Tea, black

Dried leaves of the tea bush (Camellia sinensis).

The shrub, which grows up to 15 m high, is native to the southern hemisphere. It is mainly cultivated in many Asian countries, e.g. China, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, and is also exported from these countries.

Black tea is produced by fermentation over 4 hours at temperatures between 25 and 35°C. Due to several enzymatic reactions, the spectrum of ingredients changes. The tea leaves take on a reddish-brown to black color.

Caffeine up to 4 %, theobromine, adenine, xanthine, polyphenols, quinones, theanine, flavorings, monoterpene alcohols, and aldehydes: linalool, geraniol, manganese, aluminum, fluorides.

• Black tea applications or compresses are recommended in addition to ointment therapy for acute to chronic eczema.
• Instructions: 1 tablespoon or 2 bags of black tea per 0.5 l of water, boil for 15 minutes, strain, allow to cool, then apply several times a day as a compress or poultice, preferably over the eczema area treated with cream/ointment (= greasy and moist). Due to the strong drying effect, black tea compresses should not be applied directly to untreated skin. Do not use flavored teas.

There is serious evidence that regular consumption of black and green tea for several years (> 40 years of tea drinking; 2 cups or more per day) significantly reduces the risk of carcinoma (see below carcinoma, spinocellular).

Black tea has no allergenic potency - in contrast to compresses with camomile tea or oak bark, which are also popular.

Black tea is much easier on the stomach and circulation than green tea.

Black tea should be steeped for up to 3 minutes at an optimum temperature of 70°C: stimulating effect, especially of methylxanthine
(theine = caffeine), this stimulating effect is lost if the tea is steeped for longer than 5 minutes.

With longer infusion times, tannins (e.g. catechins, epicatechins) increasingly dissolve and the tea becomes undrinkable, but can be used for moist compresses for dermatoses: drying and anti-inflammatory effect!

1. Kraft K (2007) Diseases of the skin. Zschr Phytotherapy 28: 76-78
2. Rees JR et al. (2007) Tea consumption and basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer: results of a case-control study. J Am Acad Dermatol 56: 781-855
3. https://arzneipflanzenlexikon.info/teestrauch.php
4. Blaschek W (2015) Wichtl tea drugs and phytopharmaceuticals. A handbook for practice. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft Munich. S 640-643
5. Montag A (2023) Plants and skin. Springer-Verlag GmbH. S. 959-961
6. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-63014-3_7