Medicinal and therapeutic potentialities of tea (Camellia sinensis L.) - A review

The medicinal effects of tea have a history dating back almost 5000 years. The chemical components of green tea chiefly include polyphenols, caffeine and amino acids. Tea also contains flavonoids, compounds reported to have anti-oxidant properties having many beneficial effects. Tea flavonoids reduce inflammation, have antimicrobial effects and prevent tooth decay. Consumption of tea may have diuretic effects due to the caffeine. A related compound found in tea is theophylline, a licensed medicine for the treatment of respiratory diseases such as asthma. Today's computer-driven world can generate complicated lifestyle-related disorders and consumption of certain natural product like tea may very well replace the ill-effects of chemical drugs leading to a safer world with happier life. The paper is an overview of revealing all such ethno medicinal research efforts throughout the world over the times. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.