23rd April, 2008: Letting Tea Go to Your Head
You might have read how your leftover tea bags can be used for the skin and eyes (if not, see our December 5th post). But did you know that tea also has some unexpected beauty applications for the hair?
According to Shirley Bragg at About.com, some herbal teas can be used to add shine to your tresses. But that’s not all. Bragg has, herself, witnessed that tea can be used to create highlights or darken hair. She offers the following advice: “If you have red hair, green tea is the color of choice. Chamomile tea will add blonde highlights, black tea will add a glow to dark hair and for gray hair, try ginseng.”
Perhaps your hair color isn’t the problem. Maybe excessive hair is. If so, you’ll want to follow up this study reported by the BBC. In February they noted that one specific herbal tea may control unwanted hair. “Spearmint tea may help to control excessive hair growth in women,” according to Turkish researchers. Thus far results are modest, and additional research is needed, so while you may not want to pin your hopes on this as a solution for hirsutism, keep your eyes open for more word on the potential of this and other herbal tea uses.
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16th April, 2008: What is Herbal Tea?
Herbal tea or tisane is an herbal infusion that does not contain any leaves from the tea bush, Camellia sinensis. (Although tea leaves can be flavored as well, as is the case with Earl Grey, which is black tea and bergamot.) Herbal tea is made by pouring boiling water over loose or bagged fresh/dried flowers, leaves, seeds or roots.
Herbal tea is flavorful and soothing and comes in many varieties: red raspberry, peach, chamomile, orange spice and lemon among them. In addition to great taste, as Organic Tea blog points out, herbal tea is often used to try to combat sleeplessness, alleviate menstruation pain, detoxify the body and clear the mind.
Chamomile tea, for instance, is thought to have sedative effects. Interestingly, even in fiction, author Beatrix Potter, who wrote The Tale of Peter Rabbit, had Peter Rabbit’s mother serving him Chamomile tea to make him feel better And she isn’t the only one. In a number of her mysteries, Agatha Christie’s sleuth, Hercule Poirot, drank herbal tea in order to recover from wet weather. Many modern day celebrities enjoy herbal tea as well.
Pick your flavor! There are so many delicious herbal teas to choose from.
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28th March, 2008: What Your Tea Says About You
Is there a link between your tea preferences and your personality type? Some might argue there is. iVillage has introduced a light-hearted listing that attempts to identify personality traits based on a tea lover’s favored flavors.
Take, for example, Earl Grey fans. Like the delicate aroma of your favorite tea, your feelings are easily bruised, although you “thrive on positive criticism.”
Those who prefer fruit-flavored teas, however, are all about fun and frivolity. Still, even you have a need to unwind occasionally and then “relaxation becomes very important.”
Have a penchant for green tea? iVillage speculates that you are “at one with yourself.” And, if you enjoy your tea on ice, you “are the personification of reserved dignity, a perfect model of self-restraint and control.”
If these descriptions are not ringing true for you, don’t be surprised, because the listings are all in good fun. Still, like a good fortune cookie, there’s a bit of wisdom in every one. Like this sage advice for black tea drinkers, “Kick back and try going with the flow; you never know what you might see from this different perspective.” That’s good advice for all of us.
Not finding your favorite on the list? Read the full article here.
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17th March, 2008: Irish Tea Facts
Ireland may not be known for its love of tea, but the under-rated inhabitants of this country enjoy their tea in abundance. They also like it strong.
So, before you associate the Irish with green beer, consider this little known fact: Ireland arguably has the highest per capita consumption of tea in the world. That’s the word from Pat Friend who has written about this love affair with tea for AllAboutIrish.com. We didn’t believe it either at first, which is why we researched the matter further. Here’s what we learned: although the #1 spot may be debated, year after year the Irish are, indeed, among the top six tea-sipping countries in the world with an average daily consumption ranging from 1.5 kg of tea to 3.2 kg. That’s approximately three to six cups per person per day!
As Friend noted, “Ireland’s close ties to tea have their roots in the country’s history as a part of the British Empire.” The love affair with the beverage began when tea was first imported in 1835 and the preference continues to be for tea that is strong and black. Which explains the saying, “a good Irish cup of tea is strong enough for a mouse to trot on.”
To learn more about Ireland and its tea preferences, view Friends’ full article here.
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7th March, 2008: Tea Timeline
Have you ever wanted to see the big picture when it comes to tea history? We’ve located an online tea history that can help.
The Tea Page features a timeline which extends from 2000 BC, when tea was grown in India, to 1953 AD when the play Tea and Sympathy (starring Deborah Kerr) was performed at New York’s Ethel Barrymore Theater.
Points of interest along the timeline also include the year 222 when tea was “mentioned as a substitute for wine for the first time in Chinese writings.” And, how in 805, tea was “introduced to Japan as a medicine.” Not to forget our British friends, there’s even a spot in the history for 1597 when the first English mention of tea appears.
For more detailed accounts in tea’s history, view these Bigelow posts: The Japanese Tea Ceremony, How Tea Got to England (Parts I and II), How Russia was Introduced to Tea (Parts II and III), and the History of Iced Tea in America.
