Synonym(s)
Black tea
DefinitionThis section has been translated automatically.
Dried leaves of the tea bush (Camellia sinensis). The shrub grows up to 15 m high and 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. It contains significant amounts of caffeine and, in small quantities, theobromine and theophylline, substances that belong to the methylxanthines and are used as drugs in various areas of medicine.
EffectsThis section has been translated automatically.
Most significant is the use of theophylline as a remedy for asthma. Caffeine, identical to the theine, has a stimulating and slightly diuretic effect. If the tea is left to infuse for only 2 minutes, the finished tea contains primarily the methylxanthines and thus has a stimulating effect. Other ingredients of black tea are tannins, which are only released from the leaves after a ten-minute infusion. The tea produced in this way is then no longer suitable as a luxury food due to its bitter taste, but can be used for envelopes.
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Field of application/useThis section has been translated automatically.
- 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.
Note(s)This section has been translated automatically.
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.
LiteratureThis section has been translated automatically.
- Kraft K (2007) Skin diseases. Zschr Phytotherapy 28: 76-78
- 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
Prof. Dr. med. Peter Altmeyer
Prof. Dr. med. Martina Bacharach-Buhles