Herbal Tea Remedy for Crohn's Teas

Crohn's disease has been often treated with medications that have some adverse effect on the human body. Owing to such side effects people suffering from this disease are looking for a better solution. One of these effective solutions includes herbal tea. Most people consume vitamin supplements and go through a proper diet for gastrointestinal symptoms, which is absolutely good but consuming herbal loose leaf tea can reap additional benefits without leading to any side effects. The organic solution of having tea, especially mint tea is an accurate cure and can help get relief from the symptoms of the disease.
According to some studies conducted by a group of researchers, warm liquid is easy for the body to digest and when useful herbs in the form of liquid comes in direct contact with the stomach walls and intestines, they create a soothing effect. Supplements in the form of medicine are difficult to digest on the contrary. Some of them might even contain alcohol which results in most of the herb getting absorbed in the mouth.
Peppermint tea is considered as one of the best remedies for this disease. It provides a natural and soothing treatment that helps the person suffering from it. Peppermint is made of essential oil known as menthol. When menthol is ingested, it creates a powerful antispasmodic effect that soothes the aching muscles of the digestive system. Furthermore peppermint tea has a calming aroma that relaxes the nerves and calms the nervous stomach. This beverage also alleviates the stomach cramps and the cramps suffered by the intestinal muscles.
Peppermint Tea is also known for removing and reducing the following symptoms of Crohn's disease:

Abdominal pain

Gas

Irregular bowel movements

Flatulence

Bloating

The best time to consume the mint tea would be after large meals and before going to bed.
Chamomile tea is another herbal beverage drink that has been used for ages in treating different ailments including common gastrointestinal issues. Chamomile is known for its mild sedative effects which have anti-inflammatory, carminative and anti-spasmodic properties. These properties help the loose leaf tea to aid on digestion, sooth the stomach muscles and heal the mucous membrane on the digestive tract. The tea has the necessary properties to reduce the following Crohn's symptoms:

Digestive discomfort

Gas

Flatulence

Stress

Chamomile tea is best consumed before bed. As it has sedative properties it helps the body to rest and sleep properly. Chamomile belongs to the daisy flower family. Any person suffering from allergies to daisies should avoid this tea.
Usually, fennel, ginger and lemon balm tea can also help in the reducing the effects of Crohn's disease. They have healing properties which reduces the burning sensation and other discomforting symptoms in the body. If peppermint or chamomile is not available in your area, any of these three teas can be consumed. There are several online stores that offer sale of these teas; Hannah's Kitchen is one of the reputable ones

The Moroccan Tea Drinking Culture

The culture of tea drinking varies from country to country, each of them unique and historical in their own respect. Most of these tea traditions mainly begin with the tea being first used as a medicinal beverage and then gradually being accepted as a social drink. In countries like China and Japan, green tea is holds prominence over all other, while in India, masala chai or spiced tea is the one that is generally served to guests.


In Morocco, brewing and drinking tea is a much-loved tradition that signifies hospitality and friendship, and is carried out with great care. Using green tea as a base, with mint leaves and sugar, Moroccan mint tea is served throughout the day and particularly at mealtimes. While food preparation is the domain of women, the tea is often prepared by the male head of the family and is considered to be an art passed down through generations.


The preparation of tea, a process referred to as atai, is part of the tradition and is often done in front of the guests. The ingredients may vary slightly in different regions, and as the seasons change, but the principle of warm hospitality remains unchanged. The tea is served in small glasses, and is only considered to be drinkable if it has foam on top. The pouring of the tea from a teapot with a long curved spout is done from a height of at least twelve inches, causing foam to form on the surface of the tea. If there is no foam, the tea is not ready to be served and needs to steep a bit longer, so the tea in the glass is poured back into the pot. In some areas, the method of pouring and returning the tea to the pot is used to mix the ingredients and is part of the ritual. Getting the tea into the glass from that height is a matter of practice and the sign of an experienced host or hostess.


The tea ingredients generally include Chinese green tea, typically a variety called "gunpowder tea" from the Zhejiang Province of China, mint leaves (that generally consist of a mix of peppermint and spearmint) and sugar. In some places pine nuts may be added to the mixture. In the winter months, mint may be substituted with bitter chiba (wormwood) leaves, or with louiza (lemon verbena) giving in a distinctive lemon flavour. Interestingly, Morocco is considered to be one of the largest importers of Chinese green tea in the world.

