Tea therapy can treat or alleviate the following diseases
1. Counteracting Poisoning
If one accidentally ingests toxic substances such as silver, aluminum, digitalis, quinine, iron, lead, zinc, cobalt, copper, strychnine, or other metal salts or alkaloids, drinking strong tea can cause the tannic acid in tea leaves to bind with the toxins and form a precipitate, delaying their absorption and buying time for emergency treatment.
2. Treating Bacillary Dysentery
Drinking strong tea has shown significant therapeutic effects for both acute and chronic bacillary dysentery. Pharmacological studies indicate that concentrated tea decoctions have clear antibacterial effects against dysentery bacilli.
3. Treating Acute Enteritis
For腹痛腹泻 (abdominal pain and diarrhea) caused by unclean food, brew a cup of strong tea and drink it. If diarrhea persists, decoct 15 grams of tea leaves in water and take it twice for effect.
4. Relieving Biliary Colic
When a gallstone patient experiences an acute attack of biliary colic, drinking a cup of strong tea may help. The theophylline in tea can relax the smooth muscles of the bile duct, temporarily缓解胆区剧痛 (alleviating severe pain in the biliary area), allowing time to seek immediate medical attention.
5. Treating Herpes Zoster (Shingles)
Brew a cup of strong tea, let it cool, then dip fine tea powder into it and apply to the affected area. Do this three times a day continuously.
6. Preventing Dental Caries (Cavities)
When drinking tea, hold the tea in your mouth for a moment to let it bathe the teeth. Doing this over ten times a day can effectively help prevent dental caries.
7. Delaying Aging
Tea polyphenols possess strong antioxidant and physiological activity, acting as scavengers of free radicals in the human body. Research suggests that 1 mg of tea polyphenols清除对人机体有害的过量自由基 (scavenges harmful excess free radicals in the body) with an efficacy equivalent to 9 μg of superoxide dismutase (SOD), far exceeding other similar substances. Tea polyphenols can block lipid peroxidation and清除活性酶 (scavenge active enzymes). According to Japanese researcher Okuda Takuo's experiments, the anti-aging effect of tea polyphenols is 18 times stronger than that of Vitamin E.
8. Helping Inhibit Cardiovascular Diseases
Tea polyphenols play an important role in human fat metabolism. Conditions like high cholesterol, triglycerides, fat deposition on blood vessel walls, and atherosclerotic plaque formation from vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation lead to cardiovascular diseases. Tea polyphenols, especially catechins like ECG and EGC and their oxidation product theaflavins, can help inhibit such plaque增生 (proliferation), reduce fibrinogen which increases blood coagulation viscosity, and thin the blood, thereby inhibiting atherosclerosis.
9. Helping Prevent and Fight Cancer
Tea polyphenols can block the synthesis of various carcinogens like亚硝酸 (nitrites) in the body and have the功效 (efficacy) of directly killing cancer cells and boosting immunity. Data shows that tea polyphenols (mainly catechin compounds) in tea are beneficial for preventing and辅助治疗 (aiding in the treatment) of多种癌症 (various cancers) like gastric and intestinal cancer.
10. Helping Prevent and Treat Radiation Damage
Tea polyphenols and their oxidation products can absorb radioactive substances like锶90和钴60 (Strontium-90 and Cobalt-60). Clinical trials show that using tea extracts to treat mild radiation sickness in cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy has an有效率 (effective rate) over 90%; for血细胞减少症 (cytopenia), the effective rate is 81.7%;效果更好 (even better results) are seen for leukopenia caused by radiation.
11. Helping Inhibit and Resist Pathogenic Bacteria & Viruses
Tea polyphenols have strong收敛作用 (astringent effects),明显抑制和杀灭 (significantly inhibiting and killing) pathogens and viruses, and are effective for消炎止泻 (reducing inflammation and stopping diarrhea). Many Chinese medical institutions use tea preparations to treat acute/chronic痢疾和阿米巴痢疾 (dysentery and amoebic dysentery) with a治愈率 (cure rate) around 90%.
12. Helping with Beauty and Skincare
As a water-soluble substance, washing the face with tea polyphenols can清除面部油腻 (remove facial grease),收敛毛孔 (tighten pores), and has effects like disinfection, sterilization, anti-skin aging, and reducing UV radiation damage from sunlight.
13. Helping Refresh the Mind
The caffeine in tea stimulates the central nervous system, enhances excitation in the cerebral cortex, helping to提神益思、清心 (refresh the mind, improve thinking, and clear mental clutter).
14. Helping with Diuresis and Relieving Fatigue
Caffeine in tea stimulates the kidneys, promoting rapid urine excretion, increasing the kidney's filtration rate, and reducing the retention time of harmful substances. Caffeine also helps eliminate excess lactic acid from urine, aiding in faster recovery from fatigue.
15. Helping Reduce Fat and Aid Digestion
The Tang Dynasty's "Compendium of Materia Medica" notes that long-term tea consumption "makes one lean." Ethnic minorities in China's border regions have a saying, "Not a day without tea." Tea aids digestion and fat reduction—in modern terms, helps with "weight loss." Caffeine increases gastric secretion, aiding digestion and enhancing fat breakdown, which explains the "makes one lean" effect.
16. Helping Protect Teeth and Eyes
Tea contains relatively high fluoride—10-15 mg per 100g of dry tea, 80% being water-soluble. Drinking 10g of tea daily allows absorption of 1-1.5 mg of water-soluble fluoride. As an alkaline beverage, tea inhibits calcium loss, benefiting龋齿预防，护齿、坚齿 (preventing dental caries, protecting, and strengthening teeth). Data shows小学生 (primary school students) using "tea therapy mouth rinse after meals" had an 80% reduction in龋齿率 (caries rate). Another survey found 28.6% of白内障患者 (cataract patients) had a tea-drinking habit versus 71.4% who did not. Components like Vitamin C in tea can reduce lens opacity; regular tea drinking positively reduces eye diseases and protects eyesight.