecular biology techniques, have found that most tea plants in cultivation today are hybrids of these three.2

Discovery as a beverage and cultivation of tea started in China and derivatives of the Cantonese name ‘cha’ or ‘tay’ in the Amoy dialect are used all over the world to refer to the plant and the beverage.

Legendary Origin of the Tea Drinking Habit

The early history of tea is obscure and shrouded in mystery and legend. The story goes that the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung accidently discovered tea in 2737 B.C., whilst travelling around the Chinese countryside. Since the water available had been unfit for drinking, he had ordered his servants to boil the water and whilst the open pot was on the fire, the wind has caused some leaves from a nearby tree to fall in to the pot. The Emperor, noticing the resulting aroma had tasted the water and found it to be a very pleasant brew and started consuming tea as a beverage. This was not surprising as Emperor Shen Nung was a famous ‘herbalist’, also known as the ‘Divine Healer’, who often experimented with herbs and pronounced his opinion on them.

Emergence of Tea as a Medicinal Drink

It is evident from the early texts on Tea that in the beginning Tea had been considered a medicinal drink. Pen ts’ao or Medical Book written in the NeoHan dynasty, 25 - 221 A.D., the original authorship of which is ascribed to the Emperor Shen Nung, makes a reference to tea as “good for tumors or abscesses that come about the head, or for ailments of the bladder. It dissipates heat caused by the phlegms, or inflammation of the chest. It quenches thirst. It lessens the desire for sleep. It gladdens and cheers the heart.”

Another early reference to tea as a medicinal drink could be found in Shing lun by Hua T’o, a renowned physician and surgeon who died in 220 A.D. It says, “To drink K’u T’u (bitter tea) constantly makes one think better.”1 Reference to tea as K’u T’u had been made in several texts in this period, probably due to its preparation as a medicinal decoction from unprocessed green leaf.1

In the beginning, tea was exclusive to the Chinese royal circles and the royal tea gardens were protected to prevent tea from reaching the common man. Later, around the 6th century, tea reached common society and the Chinese generally began to regard tea, not only as a medicinal drink but also as a beverage. According to the book Kuen Fang P’u, tea was first used as a beverage in the reign of Wen Ti of the Sui dynasty, 589 - 620 A.D. At that time it was considered as a good beverage but not esteemed. However, its repute as a medicinal drink continued to be very

high as it was observed to be a remedy for “noxious gases of the body, and as a cure for lethargy”.1

Refinement of the Beverage

By late 6th century, tea cultivation and tea drinking had spread widely in China and, during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618- 907), a period of great prosperity in China, it had become the national drink. In 780 A.D., Lu Yu, a tea expert and noted author, published Ch’a ching or Tea Classic, which details the horticultural and other aspects of tea cultivation. It also gives the qualities and effects of the beverage. It quotes an emperor of the Han dynasty as “The use of tea grows upon me surprisingly: I know not how it is, but my fancy is awakened and my spirits exhilarated as if with wine”.1 This indicates that new methods to improve the manufacturing had given a better beverage (probably black tea) compared to the K’u T’u or bitter tea, previously prepared with unprocessed leaves. Lu Yu discusses the choice of the water to be used and the degree to which it should be boiled, indicating the developing refinements to the preparation of tea, as well as to the quality of the beverage.

Evolution and Spreading of Tea Drinking

The quality of the beverage would have attracted the attention of travelers to China and the awareness of tea, and the tea drinking habit, gradually filtered to other parts of the world, through travelers, traders and migrant workers moving between neighboring countries. Two

Arabian travelers who visited China in 850 A.D. had spoken of tea as the common beverage in China, adding that Chinese boil water and pour it over the tea leaf to prepare the beverage and that the Chinese believed that tea possesses medicinal properties.

Over time, initially in China, then Japan and, thereafter spreading to other Asian countries, tea has evolved in to different forms and types, ranging from the Sun-dried, Steamed Green, Roasted Green, Non-fermented, Semi-fermented, White Tea and now, the most commonly consumed, Black Tea.

From the very inception and up to the 19th century, tea drinking was a reverentially ceremonious custom, indulged in mainly by the royalty and nobility in the East and, even after its introduction to the West in the 17th century, a formal tradition observed only by the affluent, leisured classes of society. It did not reach the common citizenry, as a popular commodity, till well in to the 19th century.