To brew a tea pot you would add two teaspoons of green tea to about a half litre of boiling water and allow it to steep for fifteen minutes or more. This mixture is then filtered into the teapot and sugar is added to taste, with the mint being added just before serving. Alternatively the host may put mint leaves into individual glasses and pour the tea over it, releasing the flavour and aroma that is distinctively Moroccan.

Loose Leaf Tea Leaves Grades

As we already know, tea is graded into various different categories depending on different criteria. According to its level of oxidation, there is green tea, black tea, white tea and oolong tea, while depending on region we have Darjeeling tea, Assam tea, Chinese teas, and so on. However, even within these categories, the leaves are further divided into several categories based on the quality and condition of the tea leaves. The highest grades are referred to as "orange pekoe", and the lowest as "fannings" or "dust". Thus even a high quality tea like a Darjeeling tea has fannings or dusts which are the remnants that are produced during the sorting and crushing process of the whole loose leaf tea.


Pekoe tea grades are classified into various qualities, each determined by how many of the adjacent young leaves (two, one, or none) were picked along with the leaf buds. Top-quality pekoe grades consist of only the leaf buds, which are picked using the balls of the fingertips. Fingernails and mechanical tools are not used to avoid bruising. When crushed to make bagged teas, the tea is referred to as "broken", as in "broken orange pekoe" (BOP). These lower grades include fanning s and dust.

There are several sub categories of grading even within the Orange Pekoe and Fannings grades.

Orange pekoe or OP is a term used in the Western tea trade to describe a particular genre of black teas (orange pekoe grading). Despite a purported Chinese origin, these grading terms are typically used for teas from Sri Lanka, India, and countries other than China; they are not generally known within Chinese-speaking countries. The grading system is based upon the size of processed and dried black loose leaf tea leaves.


The tea industry uses the term orange pekoe to describe a basic, medium-grade black tea consisting of many whole tea leaves of a specific size. Within this system, the teas that receive the highest grades are obtained from new flushes (pickings). This includes the terminal leaf bud along with a few of the youngest leaves. Grading is based on the 'size' of the individual leaves and flushes. This also determines the 'wholeness', or level of breakage, of each leaf, which is also part of the grading system. A few examples of OP:


OP1—slightly delicate, long, wiry leaf with the light liquor Flowery OP—high-quality tea with a long leaf and few tips, considered the second grade in Assam, Dooars, and Bangladesh teas, but the first grade in China Golden Flowery OP1—higher proportion of tip than FOP top grade in Milima and Marinyn regions, uncommon in Assam and Darjeeling


Tippy Golden F OP—the highest proportion of tip, main grade in Darjeeling and Assam Fannings are small pieces of tea that are left over after higher grades of teas are gathered to be sold. Traditionally these were treated as the rejects of the manufacturing process in making high-quality leaf tea like the orange pekoe. Fannings with extremely small particles are sometimes called dusts. Fannings and dusts are considered the lowest grades of tea, separated from broken-leaf teas which have larger pieces of the leaves. However, the fannings of expensive teas can still be more expensive and more flavourful than whole leaves of cheaper teas. A few examples of fannings:

PF—Pekoe Fannings

OF—Orange Fannings: From Northern India and some parts of Africa and South America.

FOF—Flowery Orange Fannings: Common in Assam, Dooars, and Bangladesh. Some leaf sizes come close to the smaller broken grades.

GFOF—Golden Flowery Orange Fannings: Finest grade in Darjeeling for tea bag production

The Moroccan Tea Drinking Culture

The culture of tea drinking varies from country to country, each of them unique and historical in their own respect. Most of these tea traditions mainly begin with the tea being first used as a medicinal beverage and then gradually being accepted as a social drink. In countries like China and Japan, green tea is holds prominence over all other, while in India, masala chai or spiced tea is the one that is generally served to guests.




In Morocco, brewing and drinking tea is a much-loved tradition that signifies hospitality and friendship, and is carried out with great care. Using green tea as a base, with mint leaves and sugar, Moroccan mint tea is served throughout the day and particularly at mealtimes. While food preparation is the domain of women, the tea is often prepared by the male head of the family and is considered to be an art passed down through generations.



The preparation of tea, a process referred to as atai, is part of the tradition and is often done in front of the guests. The ingredients may vary slightly in different regions, and as the seasons change, but the principle of warm hospitality remains unchanged. The tea is served in small glasses, and is only considered to be drinkable if it has foam on top. The pouring of the tea from a teapot with a long curved spout is done from a height of at least twelve inches, causing foam to form on the surface of the tea. If there is no foam, the tea is not ready to be served and needs to steep a bit longer, so the tea in the glass is poured back into the pot. In some areas, the method of pouring and returning the tea to the pot is used to mix the ingredients and is part of the ritual. Getting the tea into the glass from that height is a matter of practice and the sign of an experienced host or hostess.


