Tea is the magic key to the vault where my brain is kept

Vinod C Dixit

(dixitpatrakar@yahoo.in)

Do you love a good cup of tea? 21st May is designated as International Tea Day. Tea is the most popular of all drinks in the modern civilized society. Nowadays, some people can go without food but they cannot go without a morning cup of tea. It is made from the leaves of the tea plant. The tea industry provides millions of people around the world with cups of tea in the morning.

One of the biggest producers of tea, India, recognizes the importance of tea in its communities and as a commodity for commerce. The first International Tea Day was celebrated virtually and was opened by FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu. The first International Tea Day was celebrated in India's capital city, New Delhi, in 2005 and the celebrations were later followed by other tea growing countries - Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda and Tanzania. It brought together the world's countries where tea cultivation is an important source of jobs and income. The day also focuses on deliberating on urgent issues such as residues, climate change, technology and trends on production and consumption in the tea industry.

As per the United Nations, there is evidence that tea was consumed in China 5,000 years ago. The story goes that Chinese Emperor Shen Nung first tasted the beverage when he and his soldiers were busy sheltering under a tree and some windblown tea leaves fell into a pot of boiling water which then infused into it and resulted into today's most consumed drink. Using tea plants brought from China, the first tea estates in India were established in Assam and the Assam Tea Company began commercial production of tea in the region. After water, tea is the world's most consumed drink and India is the second largest producer of tea in the world after China.

The tea industry is a main source of income and export revenues for some of the poorest countries and, as a labour-intensive sector, provides jobs, especially in remote and economically disadvantaged areas. Tea can play a significant role in rural development, poverty reduction and food security in developing countries, being one of the most important cash crops.

People from all sectors take it. There are many other uses for tea other than drinking it, such as using it for alternative remedies and making it into supplements. Today, people drink tea for many reasons: some drink it to help calm down after an intense day of work, others drink it because they enjoy its taste, while yet others may drink at night before going to sleep. Nowadays, green tea known as a functional food especially when help to treat diseases, especially obesity. Recently some doctors in China opined that tea, especially green tea, is an antidote to cancer and heart diseases. But sometimes, taking too much tea causes harm to our health and appetite. Tea is also a very cheap drink. It refreshes our body and mind. It is true that tea is a refreshing drink, but drinking too much tea is not good for health. Because it kills our appetite, spoils our appetite, causes insomnia and some other physical problems.