Jasmine Tea - What is it, where it comes from and its health benefits
This unsung hero is mostly purchased for
its pleasant aroma and delicious taste, while its impressive health
benefits usually go unnoticed. To make things right and clear up this
confusion, we decided to dedicate an entire article to the health
benefits of jasmine tea.
We counted 8 ways in which drinking jasmine
tea can strengthen your health, and satisfied taste buds is not one of
them. To find out what they are, just continue reading.
What Is Jasmine Tea and Where Does It Come
From?
Jasmine tea is a scented tea, with the base being green tea (very rarely
white or black tea) infused with the aroma of jasmine blossoms. This
type of tea has been produced in China since the 5th century, but it
became widespread only in the 17th century when it grew to be a valuable
export to Western countries.
Today, the tea is mostly produced in China and Japan, and it is enjoyed
by locals and people abroad alike. Jasmine tea has a symbolic meaning in
China, often associated with love and the Buddha. In northern China, it
is customary to serve jasmine tea to welcome guests.
One of the biggest advantages of jasmine
tea is that it is easily accessible: it is sold both in specialized tea
stores and supermarkets worldwide. Interestingly, not all jasmine
varieties are used in tea infusions, with the most widely-used ones
being the common jasmine (Jasminum officinale) or sampaguita (Jasminum
sambac), pictured above.
In terms of preparation, fresh blooming jasmine blossoms are added to
tea leaves and stored for enough time for the tea to accept the pleasant
aroma of the flowers. The resulting product is a highly aromatic and
slightly sweet tea that can be enjoyed at any time of the day. Now let’s
finally move to the health benefits of this delicious drink.
1. A Cognitive Boost
A cup of jasmine tea contains 15–60 mg of caffeine. The amount of
caffeine depends on how long you let the tea brew and which tea is used
as a base of a specific variety. Caffeine is an important cognitive
booster because it inhibits the functioning of adenosine, a chemical
neurotransmitter that helps you relax.
Caffeine can boost dopamine and serotonin levels, too. This way,
caffeine can help you feel more alert and energetic, ready to absorb all
the information life wants to throw at you. On top of that, jasmine tea
is naturally sweet, so it is one of the few sources of caffeine that
don’t need any added sugar.
But we haven’t finished yet, as jasmine tea
contains the amino acid L-theanine as well, and this compound urges the
release GABA, a neurotransmitter that boosts your attention. What's
even better is that caffeine and L-theanine potentiate one another.
2. Weight Loss
According to some estimates, drinking green tea, the most common base
used to make jasmine tea, can speed up your metabolism by 5% and boost
fat burning by 10-16%.
These fat burning properties are linked to a high content of caffeine
and EGCG, a polyphenol investigated for its numerous health benefits, in
jasmine tea. There is also some scientific evidence suggesting that the
combination of these two compounds may enhance each other’s fat burning
effects.
3. Oral Health
Finally, a caffeinated drink that’s good
for your teeth. There is scientific evidence suggesting that a group of
plant compounds called catechins, which jasmine tea contains, may halt
tooth decay. These compounds are good at killing Streptococcus mutans
bacteria, one of the major causes of cavities.
4. May Prevent the Development of Certain Cancers
Although the cancer-fighting properties of Jasmine tea haven’t been
studied specifically, it is high in antioxidants, so it is capable at
reducing free radical damage. The consumption of high quantities of tea
has been linked to lower risks of prostate, breast and bladder cancer,
although the magnitude of the results is somewhat inconsistent.
5. Could Protect You From Heart Disease
The polyphenols contained in jasmine tea
may protect you from heart disease by preventing the formation of
plaques on your blood vessels. There is also a meta analysis proving the
effectiveness of drinking 1-3 cups of tea at significantly lowering the
risk of developing heart disease and stroke.
6. May Decrease the Likelihood of Type 2 Diabetes
Jasmine tea is great for people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes
because it doesn’t require sweeteners. Apart from that, research
suggests that drinking 3 or more cups of tea a day can lower the risk of
developing type 2 diabetes by approximately 16%. EGCG, too, may help
regulate blood sugar levels.
7. May Be a Protective Measure Against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Disease
The polyphenols and contained in jasmine
tea may lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
disease. These compounds are very effective at neutralizing free radical
damage, which is an important contributing factor of Alzheimer’s and
Parkinson’s disease.
A review concluded that drinking tea on a regular basis lowered the risk
of developing Parkinson’s disease by 15%. Another analysis with over
52,500 participants drew a correlation between teas high in EGCG, which
includes jasmine tea, and a 35% lowered likelihood of brain
dysfunctions, including Alzheimer’s.
Summing up: Jasmine tea is a delicious aromatic drink, packed full of
antioxidants and other compounds that can protect you from many
degenerative diseases and other unpleasant conditions, especially if you
consume more than 1 cup of tea every day. Most importantly, it is
usually not costly and easily accessible.