Green Tea

Green Tea I’ll use this opportunity to finally write a post I had long planned to write but never gotten around to do so: What to do with your tea leaves after you’ve used them for making tea. Tea leaves are amazing and far too precious to end up in the nearest landfill. I’ll share with you a few uses for infused tea leaves and hopefully inspire you to try some of them.

• Use as incense: Use either a Japanese tea-leaf-burner (cha kouro) or an old skillet on the stove with low heat to roast the used leaves and get them smoking slightly. Not only does this smoke have a nice aroma, it is also very effective in absorbing and eliminating bad odours in your house.
• Soothe sunburned skin: Wrap used, damp tea leaves in a cloth and press or gently rub on sunburned skin. The tannic acid in tea has a cooling effect and helps repair the skin.
• Clean windows and mirrors: Wrap used, damp tealeaves in a cloth and wipe glass surfaces clean; use this instead of chemical glass cleaner. Buff the glass after the treatment with a soft cloth to remove the thin film of tea. This works like a spell, try it out!
• Prevent rust in cast-iron kitchenware: Rub your cast-iron pans, pots or teapots (tetsubin) with used tea leaves. The antioxidants in tea react with iron and form a protective film that prevents the formation of rust.
• Keep your cupboards dry: Tea leaves are very effective in absorbing excess moisture. If you place dried used tea leaves in an open bowl and keep it in a damp cupboard, the leaves help to reduce the dampness. Make sure to replace/dry the leaves from time to time.
• Deodorize your refrigerator: Tea leaves are extremely efficient in absorbing odours (that’s why you should keep high quality tea in an air-tight container). Put used tea leaves in a bag and place it in your refrigerator to get rid of bad odours. (NOTE: You can use this method also to deodorize smelly shoes!)
• Improve your compost: Used tea leaves are a great addition to any compost. They create a very rich soil and help to improve the smell of partially working compost piles.
• Deodorize your cutting boards and kitchen utensils: Rub used tea leaves on cutting boards and knives after using them for onions or other strongly smelling foods. The tea leaves deodorize them and help to sterilize them through the antibacterial properties of camellia sinensis.
• Enjoy a relaxing tea bath: stuff a small gauze bag with used tea leaves and put into the bathtub. The tea helps to sterilize your skin and acts as a tonic. You could also create an exotic bubble bath by adding some nice soap and baking soda to your bath and let the leaves float freely (it actually looks kinda like in a fancy commercial if you have tons of used leaves from our Rose Oolong left over…).
• Use as fertilizer: Tea leaves are full of minerals and brewing extracts only a small percentage of these rich resources. Place used tea leaves around acid-loving plants (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, etc. love it, so do rhododendrons, azaleas and many more) or dig into the soil around the roots.
• Make a tea pillow: Stuff used tea leaves into a pillowcase. Granted, you’ll have to save the leaves of your tea for a little while until you have enough to fill a pillowcase, but the Chinese belief that tea-stuffed pillows soothe headaches, relieve insomnia and reduce blood pressure. The aroma of the tea leaves also acts as a natural sleep enhancer.
• Wipe your baby’s bottom: Wrap used, damp tea leaves in a soft cloth and soak in tea. The leaves are antibacterial and help to sterilize your baby’s bottom eliminating odours at the same time.

Note that many of the uses mentioned above are based on traditional practices from Japan (a country which even invented an incense burner for tea leaves!), but the methods can be adapted for all kinds of tea: white, green, oolong, black and pu-erh tea! You can even use teabags, just remember to remove the staple before putting them into your compost!

Benefits from Green Tea:

Let’s discuss the positive sides of consuming tea below:

Longevity:
According to Japanese researchers, green tea can fight against causes of cardiovascular diseases. In a research study, it was proven that people age 40 to 79 who consumed more than one cup per day can actually resist well from different causes of cardiovascular factors than people who didn’t. Even, the regular intake of tea helps in increasing the life span of the person at the same time.

Sharp Memory and Learning Capacity:
Interestingly, regular consumption of tea helps in sharping memory and learning ability at the same time. In a study, it is found out that tea has epigalochatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) which fastens up the metabolism process that leads to the generation of a number of free radicals into the body. This improved level of EGCG helps in improving the power of brain an averting any possible damage to the brain as well.

Weight Maintenance:
Importantly, the elements of green tea kill fat-burning properties which are responsible for better weight loss for the body. The natural components of tea cut down the excess fat and give the body a feeling of fullness. Therefore, it is highly recommended for weight control measure.

Skin Protection:
Green tea protects skin from harmful ultraviolet radiation such as UV-induced immunosuppressant, UV-induced sunburn etc. The regular intake of green tea enhances the elasticity of tissues present in the skin and helps the body to shine.

Lowers Down Cholesterol:
Green tea equates the proportion of cholesterol in the body. It lowers down the total cholesterol level and balances the ratio of both HDL and LDL cholesterol levels.

Protects Diabetes and Glucose Levels:
Traditionally, Green tea has been using as an effective medium to cut down the diabetes issues. It also keeps a tab on the increasing levels of blood sugar into the body. People who regularly drink green tea are less prone to diabetes than people who don’t.

Asian Paradox:
It is a well-known fact that tea can cure so many heart diseases. It is especially proved in Asian countries where people smoke heavily but get fewer occurrences of heart problems. It is mainly because the green tea promotes cardio protection, the main element in fighting against serious heart ailments.

Anti-Hypertensive Effect:
Another important benefit of drinking green tea is its role in fighting the increased level of blood pressure and preventing hypertension. Tea enhances the body’s nitric oxide level which further dilates arteries and thereby lowering down the normal blood pressure levels.

Prevention of Strokes:
As the green tea proves miracle for controlling cardiovascular diseases, it helps in preventing undesired strokes.

Prevention from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases:
The good elements of green tea reduce the risk of breaking of the central nervous system which is the root causes of some of the grievous problems of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

With so many advantages, green tea is a great way to cut down numerous health issues in this hectic lifestyle. Use green tea to improve your lifestyle!

Do it yourself:

So here we suggest you to make your own home made original & natural flavors as follows.