Tea in Japan

Tea assumed a more important social position in Japan than in China. Japanese Buddhist priests who pursued religious studies in China introduced tea to Japan, probably around 593 A.D. during the reign of Prince Shotoku. Later the priests brought tea seeds from China and introduced the cultivation of tea to Japan. It has been recorded that Buddhist monk Gyoki, 658 -749 A.D., had built 49 temples and planted tea shrubs in the temple gardens. The first book on tea in Japan, Kitcha Yojoki, The Book of Tea Sanitation, was written by the Buddhist priest Yeisai, chief of the Zen sect in 1191 A.D. He regarded tea as a sacred remedy and acclaimed tea as a “divine remedy and a supreme gift of heaven”, for preserving human life1 .

Later the tea drinking habit became more widespread in the country. The invention of the green tea manufacturing process by San-no-jo in 1738 A.D. paved the way to tea drinking in all parts of the Japanese Empire.

Tea in Europe

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in the Orient by sea and establish trading connections, following Vasco da Gama’s discovery of the sea route to the east, via the Cape of Good Hope in 1497. Father Gasper da Cruze, a Catholic priest, returning to Portugal from China around 1560 recorded thus; “What so ever person or persons come to any man’s house of quality, hee hath a custom to offer him a kind of drink called ch’a, which is somewhat bitter, red and somewhat medicinall, which they are wont to make with certayne concoction of herbs”.

Later, Dutch and the English traders established trade with the East and introduced tea to other parts of Europe.

Early accounts by European authors suggest that tea was regarded as a medicinal drink by the Europeans, also. Notable among them is an account given by the Dutch physician Dr. Nikolas

Drix, 1593 - 1674 in Observationes medicae. “Nothing is comparable to this plant. Those who use it are for that reason, alone, exempt from all maladies and reach an extreme old age. Not only does it procure great vigor for their bodies, but it preserves them from gravel and gallstones, headaches, colds, ophthalmia, catarrh, asthma, sluggishness of the stomach and intestinal troubles. It has the additional merit of preventing sleep and facilitating vigils, which makes it a great help to persons desiring to spend their nights writing or meditating”.1

Introduction of Tea to England

There is no record of the earliest importation of tea to England, probably taking place at the time of the introduction of tea to Holland, France and Germany. Shortly after 1644, English traders established themselves at the port of Amoy (Xiamen, in South East coast of China) which was their Chinese base for nearly a century. The Fukien dialect in the region refers to tea as “tay” and they spelled it as “t-e-a”. The English have, obviously, picked up the name for the beverage during this period.

Seventeenth century records show that the introduction of the beverage to England began in London coffee houses. The first public sale of tea was at the coffee house of Thomas Garway (or Garraway) in Exchange Alley, off Lombard Street, in 1657. As there was little general knowledge about tea at that time, Garway printed a broadside to inform the public about tea. In this famous pamphlet the virtues of tea are extolled as follows; “It maketh the body active and lusty. It helpeth the Headache, giddiness and heavyness thereof. It removeth the obstructions of the Spleen. It is very good against the Stone and Gravel, cleaning the Kidneys and Uriters, being drank with Virgins Honey instead of Sugar. It taketh away the difficulty of breathing, opening Obstructions. It is good against Lipitude Distillations and cleareth the Sight. It removeth Lassitude, and cleanseth and purifyeth adult Humors and hot Liver. It is good against Crudities, strengthening the weakness of the Ventricle or Stomack, causing good Appetite and Digestion, and particularly for Men of a corpulent Body, and such as are great eaters of Flesh. It vanquisheth heavy dreams, easeth the Brain, and strengtheneth the Memory. It overcometh superfluous Sleep, and prevents Sleepiness in general, a draght of the Infusion being taken, so that without trouble whole nights may be spent in study without hurt to the Body, in that it moderately heateth and bindeth the mouth of the Stomack. It prevents and cures agues, Surfets and Feavers, by infusing a fit quantity of the Leaf, thereby provoking a most gentle Vomit and breathing of the Pores, and hath been given with wonderful success.……”1

This indicates that at the time of introduction of tea to England, its medicinal properties were already acclaimed.