The tea ingredients generally include Chinese green tea, typically a variety called "gunpowder tea" from the Zhejiang Province of China, mint leaves (that generally consist of a mix of peppermint and spearmint) and sugar. In some places pine nuts may be added to the mixture. In the winter months, mint may be substituted with bitter chiba (wormwood) leaves, or with louiza (lemon verbena) giving in a distinctive lemon flavour. Interestingly, Morocco is considered to be one of the largest importers of Chinese green tea in the world.

To brew a tea pot you would add two teaspoons of green tea to about a half litre of boiling water and allow it to steep for fifteen minutes or more. This mixture is then filtered into the teapot and sugar is added to taste, with the mint being added just before serving. Alternatively the host may put mint leaves into individual glasses and pour the tea over it, releasing the flavour and aroma that is distinctively Moroccan.

Tea Leaf Grading

As we already know, tea is graded into various different categories depending on different criteria. According to its level of oxidation, there is green tea, black tea, white tea and oolong tea, while depending on region we have Darjeeling tea, Assam tea, Chinese teas, and so on. However, even within these categories, the leaves are further divided into several categories based on the quality and condition of the tea leaves. The highest grades are referred to as "orange pekoe", and the lowest as "fannings" or "dust". Thus even a high quality tea like a Darjeeling tea has fannings or dusts which are the remnants that are produced during the sorting and crushing process of the whole loose leaf tea.


Pekoe tea grades are classified into various qualities, each determined by how many of the adjacent young leaves (two, one, or none) were picked along with the leaf buds. Top-quality pekoe grades consist of only the leaf buds, which are picked using the balls of the fingertips. Fingernails and mechanical tools are not used to avoid bruising. When crushed to make bagged teas, the tea is referred to as "broken", as in "broken orange pekoe" (BOP). These lower grades include fanning s and dust.

There are several sub categories of grading even within the Orange Pekoe and Fannings grades.

Orange pekoe or OP is a term used in the Western tea trade to describe a particular genre of black teas (orange pekoe grading). Despite a purported Chinese origin, these grading terms are typically used for teas from Sri Lanka, India, and countries other than China; they are not generally known within Chinese-speaking countries. The grading system is based upon the size of processed and dried black loose leaf tea leaves.


The tea industry uses the term orange pekoe to describe a basic, medium-grade black tea consisting of many whole tea leaves of a specific size. Within this system, the teas that receive the highest grades are obtained from new flushes (pickings). This includes the terminal leaf bud along with a few of the youngest leaves. Grading is based on the 'size' of the individual leaves and flushes. This also determines the 'wholeness', or level of breakage, of each leaf, which is also part of the grading system. A few examples of OP:

OP1—slightly delicate, long, wiry leaf with the light liquor Flowery OP—high-quality tea with a long leaf and few tips, considered the second grade in Assam, Dooars, and Bangladesh teas, but the first grade in China Golden Flowery OP1—higher proportion of tip than FOP top grade in Milima and Marinyn regions, uncommon in Assam and Darjeeling


Tippy Golden F OP—the highest proportion of tip, main grade in Darjeeling and Assam Fannings are small pieces of tea that are left over after higher grades of teas are gathered to be sold. Traditionally these were treated as the rejects of the manufacturing process in making high-quality leaf tea like the orange pekoe. Fannings with extremely small particles are sometimes called dusts. Fannings and dusts are considered the lowest grades of tea, separated from broken-leaf teas which have larger pieces of the leaves. However, the fannings of expensive teas can still be more expensive and more flavourful than whole leaves of cheaper teas.
A few examples of fannings:

PF—Pekoe Fannings

OF—Orange Fannings: From Northern India and some parts of Africa and South America.

FOF—Flowery Orange Fannings: Common in Assam, Dooars, and Bangladesh. Some leaf sizes come close to the smaller broken grades.

GFOF—Golden Flowery Orange Fannings: Finest grade in Darjeeling for tea bag production

Green Tea- A Hype or a Super Food?

Green tea has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to treat everything from headaches to depression. The leaves are supposedly richer in antioxidants than other types of tea because of the way they are processed. Green tea contains B vitamins, folate (naturally occurring folic acid), manganese, potassium, magnesium, caffeine and other antioxidants, notably catechins.

Green tea frequently makes the cancer-preventing super foods lists due to the anti-cancer effects of green tea and green tea extracts found in laboratory research.

