 | Blogs > n8tive_american > Cooking 101 with the Bear~man > Medicine Man, The Two Towers. |
9/6/2005 10:52 pmLast Read: |
Yeah, right, like you didn't see that one coming!! After my last page you should have known it was coming. Hahahaha.  Well, today's "Two Towers" are actually two teas that I have been drinking for a few years now. I really didn't know too much about them, just that they seem to take away the bitterness of some of my other medicinal tea mixtures, such as chamomile and lavender. But I did know that green tea has antioxidents that block caffiene in the body, speeds up the metabolism (which can help you lose weight) and helps to reduce certain types of cancer. So I did some snooping around, as I often do, and I found out just what is special about green tea and it's counterpart, white tea. Grean tea has quite a large list of properties, it seems. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol. To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful: cancer rheumatoid arthritis high cholesterol levels cariovascular disease infection impaired immune function Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on the market. White tea, it seems, is made from the same plant as green tea, made from the bud rather than the leaf. So, as a medicine man, I was not surprized to discover, though you may be, that the same compounds that make green tea so effective are even stronger and more effective in white tea. Many Native American teas are made from the bud or blossom, such as chamomile, golden seal,lavender, and strawberry. Anyway, white tea extracts, called essential oils, are now being used in certain tooth pastes, as it was discovered that it contains a very effective form of flouride that is more readily absorbed by the teeth and gums. Not only that, but just last year, a team at the University of Newcastle's Medicinal Plant Research Centre - led by Dr. Ed Okello - found that white tea inhibits the activity of enzymes connected with the development of Alzheimer's. Pretty impressive, huh?? With the verdict in, I think I will keep both green tea and white tea in the pot whenever I brew myself a nice cup of tea......maybe even drink a few more cups of it a day.  Many Blessings. Bear. |
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9/7/2005 3:11 pm |
i couldnt agree more. i use the loose, highest grade green tea purchased at our local chinese herbal shop. there certainly is a noticeable difference in overall well being. for the last month i have been using the loose white tea. it is by far the best tasting tea i have ever had. feeling even better.
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9/7/2005 6:03 pm |
Just had my first Asia FriendFinder date with a nive Chinese lady in London. In the evening we had a meal in China Town. I tried green tea - and strangly, the next day there was an item in the news on TV about green tea and all it's benifits. I'm a coffee drinker and yes I drink too much of the stuff. I may try to get used to this green tea as I know it will be much better for my health that the coffee. And, if I do have a relationship with a Chinese lady, then I'm sure I would end up drinking the stuff anyway. I'll try anything to reduce the amount of junk that I throw down my throat often without much thought. I'm lucky in one respect, because I lead an outdoor life, my weight stays very reasonable for my age. I carry a little that I would rather loose but I'm not prepared to be overtaken by this obsession with being skinny. Keep up the good advice Bear - we all love it - well nearly all of us. Yes there is a hidden message there !!!!
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9/8/2005 4:24 am |
MY Mama brought home 2 cans of "Twinings" one is Earl Grey Tea and the other one 'English Breakfast tea ...Haven't try both >..but with what I've read from your post ,(the benefits) ...think have to try sipping it for good >>>Tnx Bro!
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9/8/2005 10:25 am |
Mike.....I was introduced to white tea about 2 years ago, my wife works in a retail shop on the weekends, and I started buying most of my teas there, as they are cheaper at her store than most places in town. Anyway, There was a box of white tea sitting on the shelf where I normally get my green tea, so I decided to give it a try. Not bad, and it takes the bitter edge off the chamomile tea I drink at night. TopGent.....Let me put on my specs, because I think I missed something  Ok, now am I supposed to read only the odd numbered lines here?? Just teasing. About the only people that give me any grief over my hollistic knowledge are doctors. I guess they're afraid I might say something intelligent. And I am glad to know you are open-minded to a mixed culture relationship, it's hard work, but my wife and I have been making it work for a few years now.  And I do agree, the green tea and white tea are a LOT better for you than coffee, even if you don't end up with an Asian bride. Drink enough white tea or green tea, and it may help you shed a few of those pounds you don't want to talk about. Fedders!!...My dear brother, I think I need to explain this to you in a little better detail. Earl Grey and English Breakfast teas are both made from orange or cherry pekoe, which are "black" teas. Black teas have very few antioxidents and are loaded with caffiene. Be easy with that stuff, especially the Earl Grey. Earl Grey gets it's unique flavor from "Oil of Bergamot", which is a very tricky essential oil. In small doses Oil of Bergamot will help restore a lost appetite, but in very large doses it can be toxic. I think a good tea for you would be peppermint of licorice, both are sweet herbal teas.....or maybe even fenugreek which has a taste kinda' like maple syrup. Many Blessings. Bear.
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9/8/2005 3:03 pm |
While shopping today, thoughts of this blog post. Instead of the coffee which is getting low, I've bought some Chinese single estate green tea. Don't know if this is the good stuff but it's got to be better for me than the coffee. It will take some getting used to but I've had three cups today and I'm still alive so it can't be that bad. Also another good side affect - I'm not having the two spoons full of sugar in each of the seven or eight cups of coffee. I'll let you know if I can keep this up. The worst time will be first thing in the morning - I may still have to have that coffee - perhaps as my treat for the day?
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9/8/2005 8:24 pm |
Bear, I didn't know there was white tea. An ex Chinese boyfriend gave me real Chinese tea (the leave unfold) and it has flowers it it. So it's pretty to look at while you drink it. And good for you. Puppy
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9/8/2005 8:54 pm |
TopGent....Even "bad" herbs do have some medicinal value. My paternal grandfather used to drink 2 cups of coffee a day, and never got osteoporosis, which I am sure you know causes the bones to weaken as we get older. He lived to the ripe age of 76, went through chemotheraphy 3 times, and never had any weaking of the bones. I am sure it had something to do with the coffee. But you are very wise to make the switch to green tea, I think. It's good for the body and the mind. I have always heard that all the great philosophers drank only green tea, and not just the Asian ones either, men like Aristotle and Socrates were well known to drink green tea. The biggest problem with switching from coffee to non-caffeinated beverages is the headaches. If you start having this problem, which is a mild form of withdrawl, I have two other teas that may help. The Onondagas Indians steeped pennyroyal leaves and drank the tea to cure headaches, and as I may have mentioned earlier, chamomile. Both of these teas, though, do have a slightly bitter taste, but nothing a teaspoon of honey can't cure. Many Blessings....and do keep the updates coming in. Bear.
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9/8/2005 9:33 pm |
Thanks n8tive for this...I'm an avid green tea drinker and never heard of white tea, going out to find me some!!!
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9/9/2005 8:05 am |
Finally, I made the Strawberry Yogurt Ice-cream this morning. But it was done 50% ok coz of the gelatin problem. It became solid so fast. Next time, I will put it in a later stage. Tks.... Bear...
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9/9/2005 10:14 pm |
Mag......Maybe the gelatine you used was stronger than the kind we have in the USA, so try just one envelope. Most of the gelatine here in the States contains a lot of sugar, that's why it weighs so much more. EZ2.....Yeah, bro, I never heard of it before either. Like I said, I just saw it and decided to give it a try. I didn't know it was actually that much stronger than regular green tea though. Many Blessings. Bear.
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9/10/2005 9:48 am |
N8tive - I see... The weight of each envelope is 30g (without sugar).
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9/10/2005 9:28 pm |
Mag.....Correct. American gelatine is loaded with sugar, that's why it weighs 75g. MB. B.
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 9/12/2005 11:15 pm |
Sugar in gelatine *gaaackk* Even us barbarian antipodeans don't do that! 
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