Samuel Pepys 1633-1703, the Secretary to the Admiralty who kept a well-known diary, giving valuable details on daily life and customs of his time, makes a number of references to tea in the diary. Entry for Friday, 28 June 1667, includes “….. I went away and by coach hom, and there find my wife making of tea, a drink which Mr. Pelling the Potticary (Apothecary), tells her is good for her cold and defluxions…..”3 revealing that tea had been prescribed for some ailments.

Introduction of Tea to English Society

Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza wedded Charles II in 1662. Apart from the cash dowry and the goods, sugar and spices she brought with her, she also carried a chest of tea, as Catherine was a tea addict. She was able to establish her favorite beverage, tea, as the fashionable drink in the court, influencing the replacement of ales, wines and spirits, by tea on social occasions. Gradually, tea drinking became a habit of generations of British people. Even today it is a much treasured tradition. Britain also played a more important role in introducing tea to many other parts of the world, than any other colonial power.

Introduction of Tea to North America

Tea drinking was introduced to America in the middle of the seventeenth century from Holland. Dutch New Amsterdam (at the southern tip of the Manhattan Island) was the first American colony to drink the beverage. Later the English introduced the custom of tea drinking to New England. By 1763, when England had established a colonial administration in North America, it decided that the colony should be taxed to cover at least part of the cost for troops deployed in its defence. However, the introduction of various forms of taxes strained the relationship between the colonists and the British Government and the Tax for Tea, through the Tea Act of 1773, was deeply resented by the American citizens. Ladies in many cities and villages pledged not to drink tea and even organised themselves into protest societies.

It has been recorded that in some parts of the country, it had been difficult to buy tea even for medicinal purposes without a permit from these societies, indicating that tea had been regarded as a medicinal drink in America too. One such permit issued in Wethersfield, Massachusetts reads;

To Mr. Leonard Chester SR: Mrs. Baxter has applied to me for Liberty to buy a Quarter of a pound of Bohea (Black) Tea. I think by her Account of her age & bodily infirmities it will not be contrary to the Design of our Association to let her have it, & you have my full Consent thereto. I am Yrs & c ELISHA WILLIAMS

This movement against British eventually led to the “Boston Tea Party”, where tea chests brought from England were destroyed by a group of colonists disguised as Indians, the episode eventually culminating in the American Revolution and the subsequent separation of the American colony from the British. The wharf where the tea was destroyed is now marked by a commemorative tablet reading;

HERE FORMELY STOOD

GRIFFIN’S WHARF

At which lay on Dec. 16, 1773, three British ships with cargoes of tea. To defeat King George’s trivial but tyrannical tax of three pence a pound about ninety citizens of Boston partly disguised as Indians, boarded the ships, threw the cargoes, three hundred and forty-two chests in all, into the sea, and made the world ring with the patriotic exploits of the

BOSTON TEA PARTY

Opening of Tea Plantations in Other Parts of the World

Java and Sumatra

After the tea trade was initiated by the Europeans, for many years it was believed that tea could be successfully grown and processed only in China and Japan. Later, the opening of new tea plantations by Europeans in their Asian colonies played an important role in the development of the tea industry. Initially the Dutch opened plantations in Java and Sumatra.

In 1684, the German naturalist and Doctor of Medicine, Andreas Cleyer, brought tea seeds from Japan and planted them in his garden in Batavia (Jakarta) for ornamental purposes and therefore, is credited as the first to grow tea in Java. Later, many private gardens in Batavia had established tea for ornamental purposes. Around 1830, seeds had been obtained from China and tea plantations had been gradually opened in Java and Sumatra.

India

Although the Dutch were the first to grow tea in Java and Sumatra, it was the English who gave impetus to tea cultivation, by launching very successful tea plantations in large areas of India and Ceylon. Concurrently, they established a lucrative trade in tea by promoting consumption of tea throughout the world.

In 1823, Major Robert Bruce, whilst on a trade expedition to the province then known as Burmese Assam, found native tea trees growing in the hills. He arranged a supply of seeds and plants before his departure and these were planted in Gauhati and Sadiya in Assam. Later, many experiments had been carried out on commercial planting using both China and Assam type plants. It was only in 1838 that shipments of black tea were made to the London auction. The plantations flourished and 788,842 acres were under tea by 1935.

