Black Tea

While green tea has gotten a lot of attention from health-conscious people, black tea is also emerging as another source of healthy natural medicinal ingredients. Black and green tea both come from the same plant whose scientific name is Camellia sinensis. The leaves turn dark over time as they are oxidized by enzymes that are naturally present in the plant, while green tea is heated to inactivate those enzymes.

Black tea is filled with antioxidants called theaflavins that do a lot of interesting things. In animal and in vitro studies, theaflavins turn many genes on and off, which may have an anti-cancer effect. These include genes that promote new blood vessels in a tumor (VEGF), break down tissues allowing to cancer to spread andeven allow cancer cells to multiply. In a study of over 5000 US women, those under 50 who drank 3 cups of tea per day had a 37% lower risk of breast cancer.¹

Theaflavins also reduce levels of many substances linked to inflammation, including IL-10, NF-kB and C-reactive protein. In a double-blind study of 240 patients, an extract lowered LDL cholesterol by 16%.² In another study of 66 patients with heart disease, drinking black tea for 4w also improved the health of blood vessels more than a hot water placebo drink - this is called endothelial function.³

You should always choose organic tea if possible because pesticides decrease antioxidant levels in food. The benefits of black tea are also completely eliminated if you add milk to your tea. It appears that the British never got any of the benefits of this Indian treasure.

1. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18:341.
2. Arch Intern Med 2003;163:1448.
3. Circulation 2001;104:151.