What are the benefits of black tea and its side effects?

Drinking Black Tea: The Powerful Black Tea Extract

Benefits of Black Tea

Did you know that black tea is one of the most consumed beverages in the world? Aside from water, that is. Well, this quintessential cup of black tea is from the Camellia sinensis plant and is often blended with other plants for different flavors, like Earl Grey or chai. As such, it contains a rich and robust black tea blend that is the perfect way to shake off the negative vibes, throw back the curtains and start your day as wonderful as you can. In addition to that, it is evidently stronger in terms of flavor and has more caffeine than other teas but less caffeine than coffee.

Apart from its flavorful delight, it is rich in antioxidants that may provide benefits, including improved heart and gut health and lowered "bad" LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. To reiterate, just like green tea, black tea offers a variety of health benefits because it contains antioxidants and compounds that may help reduce inflammation in the body. In fact, drinking black tea is so healthy that it is sometimes sold as an herbal supplement. In most cases, the supplement includes other types of herbs, vitamins, or minerals.

In the United States, people drink it either hot or cold. As per the expert's advice, it should always be steeped in hot water before it is cooled. This induces the process called oxidation which transforms the leaves from green to a dark brownish-black color. Consequently, it means the leaves are exposed to moist, oxygen-rich air. Depending on the tea manufacturer, the amount of oxidation may vary. However, one thing's for sure, black tea is a fully oxidized tea, whereas green tea comes from the same plant but is not oxidized.

Not convinced just yet if you should start drinking black tea? Then, keep on reading. In this article, we will talk about black tea, its origin, and its types. More importantly, we will talk about its health benefits and the various side effects that may occur during black tea consumption.

All About Black Tea

Black Tea with Lemon

Black tea extract is delivered by oxidizing the leaf of the plant called Camellia sinensis. The name 'black tea' can be ascribed to the shade of the tea itself. However, if you look closely, the color is actually dull, amber or orange. This is also the reason why Chinese drinkers alluded to it as red tea. The strategy for black tea creation makes it unique and not the same as different assortments of tea, like green tea and oolong tea.

In fact, registered Dietitian Bill Bradley said that "The contrast between dark tea and customary tea is that the previous tastes are more grounded in view of a complicated oxidation process. Dark tea additionally contains caffeine. As it contains caffeine, it doesn't advance unwinding," he stated.

In the wake of being culled, the tea leaves are wilted to let the dampness out of them. At the point when they lose the greatest measure of dampness, the leaves are rolled, either physically or with the assistance of machines, through exposure to high levels of temperature. When the leaves are oxidized completely, they are arranged according to their size. The caffeine content in any tea is many times a reason for concern. Taking everything into account, one cup of tea has about a portion of how much caffeine is tracked down in some espresso.

The Origin of Black Tea

In a simple answer, black tea started in China in the year 1590, around the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing dynasty. Prior to this, the Chinese would just drink green or oolong tea. Rumors suggest that military men, while going through the Fujian territory, took cover in a tea manufacturing plant that had halted the creation of green or oolong tea. In the meantime, the tea leaves dried out in the sun and got oxidized. At the point when the military men left, the production line continued making tea, yet the shade of the tea was red or dark and tasted seriously rejuvenating and aromatic.

As a result, this brought about the first black tea, known as Lapsang Souchong — "Lapsang" signifies the high mountains, and "Souchong" signifies the little leaves of the tea tree. Consequently, the expression "black tea" was begotten by the English and Dutch brokers. In the year 1610, the Dutch carried black tea to Europe, and so, in 1658, it entered the premise of Britain. As black tea began becoming prominent, the English chose to develop it in three major locations such as Darjeeling and Assam, India.

The Different Types of Black Tea

There are various black teas grown in China and India. At this juncture, we will examine the various kinds of dark tea.

Any kind of tea can be made into black tea, including green tea, yellow tea, white tea, or oolong tea. The main distinction is in the handling of black tea. While a wide range of black tea in China is delivered from the Camellia sinensis plant, black tea in India is created from an alternate variety of tea plants known as Camellia assamica. In addition to that, black tea from Camellia assamica tastes more grounded and has bigger leaves than that from the Camellia sinensis variation.

