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Traders taste and discauss Chinese teas at the annual Hong Kong Tea Fair earlier this month. AFP

Almost all of us drink tea - for many it is a must in the morning to jump-start the day and in the afternoon when feeling drowsy or a little low. Tea is imbibed around the world in various ways - with or without milk, as "masala chai", green tea, iced tea, black tea or as a herbal tea to ease a bad throat or severe cold. There is a spectrum of teas available - black, green, white, oolong, red and herbal, to name a few . Black tea is mostly served hot in Asia and drunk plain or with milk, sugar or honey. It is sometimes spiced with cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon.

In Japan, China and Korea, green tea is the focus of tea ceremonies revolving around both the making and drinking of tea.

TIn the garden, used tea leaves are used to help roses grow better, in spas as a soothing agent for eye therapy, in beauty salons and homes as a hair rinse, as a skin soother in cosmetics and as a dye for cloth.

Research has shown that tea contains antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and calcium, all of which are beneficial for your health. It is true that some teas can contain 40 mg of caffeine per cup, but then a cup of freshly-brewed coffee has 85 mg. Recent studies have shown that the antioxidants in tea can help reduce cardiovascular diseases, prevent cancer and improve your immune system. It has also been found that having at least six cups of tea a day can reduce the risk of some types of cancer, because of the polyphenols tea contains. In China, where green tea is drunk almost as much as water, it has been found that certain cancer rates are reduced by about 60 per cent. This is said to be due to the fact that green tea has a greater percentage of antioxidants than black tea.

Having even two or three cups of black tea daily helps prevent hardening of the arteries.

Research involving women over 65 showed that those who drank at least one or two cups of tea daily had higher spine and femur bone densities - common areas of fractures caused by osteoporosis - than women of the same age group who did not drink tea at all.

Tea is now being used more frequently in skin products to ward off cancer and signs of aging. The polyphenols found in tea are, according to scientists, the most potent of all the antioxidants.

Drinking black tea has been found to prevent dental plaque formation and to kill bacteria that infect teeth. The production of acids by the bacteria that form cavities is inhibited by polyphenols, which also prevent the formation of the sticky substance that causes plaque to bind with teeth.

Tea is a good stress-reliever. When you are tense, sit back comfortably, relax and slowly sip a cup of green tea or black tea to sooth your nerves.

When your eyes feel tired after sitting for hours in front of a computer, have an eye-pack treatment. Take used tea leaves and wrap them in either a cloth or paper towel. Pour hot water over them and place them on your eyes while lying down, while making sure that the water is not too hot, to help relieve the strain and relax the eyes.

(HK Edition 08/22/2009 page7)