Posted by Brenda at 6:00 am | Comments (2)
26th February, 2008: Mary Cassatt’s Artful Tea
Gentle women have been sipping tea in Europe and the United States for centuries. By the late 1880s, however, we were blessed with a world-class artist who captured this relaxing pastime in her work. You’ve probably seen prints and posters derived from her original paintings and pastel renderings; they remain quite popular to this day. But you may not know the artist behind the colorful images.
Mary Stevenson Cassatt was born in Philadelphia and studied art abroad where she focused on the Old Masters. Cassatt drew acclaim as the only American selected to exhibit with the French Impressionists. She is also recognized for her depictions of the social and private lives of women. One typical subject was that of well-bred ladies enjoying tea.
By 1908, deteriorating eyesight virtually ended Cassatt’s career, but – luckily for us – she had already given the world a unique body of work. Today you can view much of Cassatt’s art online, including her tea-themed paintings. Afternoon Tea Party can be seen at the New York Public Library Website and The Cup of Tea is only a click away at the Metropolitan Museum of Art site, where you can also find pages filled with additional information on Cassatt.
Five O’clock Tea by Mary Cassatt
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22nd February, 2008: American Tea Rituals
When it comes to tea, history is being made in United States. Tomislav Podreka at Planet Tea says that “We are … at the beginning of the establishment of an American tea ritual.”
Think about it. Throughout its history, tea has been intimately tied to ritual. Consider the expression, “steeped in tradition.” In Asian culture tea is integral to ceremonies and meditation practices as it has been for thousands of years. In England, what began as a duchess’s stomach murmurs in the 1800s evolved into tea time as a compulsory daily break for the masses.
It’s now time for America. As “[ritualization of tea] has occurred in every other culture … there will be no difference here,” Podereka says. He credits herbals – which originated early in American history as simple remedies for minor afflictions – for boosting “America’s tea culture to another level” and notes that “these infusions have made great inroads as a common staple of American life.” More recently, stringent scientific study has given additional credibility to centuries of health claims, priming tea for ritualization based on its health benefits.
What tea rituals will America develop? According to the author, a great deal depends on what influences our choices. Fortified by the latest research, will Americans drink primarily for health? For relaxation? Or something else? In the end, only time will tell, but it’s great to be part of tea history in the making.
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14th February, 2008: Share the Poetry of Tea with Your Valentine
“There is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, Letters and Social Aims
Some of the world’s greatest writers have expressed a special fondness for tea. Now, with poetry lingering in the air, we wanted to share their verse with tea lovers like you. Enjoy! And pass these tea poems along to your Valentine and friends:
O’ peppermint tea –
two delights per sip
as steamy hot as passion
cool as a wintry lake dip
~ Astrid Alauda
Tea does our fancy aid,
Repress those vapours which the head invade
And keeps that palace of the soul serene.
~ Edmund Waller, “Of Tea”
We had a kettle; we let it leak:
Our not repairing made it worse.
We haven’t had any tea for a week …
The bottom is out of the Universe.
~ Rudyard Kipling
tea leaves
tea loves
loves tea
lives tea
leaves tea?
never.
~ Uniek Swain
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8th February, 2008: Who Knew What Tea Could Do?
We now know that tea is good for us in so many ways. But who could have guessed that this healthy drink could be used around the house? It’s true! Tea can be used to help you maintain carpets, plants and more.
For use as a carpet freshener, Diana Smith at Associated Content suggests sprinkling a thin layer of dried tea leaves – either an herbal or fruity variety – over carpet. [Remove the tea from the Bigelow bags first.] Leave it there for 20 minutes or longer, and then vacuum. “As an added bonus, the tea in the vacuum will deodorize the vacuum cleaner as well!”
To keep houseplants healthy during long dry winters, just bury a few tea bags in the soil around the base of your plants. When you water, the bags will retain the moisture longer, “thus keeping the soil from drying out too quickly in dry, cold weather. Additionally, the nutrients from the tea leaves will slowly and steadily give nourishment to your plants, giving them a healthier look and it will keep the leaves from wilting.”
Of course, if you still have more tea bags to put to a second use, keep in mind the beauty tips we shared with you back in December, because tea bags can be used for skin care as well!
Posted by Brenda at 6:00 am | Comment (1)
29th January, 2008: Different Uses for Tea
Tea has proven to have many healthful benefits associated with drinking it, but there are also many benefits that people don’t typically think about. Not only can various kinds of tea be used to help the occasional aches and pains, but it can also be used for some types of beauty treatments. For example, you can use cold teabags as a cold compress to be used on sunburn or even minor cuts and scrapes. You can reduce the itchiness of Mosquito bites and bee stings by placing a wet tea bag over the affected area for 15 to 20 minutes. You can also use some varieties of tea as a facial toner or even an eye compress for tired eyes.
Tea can also be used for various things around the home as well as some craft ideas. You can use tea bags to dye lace or other pieces of fabric so that you can give it that aged and antique look.
For more ways that tea can be used, take a look at the following websites:
http://www.radio86.co.uk/explore-learn/lifestyle-in-china/477/the-many-uses-of-tea-health-and-beauty
http://www.radio86.co.uk/explore-learn/lifestyle-in-china/548/the-many-uses-of-tea-around-the-house
http://www.stashtea.com/beauty.htm
Posted by Elizabeth at 6:00 am | Comment (1)