To give you an idea, here is a rundown of the different kinds of black tea that you should know:

Black Tea List According To The Production Region

  • Lapsang Souchong
  • Fujian Minhong
  • Anhui Keemun
  • Yunnan Dianhong
  • Darjeeling Black Tea
  • Assam Black Tea
  • Ceylon Black Tea
  • Nilgiri Black Tea
  • Kenyan Black Tea

Black Tea List According To Popular Blends

  • Earl Grey Black Tea
  • English Breakfast
  • Irish Breakfast
  • Chai Tea
  • Afternoon Tea
  • Rose Black Tea
  • Russian Caravan

The Benefits of Black Tea: Health Benefits of Drinking Tea

Black Tea Health Benefits

Needless to say, there are a lot of health benefits that black tea can provide. Overall, it advances heart health, treats diarrhea and other stomach-related issues, manages blood pressure, and lowers the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Pro Tip: To maximize its benefits, you should consume it without any additives like milk or sugar.

1. It promotes a healthy heart.

The so-called flavones that are present in black tea can advance heart health. As a matter of fact, researchers have affirmed that drinking at least three cups of black tea each day can decrease the risk of coronary heart disease. Besides, black tea is likewise connected with a decreased risk of myocardial localized necrosis, ischemia, and cardiovascular mortality.

2. It can lower the risk of Ovarian Cancer.

Another component present in black tea is called theaflavins which can restrain the expansion of ovarian malignant growth cells. In a review led by the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, USA specialists, a 30% decrease in ovarian disease risk was seen in patients who drank multiple cups of dark tea each day.

3. It can lower the risk of Diabetes

Researchers have found that drinking tea might assist with lowering the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Black tea contains catechins and theaflavins, which are anti-diabetic properties. Moreover, this healthy drink can also aid with making the body more insulin sensitive and furthermore prevent beta cell dysfunctions. As we all know, beta cells are the one that helps regulate blood glucose levels.

4. It can help boost the immune system.

Black tea is rich in antioxidants that assist with rummaging free radicals. These free radicals will, more often than not, transform DNA and hamper normal cell capability. This can prompt irritation and drive the body into a condition of stress. With this, black tea helps flush out oxygen radicals. Furthermore, it helps restore typical cell and body functions and additionally helps boost the immune system.

5. It may help lower blood pressure levels.

Consuming black tea can assist with reducing blood pressure. Researchers from The Netherlands, Germany, UK, and Italy led a trial where a group was given black tea for a week, as well as their systolic and diastolic tension readings, were checked. Toward the finish of this experiment, members who consumed black tea were found to have lower blood pressure levels when contrasted with the control group.

6. It can improve mental sharpness.

Scientists from The Netherlands found that participants of the black tea study had the most grounded capacity to focus and better auditory and visual ability. Teas, as general knowledge, contain l-theanine that modulates cerebrum capabilities and the human attention process. The caffeine in black tea may likewise improve sharpness.

7. It can strengthen bone health.

As you age, the strength of your bones begins to decline. In any case, researchers have seen that individuals who drink black tea can essentially restore bone thickness or density. Hence, drinking black tea may likewise decrease the risk of fractures that most normally happen in the old because of osteoporosis.

In a research study, rats that were given black tea were found to have a better bone density (13). Subsequently, the moment you turn 30 years old, making black tea a piece of your eating regimen can help safeguard bone thickness and forestall osteoporosis and the risk of bone fractures. Drinking tea, as a rule, was likewise found to decrease hip crack incidents.

8. It may lessen Parkinson's Risk.

Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative illness that, for the most part, affects older people. The research proposes that black tea polyphenols' neuroprotective effect on the mind. There is, in fact, a review directed at the National University of Singapore; researchers observed that the caffeine in black tea was conversely connected with Parkinson's disease.

9. It can improve digestive health.

A healthy stomach can protect you from different illnesses and diseases. For one, consuming black tea can aid with improving the count and assortment of good stomach microorganisms. Additionally, the tea polyphenols may go about as prebiotics and serve as feed for the great stomach microbes. These polyphenols may likewise forestall the development of other unsafe microorganisms in the stomach.

Furthermore, black tea may likewise assist with treating stomach ulcers and possibly decrease the risk of colorectal and esophageal/stomach tumors. However, to be on the safer side, more studies on humans are warranted.

10. It can lower Cholesterol Levels.

An unhealthy lifestyle and irregular food habits may increase bad cholesterol levels in the blood. High LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) can prompt plaque development in the blood vessel walls. This, as a result, restricts the bloodstream and may initiate cardiovascular failure, stroke, and ischemic attack.

In a research study, black tea was displayed to decrease LDL cholesterol by 11.1 %. Analysts had likewise tracked down that black tea (counting in the Chinese variation) had anti-hypercholesterolemic effects in people who were under the obese category and were, therefore, inclined to coronary illness.

