Six Major Benefits of Black Tea: Clearing Heat and Aiding Digestion.

Black tea, originating from China, was first known as Lapsang Souchong. Black tea belongs to the fully fermented category of teas, meticulously crafted from the buds and leaves of the tea plant through typical processes withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying. It is named black tea because the color of the dry tea leaves and the brewed tea liquor are predominantly red. So, do you know the health benefits of drinking black tea?

1. Promoting Salivation and Clearing Heat

Drinking black tea in the summer can quench thirst and relieve summer heat. This is because polyphenols, sugars, amino acids, pectin, and other substances in the tea react with saliva to stimulate saliva secretion, moistening the mouth. Meanwhile, caffeine acts on the hypothalamus's thermoregulatory center to regulate body temperature and also stimulates the kidneys to promote the excretion of heat.

2. Aiding Digestion

Black tea can cut through grease, aid gastrointestinal digestion, stimulate appetite, and strengthen heart function. When you feel bloated, drinking more black tea can help promote digestion. A heavy meal of rich food can often lead to indigestion; in such cases, drinking black tea can eliminate grease and contribute to better health.

Black Tea with Dried Fruits in a Wicker Basket

3. Nourishing the Stomach

The polyphenols in tea have an astringent effect and can be irritating to the stomach, which is more pronounced on an empty stomach. This is why some people feel unwell after drinking tea on an empty stomach. Black tea, however, is fermented and roasted. During this process, the polyphenols undergo an enzymatic oxidation reaction, reducing their content and, consequently, their irritation to the stomach. Black tea not only doesn't harm the stomach but can actually nourish it. The oxidized polyphenols in black tea can promote human digestion. Regularly drinking black tea with sugar and milk can help reduce inflammation, protect the gastric mucosa, and has certain effects in treating ulcers.

4. Promoting Diuresis

Regular consumption of black tea, with the combined effects of caffeine and aromatic substances, helps increase blood flow to the kidneys. It raises the glomerular filtration rate, dilates the kidney's microvessels, and inhibits the reabsorption of water by the renal tubules, thereby increasing urine output. This helps expel excess lactic acid, uric acid, and salt from the body, and can also alleviate edema caused by heart disease or nephritis.

Lemon Black Tea

5. Refreshing and Relieving Fatigue

Medical experiments have found that the caffeine in black tea can stimulate the cerebral cortex to excite the central nervous system, achieving an invigorating effect and making thinking and reactions more acute. It also has an excitatory effect on the vascular system and the heart, strengthening heart contractions and thus accelerating blood circulation to benefit metabolism.

6. Anti-inflammatory and Bactericidal

The polyphenolic compounds in black tea have anti-inflammatory effects. Experiments have found that catechins can bind with single-celled bacteria, causing their proteins to coagulate and precipitate, thereby inhibiting and eliminating pathogens. Drinking black tea is particularly beneficial for patients with bacterial dysentery and food poisoning.

Fruit Black Tea