It contains antioxidants called catechins that may slow down the growth of cancer cells. In laboratory studies, catechins stop free radical damage to cells and reduce the number and sizes of tumours. The most commonly studied catechins, called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), may cause cancer cells to die, rather than grow and spread.

But it's important to go beyond petri dishes, test tubes, and lab animals - to really be a superfood, some human research is necessary. Two large human studies found that people who drank more tea were also at a lower risk of developing certain cancers. But another study showed no correlation between green tea consumption and the incidence of cancer.

Whether green tea prevents cancer or not, it still may be good for you. The antioxidants may help to protect your cells from free radical damage, and some studies indicate green tea may boost weight loss - at least a little bit.

Green tea and black tea both come from the same plant called Camellia sinensis. Black tea is made when the leaves are allowed to ferment. Green tea leaves are steamed or heated immediately after picking to prevent fermentation. Since they're harvested and processed more quickly, they contain more of the polyphenols than black tea leaves.

There are many brands of Green tea available in grocery stores, coffee shops, and specialty stores. Some brands are sold in individual tea bags, which makes them easy to prepare. Just place a teabag in a cup, add hot (not boiling) water, steep for two minutes or so, and then remove the bag. There's very little mess and no waste because you brew each cup individually.

Tea bags are convenient, but the quality differs from brand to brand. You can buy loose leaf green teas for an unbeatable flavour. It's not difficult to prepare loose leaf tea at home as long as you have the right equipment.

You can buy a variety of green teas at our website The Tea Trove and enjoy your super food- rather super drink!

The Ten Famous Chinese Teas

There are hundreds of varieties of tea that are produced in China every year and enjoyed by people all over the world. Some of the most expensive green teas and yellow teas come from China, and are acquired by tea connoisseurs are high prices.


There are several opinions as to which the best teas from China are, but a list of The Ten Great Chinese Teas gives us an understanding of which teas to pick:

Longjing tea or Dragon Well tea, is a variety of pan-roasted green tea from the area of Longjing Village near Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, China. It is produced mostly by hand and renowned for its high quality, earning it the China Famous Tea title. Like most other Chinese green tea, Longjing tea leaves are roasted early in processing (after picking) to stop the natural oxidation process, which is a part of creating black and oolong teas.

Biluochun is a famous green tea originally grown in the Dongting mountain region near Lake Tai, Jiangsu, China. Also known as Pi Lo Chun, it is renowned for its delicate appearance, fruity taste, floral aroma, showy white hairs and early cropping. The name Biluochun literally means "Green Snail Spring". It is called so because it is a green tea that is rolled into a tight spiral, resembling snail meat, and is cropped early spring.

Huangshan Maofeng tea is a green tea produced in south eastern interior Anhui province of China. The tea is one of the most famous teas in China and can almost always be found on the China Famous Tea list. The tea is grown near huangshan (Yellow Mountain), which is home to many famous varieties of Green Tea.

Junshan Yinzhen is a Yellow tea from Junshan Island of the Hunan Province in China.

Keemun is a famous Chinese black tea. First produced in late 19th century, it quickly became popular in the West and is still used for a number of classic blends. It is a light tea with characteristic stone fruit and slightly smoky notes in the aroma and a gentle, malty, non-astringent taste reminiscent of unsweetened cocoa.

Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) is a Wuyi rock tea grown in the Wuyi Mountains. It is a heavily oxidized, dark oolong tea. Da Hong Pao can sell for up to US$1,025,000 per kilogram or US $35,436 per ounce. In recent years, a number of companies have invested in preserving the interest in this tea and other so-called "artisan" teas, which typically are of very high quality and have rich histories as is true with Da Hong Pao.

Lu'an Melon Seed, also known as Lu'an Leaf, is a green tea from Lu'an City, Anhui Province, China. Lu'an Melon Seed Tea's name is derived from the shape of the processed tea leaves, which are flat and oval and resemble a melon seed. Unlike most green teas which use the new buds in making tea, Lu'an Melon Sea Tea uses the second leaf on the branch.

Tieguanyin is a premium variety of Chinese oolong tea originated in the 19th century in Anxi in Fujian province.

Taiping houkui tea is grown at the foot of Huangshan in Taiping County, Anhui. The tea has been produced since the beginning of the 20th century and is produced around the small village of Hou Keng. It's renowned for its "two knives and one pole": two straight leaves clasping the enormous bud with white hairs.

Xinyang Maojian tea is a green tea produced in Xinyang, Henan. Xinyang Maojian is one type of green tea that originally was produced in mid China.