The Health Benefits of Tea: Ancient Beliefs and Scientific Truths

In my first year seminar class, The Experiential History of Tea (FYS 156-3), we discussed how and why tea created such an impact around the globe. In reading about the circulation of tea as a medical or healthy drink I became interested in discovering if these claims were true. I chose to complete this research project by exploring the ancient claims of tea's medicinal properties and use modern scientific research to support or refute the claims. I focused on analyzing beliefs about tea's effect on memory, digestion, alertness, and weight loss, as well as prevention of illness. Using beliefs of the past along with modern evidence, I was able to determine what properties of tea hold up to the medical experimentation of today. I hope that you choose to join me as I question four ancient beliefs of tea and discover how beneficial the beverage truly is!