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The First Herbal Extract? Prehistoric Tea

The First Herbal Extract? Prehistoric Tea

by Cheryl Myers | November 11, 2014

Popular medicinal teas for modern health.

Tea, Camellia sinenesis, is the most popular beverage in the world (excluding water), and most likely, some form of tea was the world’s first herbal extract.1 Soaking dried camellia plants in hot water releases compounds that can have systemic effects, from stimulating caffeine, to cancer preventing polyphenols, to the calming power of theanine. The research on the benefits of both black and green tea is exhaustive and inarguable. However, “tea” has become a catch-all phrase that also includes herbs other than camellia. These herbs usually do not contain caffeine and are referred to as herbal teas. Some examples are yarrow, peppermint, chamomile and ginger tea.

While black and green tea most likely originated in China at least 4,000 years ago, other herbal teas go back farther still. There is evidence that Neanderthals made tea from yarrow 60,000 years ago, as the dried plant has been found in their burial sites. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, yarrow has been used traditionally for menstrual cramps, inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, for relaxation, and even for bacterial infections.2-5 The desirability of hot water plant extractions (aka “tea”) and their medicinal applications must have been quite powerful for these drinks to persist over sixty millennia to our present day. 

There are hundreds of teas and herbal teas used around the world, and their medicinal effects can be as diverse as the plants themselves. Some herbal teas are single plants, and some are blends of a variety of sources.

One herbal tea that has many health applications is chamomile. It is easy to grow in the garden, dry the flowers, and steep in a tea. It is also widely available in health food stores. There are some unique compounds in the flowers that are therapeutic, such as volatile oils (including bisabolol, bisabolol oxides A and B, and matricin) and flavonoids (especially a compound called apinegin).

One of the best-known folk uses of this herbal tea is for calming. There are 93 studies on the electronic database of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) called Medline (available at PubMed.gov) specifically on chamomile tea for issues as diverse as reducing inflammation, lowering blood sugar, and protecting the kidneys during a specific type of chemotherapy.6-8 There is emerging science that it helps reduce allergic reactions, too. There is even research on using chamomile tea topically to soothe inflammation and facilitate wound healing. Chamomile tea has a mild flavor and many drink it for its taste, regardless of medicinal applications, perhaps even unaware of its many health benefits.

Another common medicinal tea is peppermint, which is a folk remedy for upset stomach. Peppermint tea is served after dinner in many homes, as the peppermint slightly relaxes the stomach and reduces the uncomfortable feeling of excessive fullness. The oils in the tea have antispasmodic effects, so they are useful for stomach cramping or digestive discomfort. There is evidence peppermint tea is antimicrobial, meaning it kills potentially dangerous germs, and may even have some efficacy against helicobacter pylori, the microorganism responsible for many ulcers. Most have heard the phrase “after dinner mint.” One generally doesn’t hear “after dinner pepper” or “after dinner rosemary.” The use of mint for effective calmative effects on gastrointestinal upsets goes back centuries.

One of my favorite herbal teas is ginger tea. As an educator, I am often called upon to speak at events, sometimes for many hours, and as I do a lot of work with the press, I may do radio and television interviews after the event. It might be hard to believe that your voice is something of a muscle— until you overuse it and lose your voice. If you have the beginning of a cold or other throat irritation, the problem is compounded. Though not terribly painful, it is a problem when people have shown up to hear a lecture and your voice has left the building.

I was working with a very creative food scientist some years ago, and lost my voice right before a big event. He told me he would fix me up in a hurry. I didn’t have much faith. After all, I knew a lot about supplements and nothing was working. I was sucking on lozenges and keeping very quiet in an attempt to regain (at least partially) my speaking voice. He came in with a hot cup of tea made with crystalized ginger and honey. It tasted very good, though there was a bit of a stinging sensation in my raw throat from the active compounds in the ginger. A few minutes later, my voice came back. The benefit lasted about 45 minutes to an hour, and then I needed to have another hot cup of ginger tea. It has since become my go-to remedy, and since I use dried, crystallized ginger and honey, it travels well. However, one can use a small piece of fresh, peeled ginger, about an inch long. Chop it very finely, grate it, or put it through a mincer and blend with hot water. Let it steep for 5 to 10 minutes to let the hot water extract the effective ginger compounds.

If you have overworked your vocal cords, the healthiest thing to do is give them a rest. But in an emergency, ginger and honey tea is highly effective. The compounds in ginger that caused the mild stinging sensation improve circulation and reduce inflammation, so it makes sense it would help settle down an inflamed throat. Ginger tea is also highly effective for nausea, motion sickness and inner ear disturbances. It contains antioxidants and anti-cancer compounds, boosts the immune system and has some antibacterial properties.

There is a great deal of debate on the use of ginger in pregnancy. Ginger is quite effective at relieving the nausea and upset stomach that often accompanies pregnancy, and has been used as a traditional folk medicine for centuries. There are many published human studies on use in pregnancy, even in intractable nausea syndromes like hyperemesis gravidarum. However, some sources cite that ginger should not be used in pregnancy. The PDR for Herbal Medicines, 4th Edition, states that “the American Herbal Products Association lists pregnancy as a contraindication [for use of ginger]; however, no clinical evidence has been found to substantiate any harmful effects to mother or fetus. Most research provides evidence that ginger can be used and is effective in the treatment of morning sickness.” The number of studies supporting ginger’s use greatly outweighs studies indicating it is problematic, but until herbal experts reach a consensus, it is best to discuss use while pregnant with the health care practitioner overseeing pregnancy care.

Because all tea is from the botanical kingdom, changes in soil, climate and growth range can have a dramatic impact on these medicinal plants. There is some considerable concern that climate change will impact tea flavor, constituents, availability and variation of botanical quality. In an article in the respected American Botanical Council journal, HerbalGram, author Selena Ahmed, PhD, states of tea quality in China, “It appears that the extreme rains, which are getting more frequent with climate change, may serve to dilute tea phytochemicals and explain the changes that farmers are experiencing.”9 

Striving to protect the natural world and reduce damage to our environment is necessary for our own survival. Ensuring the quality and availability of tea as a beverage and a medicine is important commercially, ethically and medically.

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