11. It can aid in healthy weight loss.

Weight is the underlying driver of different ailments, for example, diabetes, coronary illness, PCOS, elevated cholesterol, and so on. Like green tea, black tea additionally may aid with weight management whenever consumed and paired with good lifestyle changes.

Researchers from the David Geffen School of Medicine, California, USA, found that black tea diminished visceral fat by reducing inflammation-inducing genes. Since a prolonged period of inflammation in the body can induce obesity, drinking black tea may hypothetically assist with forestalling inflammation-induced obesity. In addition, black tea may likewise bring down triglyceride levels.

12. It may lessen the risk of Kidney Stones.

Kidney stones are very painful. They are caused because of an expanded discharge of crystal-forming substances such as oxalate, calcium, and uric acid from the body. You may think that black tea contains a lot of lower levels of oxalate when contrasted with other natural teas —well, you are not wrong about it.

However, some narrative proof recommends that black tea might diminish the risk of kidney stones, but there is no adequate research in such a manner. If you are venturing into tea consumption, for this reason, you should consult a doctor first before making any drastic lifestyle changes.

13. It may help relieve asthma symptoms.

Asthma occurs because of irritation and expansion of the airway or bronchial tubes. This makes breathing in and breathing out troublesome. Episodic proof recommends that drinking black tea or green tea might assist with easing asthma side effects.

In fact, there are certain experiments that have additionally demonstrated that the caffeine in teas could assist in lung function. The flavonoids in tea were additionally found to help those with asthma.

14. It can battle free radicals.

Free oxygen radicals are brought about by factors like contamination, smoking, and stress. To say the least, they are very poisonous to the body. Antioxidants, a specific group of compounds, assist with battling these free radicals. Black tea is stacked with antioxidants, and they assume a part in such a manner. Taking dark tea with lemon may likewise help.

15. It may kill microorganisms or bacteria.

Most microorganisms can cause diseases and may likewise prompt infections and, worse, death. The antioxidants and other phytonutrients in black tea might have antibacterial properties. Another study expressed that teas (counting black tea) may act against the microbes that cause illnesses and diseases.

The Side Effects of Black Tea

Black Tea Side Effects

Drinking moderate measures of black tea is generally safe for adults. However, drinking an excessive amount of black, such as five (5) cups each day, is a different story. High measures of black tea can have secondary effects due to the caffeine in black tea. These aftereffects can go from gentle to serious and incorporate headache, nervousness, sleep problems, vomiting, diarrhea, irritability, irregular heartbeat, tremor, heartburn, dizziness, ringing in the ears, convulsions, and confusion. Likewise, individuals who drink black tea or other caffeinated refreshments constantly, particularly in huge sums, can foster mental dependence.

Drinking extremely high measures of black tea containing in excess of 10 grams of caffeine is not so safe. Dosages of black tea this high could cause death or other extreme aftereffects.

Symptoms of black tea (most frequently in high sums) may include:

Faster breathing

Headache

Increased urination

Irregular heartbeat

Nausea and vomiting

Nervousness and restlessness

Ringing in the ears

Tremors

High blood pressure

Anemia

Pairing up black tea with different kinds of caffeine or an item called ephedra can be extremely hazardous. A portion of the issues it can cause include:

Anxiety

Expanded circulatory strain

Pulse changes

Seizures

Dropping

Note: Black tea or any black tea supplements may interfere with other medicines and supplements you are taking. A few medications can likewise make caffeine stay in your body longer than expected. Talk to your primary care physician to see whether any meds you are producing may have these results. This is because the caffeine in black tea may likewise obstruct specific blood tests.

Final Thoughts: Is Drinking Black Tea Good or Bad?

Black Tea

Now, let's ask the most important question —is drinking black tea good or bad for your health? Well, the short is yes. Considering you drink black tea in moderation and you don't have any underlying medical issues that may worsen due to the black tea's caffeine content.

On a side note, to make your daily cup of black tea much healthier, by using the Berkey water filters to make a good blend between your black tea and purified water. With Berkey Water Filters, you can rest assured that your water is safe because it is a pack leader in water purification that uses gravity to feed water through a gamut of "Black Berkey Purification Elements." If you wish to know more, give us a contact at  (888) 899-3903 and visit our website theberkey.com for more information.

At the end of the day, black tea isn't just a non-sweetened or less-calorie drink yet, in addition, it gives a few medical advantages as it contains strong gatherings of polyphenols, including epigallocatechin gallate, theaflavins, thearubigins, an amino corrosive L-theanine, and a few different catechins or flavonoids which give security against the beginning of a few chronic disorders. With that said, it is definitely a good drink that contains a lot of health benefits.



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