Ceylon - Early History

Coffee was first introduced as a commercial crop in around 1830 and, till the emergence of the coffee blight- Haemilia Vastatrix- in 1868, enjoyed great success. In the interim, there had been several attempts by interested individuals, in experimental planting of Tea in Nuwara Eliya and Pussellawa. However, none of these trials developed to a commercial level as the focus then was on coffee.

The first successful commercial trial of tea cultivation was by the Scotsman, James Taylor, who planted 20 acres of tea in Loolecondera Estate, Hewaheta, with an Assam type cultivar in 1867. This soon replaced coffee, then being rapidly ravaged by the coffee blight, and expanded quickly to other plantation areas of the country. By 1899, through the replanting of coffee areas and the opening of virgin land for planting, there were 400,000 acres under Tea in Sri Lanka (Ceylon). The first export of 23 lbs in 1869 has now expanded to an annual average of 300 million kilograms of black tea.

Exclusivity of Ceylon Tea

In terms of grade variety, quality and spectrum of features of attractiveness, unarguably, Ceylon tea has no peer. Tea cultivation in Ceylon is divided in to 26 sub-districts and each region has its own special characteristics, in relation to elevation , climate, weather patterns, type and variety of cultivar, methods of cultivation and refinements in manufacturing style. These factors invest Ceylon tea with that unique “Terroir”, as much as an equivalent diversity of conditions provide the same degree of exclusivity to the best French wines.

Other tea growing countries have introduced process developments and innovations to tea production, designed largely to meet mass marketing requirements, with the economies of scale as the primary objective, but that which succeeds mainly in generating a boring homogeneity of product. The soullessness of CTC tea is a typical example. However, the processing style in Ceylon remains largely traditional and still retains many of the original artisanal aspects of tea -making, designed to deliver to the consumer a tea with its innate goodness and authenticity intact, with a diverse product range, possible only within an orthodox style of manufacture.

In proportion to national output, the number of factories at over 400 in Ceylon is possibly the most numerous of any tea growing country. The adherence to single origin sourcing amongst most local exporters, compelled largely by the current restrictions on the importation of tea, is another welcome point of departure from tea export processing industries in other countries. All these factors combine serendipitously to present a range of unique offerings to the customer, unmatched by any other producing country. Thus, the label attached to “ Ceylon Tea” as the finest tea in the world, is justification of its merit.

Commenting on the ascent of the tea industry after the devastation of the coffee and its’ success

William H. Ukers in his monumental book on the tea industry, “All About Tea” (1935), has dedicated a chapter to “Triumph of tea in Ceylon”1. Further, famous author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle after his visit to Ceylon in 1921 had stated “… the tea fields of Ceylon are as true a monument to courage as is the lion at Waterloo”.3

Tea; Medicine or Beverage

The world view on Tea has undergone several changes since its introduction to society. At the outset, in China and Japan, both from where the tea drinking habit spread to other countries, it was, for many centuries, treasured for its medicinal properties. Later popularization of the habit converted it to a common but much appreciated beverage, with its health benefits taking second place. However, the rapidly developing health consciousness within societies, with regard to food, drink and lifestyle, has refocused attention on the health benefits of tea, in this instance, supported by the evidence of modern scientific research. • Botanical term for tea is Camellia sinensis. • Tea drinking and cultivation had originated in

China around 6th century. • Tea was introduced to Europe in the 17th century. • At the beginning tea was considered as a medicinal drink. • Tea plantations were established in other

Asian countries, notably India and Ceylon (Sri

Lanka) in the 19th century. • By the 20th century tea had become the most consumed beverage, after water, in the world. • In the 1980s, modern scientific research had been initiated on medicinal properties of tea. • Today most consumers consider tea as a beverage which contribute to improve our health.

REFERENCES

1. Ukers, William H., (1935), All about tea. The tea and coffee trade journal, New York. 2. Roy, S.C. and Chakraborty, B.N. (2009), Genetic diversity and relationship among tea (Camellia sinensis) cultivars as revealed by

RAPD and ISSR based finger printing. Indian journal of Biotechnology, 8, 370-376. 3. Pepys, Samuel, Diary entry Friday 28 June 1667, available at www.pepysdiary.com, accessed on 23rd August 2016.