Tea's benefits are in the bag

We wash it down with our favourite biscuit while tackling the crossword, pause mid-morning at work for a break and a gossip with it, and while India and China might produce it, we Brits manage to slurp it like virtually no other nation on earth.

For a while it looked like our love for tea might be coming to an end as we fell for the dark, strong, cosmopolitan coffee varieties that arrived on our shores thanks to the likes of Starbucks and Costa Coffee.

But that appears to have been a fleeting flirtation – as sales of tea in the UK rose last year for the first time in four decades.

The increase is being put down to young women rejecting salary-sapping lattes and smoothies in these recession-hit times – and turning instead to the comfort of a cuppa.

And with good reason, it seems. For a good old brew really does seem to refresh parts of the body other drinks simply can't hope to.

A flood of research into the health benefits of our favourite cuppa suggests that the traditional brew and its herbal-infused cousins could be the answer to many of our health woes, tackling everything from high blood pressure to tooth decay, reducing our risk of potentially deadly conditions and even helping to cure our hangover.

According to one recent study, just three cups of tea a day can reduce our risk of stroke.

Another from Australia suggests that drinking tea can reduce the chances of developing Type 2 diabetes, with those who drank three to four cups of tea a day lowering their chance of developing the disease by one fifth.

That's not all. Tea is stuffed with clever antioxidants which help build defences against cancer and even help lower cholesterol – drinking three cups of tea a day has around the same antioxidant power as munching six apples.

Our cuppa can even help keep the dentist at bay: tea is a natural source of fluoride that can help protect against tooth decay and gum disease.

Herbal teas – long loved by the body-conscious – have a raft of health benefits, too.

Just last month researchers from Newcastle University found that a certain type of mint infusion, Brazilian hyptis crenata, could be as effective as aspirin in relieving pain.

The Tea Council says we sup 165 million cups of tea every day – working out at roughly 40 per cent of the nation's total fluid intake. Our three cups a day provide nine per cent of the daily requirement of vitamin B, 25 per cent of vitamin B2, six per cent of vitamin B6 and ten per cent of folic acid.

Tea also contains manganese, essential for bone growth and body development, as well as potassium, which helps maintain body fluid levels.

All of which is good news for Drew Buchanan, a former Starbucks coffee empire employee who, with business partner Jamie Russell, last year switched sides to launch Edinburgh-based tea company, Tea Tree Tea.

They opened their Bread Street-based business after becoming convinced there was much more to tea than simply a tea bag, some hot water and a 2 price tag.

"We felt that, while coffee had become a luxury product, tea had remained fairly stagnant. Yet there's so much diversity in tea and there's definite health benefits," explains Drew. "There are 2,500 different types of loose leaf teas all from the same plant family – camellia sinensis – yet all different depending on where they are grown and how they are handled."

Those processes dictate flavour, caffeine levels and the colour of the tea separating it into either white, green, oolong and black.

Yet what they all have in common are antioxidants – such as polyphenols that help fight disease as well as signs of premature ageing and cancer-fighting flavenoids.

"Flavenoids have almost miracle properties," says Drew, whose background is in biochemistry. "There have been studies that show they can help protect cell infrastructure which helps protect against cancer.

"Others suggest drinking a good amount of tea can help delay the onset of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's."

The world of white, green and oolong – even rooibas, which is derived from African tree bark – is a world away from the traditional milky brew most of us sup. But Drew insists that training our tastebuds to appreciate new brews is worth the effort.

White tea, explains Drew, is often the healthier option: "It has the lowest caffeine, the most antioxidants. As the name suggest it's a pale, delicate tea – some don't taste of much, but Ying Zhen is a particularly good example, it's peachy with a gold elixir.

"A lot of people will drink green tea and think of it as bitter with a slightly acid aftertaste. But we have five or six different green teas which range from Japanese Cencha, which is very green and fresh, to Gunpowder green tea, which is more gold and with a certain amount of astringency that people associate with green tea."

Green tea became a favourite drink for supermodels hooked on claims that it can aid weight loss and that its bountiful antioxidants can help offset the ageing process. Recent evidence suggests it has serious medical benefits, helping to relieve aches and pains and protecting smokers from lung cancer.

Also on the Tea Tree Tea shelves is oolong, a known appetite suppressant which is also said to enhance the function of enzymes that dissolve fatty acids and boost the metabolism.

And it's also rich in polyphenols – the antioxidants which help keep cholesterol low.

Japanese research suggests oolong tea may prevent tooth decay, thanks to its strong fluorides content, and relieve itching.

And while black tea varieties – such as Darjeeling, Lapsang Souchong, Assam and Ceylon – contain the most caffeine, they have the benefit of bursting with strong flavours to revive and refresh.

Drew's top tea, however, is Formosa Oolong. "I drink our houseblend Tea Tree Tea in the morning because it's a great pick-me-up, then Formosa Oolong in the afternoons.

"It's between a black tea and a green tea with a tiny sweetness to it which is said to drive the metabolism and the libido – both of which can only be good things."

The healing power of tea is far from a modern phenomenon. When tea arrived in Britain in the mid-17th century it was advertised as a cure for apoplexy, catarrh, colic, consumption, drowsiness, epilepsy, gallstones, lethargy, migraine, paralysis and vertigo.

Dr Carrie Ruxton, from the Tea Advisory Panel (TAP), says: "Tea is a national favourite but, as well as being a delicious and refreshing drink, it also has some great health benefits thanks to its high flavonoid content.

"There's a very solid – and growing – body of evidence that indicates tea can play an important role in helping to combat cardiovascular problems such as heart disease and stroke.

"We're not sure of the exact mechanism, but it's thought that tea flavenoids could be involved in controlling inflammation, reducing thrombosis (excess blood clotting], promoting blood vessel function and helping to limit furring up of the arteries.

"In addition, studies have shown that tea may be a useful addition to an anti-cancer diet. However, much more research should be done to establish a definite link with cancer prevention, and to pinpoint why tea might be having an effect. However, this area of research is very exciting for the future.

"We have also found solid evidence of tea helping to boost cognitive function and reduce stress, probably related to tea's modest caffeine content. Some interesting research on the role of tea flavenoids in helping to combat certain neurological conditions is emerging."

Dr Ruxton adds: "There's no doubt that the natural ingredients in tea offer significant health benefits.

"Research shows that you don't need to drink gallons of tea to get real improvements – just three or four cups of tea a day are enough."

Tea Tree Tea, 13 Bread Street, 0131-228 3100, or log on to www.teatreetea.com.

For more about the benefits of tea, go to the UK Tea Council website on www.tea.co.uk and the Tea Advisory Panel, www.teaadvisorypanel.com