In the cold and dry winter, many people experience skin itching during this season. This seasonal itching is mainly caused by excessively dry skin. Some elderly people have poorer secretion functions of sebaceous and sweat glands, making them more prone to skin itching in the dry and cold winter. Drinking tea can prevent skin itching because tea leaves contain the trace element manganese, which protects human skin.
The protective effect of manganese on the skin is reflected in three aspects: First, manganese participates in many enzyme-catalyzed reactions in the human body, promotes protein metabolism, and helps excrete some substances harmful to the skin, thereby reducing adverse stimulation to the skin. Second, manganese promotes the accumulation of vitamin B6 in the liver, enhancing the skin's anti-inflammatory ability. Third, manganese can increase the activity of polysaccharide polymerase and galactosyltransferase, promoting the metabolism of certain vitamins in the body. All of these contribute to sebum metabolism and prevent skin dryness.
The manganese content in tea leaves is quite high. Relevant data show that each gram of West Lake Longjing dry tea leaves contains 1.40 mg of manganese, each gram of Anxi Tieguanyin dry tea leaves contains 1 mg of manganese, each gram of Mengshan Huangya dry tea leaves contains 0.65 mg of manganese, and each gram of Qimen black dry tea leaves contains 0.60 mg of manganese. After soaking 1 gram of dry tea leaves in 100 ml of boiling water for 10 minutes, the tea soup of West Lake Longjing tea contains 0.506 mg of manganese, Lushan Cloud Mist tea soup contains 0.400 mg of manganese, Anxi Tieguanyin tea soup contains 0.238 mg of manganese, Mengshan Huangya tea soup contains 0.198 mg of manganese, and Qimen black tea soup contains 0.017 mg of manganese.
If people drink tea soup brewed from 4-6 grams of green tea daily, they can obtain one-third or even more of the body's daily requirement for manganese. This is undoubtedly very beneficial for protecting the skin and preventing skin itching.