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How is it that you enjoy your night time tea? Do you enjoy a cup of herbal in the quiet after the kids go to bed? Do you sip a cup during the nightly news? I take mine out to the front porch and sip my tea while I drink in the night. Listening to the night sounds of suburbia, Killdeers winging through the dark... Sometimes watching a bat fly in and out of the streetlight catchng insects.

Other times I sit quietly with prayer beads in hand and ask the Universe to help plot my course to contentment, pray for the end of suffering and war... or pray for things closer to home and my heart... or I simply give thanks for the blessings I have.

These are prayer beads I made for a friend fighting breat cancer.

Do you have a night time ritual invovling tea?

For my "maiden post" I thought I would tell you a bit about how I got here. I got my love for tea and all things tea from my mom. She, of course, gave me my first tea set... It was a child's set made of China, with beautiful yellow roses and gold trim. Tea parties were among the few girlie things I did as a child. I have two older brothers and was a bit (understatement) of a tom boy. I still have some of the pieces from my childhood sets, but most were broken... I retain the pieces like fragments of those memories. 

Tea represents a spiritual connection with my mom. She passed away in 1993 and I still miss her terribly. In the photo above she was in her early 30s and very stylish. It was the 1960s after all! The Asian tea set was a gift from her (or to her from me, I can't really remember) when I was a teenager. We exchanged tea pots and sets as gifts for all occasions. Our favorite tea was Oolong. It was a real treat because, back then, the only place you could get it in Florida was in Asian restaurants. When I drink Oolong tea now, it tastes of my past and carries me back to sharing tea with my mom. 

My daughter was not into girlie things either and since she came into my life at 6 years old, many of her childhood interests were already established. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, tea and tea wares were far from her mind. Two years ago, she blessd me with a granddaughter and when she is old enough, I will give her a real China tea set. Maybe we will have a favorite tea and when she drinks it as a grown woman, it will bring to her memories of enjoying tea with me...

Women have used teas to improve their complexions for centuries and beauty consumers of today are no different. Studies have credited tea with a relieving such skin conditions as acne and rosacea, and helping to protect against ultraviolet rays which cause wrinkles and skin cancer. One study actually credits tea with rejuvenating the skin! 1 Currently, there is a vast array of products containing tea on the market ranging from cleansers to creams. Although the tea most commonly associated with skin care is green tea, researchers have found that white, rooibos, oolong and black all offer positive benefits to skin.
White, green, oolong and black tea come from the Camellia sinensis plant, the difference being the length of fermentation. Rooibus tea hails from the Asplathus linearis which native to South Africa . Regardless of the variety or plant of origin, each of these teas contain powerful antioxidents and have been found to be equally beneficial to skin health.2

There are two ways to use tea to get better skin: by drinking it or applying it topically. Drinking tea is a direct and enjoyable way to increase your body's antioxident levels 3, and brings with it numerous other benefits to your health. Using it topically is also easy: Dab tea right onto your face and let it dry for 15 minutes, following up with a clear water rinse. The astringent properties in the tea called tannins calm swelling, redness, and irritation to naturally sooth your skin.

Tea is also used by dermatologists to help heal more serious skin conditions. One study found that a 2% green tea ointment used for six weeks resulted in a decrease of acne lesions by 58% in study participants.4 Some creams containing tea have been found to relieve itching for those suffering from eczema, while others protect against damaging sun exposure.
Medical research is bearing out what the Ancient Chinese knew 4,000 years ago. Tea, in whatever variety you choose, can be an important contributor to healthy skin.

1.http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0429_

030429_teaimmunity_2.html
2.http://jn.nutrition.org/content/131/9/2248.full
3.http://www.now-university.com/Library/DietarySupplementSupport/Antioxidants/080008.htm
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19363854 

Sometimes, I just need it.  Caffeine.  Without it, at times, I’m fearfully rendered a cranky monster or a walking zombie; it’s not a pretty picture.

As an addict in the first phase (I will eagerly admit it)—I’ve put together a guide to tea’s best adrenalin suppliers to de-crank anyone.  Caffeine-addicts unite! (I know, I’ve got to work on that slogan…)

First up, the myth and the debate: black tea vs. green tea.  Which contains the highest caffeine per serving?  As health experts seem to always say, it depends. The variables are not complex in this case, but indeed many, the answer lies in the way the tea is seeped (the more time, the more caffeine) and the type of leaf used (the smaller the bud, the stronger the buzz).  In the caffeine calculation, where the tea is grown, the type of leaf cut and the length of the tea’s fermentation (again, the greater the time, the higher the caffeine percentage) also factor into the equation to determine the ultimate caffeine content.  This is all to say, it’s variable, but below is a rough outline of the target numbers.

Black tea, usually, contains on average 40 milligrams of caffeine per serving, just five short of a can of Coke. Oolong tea ranks second with 30 milligrams. Green tea falls next with 20 and white tea rounds out the last of the caffeinated teas with 15.  Essentially, all teas that come from the Camellia sinensis plant (this excludes herbal infusion teas because they do not actually come from the plant and are not technically tea) contain some traces of caffeine, even if they have been decaffeinated; the process only removes most, not all caffeine (up to .4% may remain).   Yet still, it’s important to state that with all the factors to consider, this is not to say that a white tea couldn’t jump a black tea in caffeine content; these are just the averages.

Is there any harm to drinking caffeine?  Of course.  Too much of anything can be bad, but like most other pleasures in life, moderation is the key.  If your caffeine habits are obsessive, but also perfectly normal, research has shown that caffeine consumption poses no connected health risks.  And remember, even if you drink several pots of tea a day, black, green or oolong, tea only contains half the caffeine that coffee holds (a serving can range from 40-170 milligrams).  So, have no fear caffeine addicts, tea is always here. 

If you are looking for a tea that really perks you up, try this one—Yunnan Golden Buds (the multiple small buds give the tea its robust character). 

Who doesn't wish they looked like someone else at one point in their life? Or that they could have their high school waist forever?

Even though I am only in my 20s, I already feel my metabolism quickly slowing down and my six pack abs from my previous soccer years adjust to a more flabby feel. While I'm not huge into diets, I do like to stay healthy and I am looking to TONE TONE TONE what my mama gave me.

One of my biggest challenges in the fight in staying healthy and fit, is the ever tempting second-helpings of my favorite thing — carbs!

No one will scold you for having second helpings of vegetables (no, fries do not count) and fruit, but when it comes to startches like pasta, it's hard for me to say no.

Recently, I read in the May issue of Women's Health magazine that:

"A simple way to stave off the desire for second helpings is tea. Researchers believe that catechins, natural compounds in tea, may boost satiety wheter your cup is iced or hot." Source: Nutrition Journal

What are catechins? Catechins are a type of antioxidant that is found in other foods like chocolate but in heavier amounts in green tea leaves. There have been more health benefits found attributing to catechins, but for now we will focus on it's association with weight.

The National Center for Biotechnlogy Information published a study about the affects of catechins on the reduction of body fat in in men. Their findings showed that there was a significant impact on the lowering of of BMI, body weight, body fat, as well as others, in men when they drank one bottle of oolong tea daily.

I stopped drinking pop and carbonated drinks in middle school after my dentist got on me about the carbination harming my teeth and the amount of sugar in flavored water there really was. I've read in many places that drinking water is not only the best thing for your body (since we are mainly water) but it also helps to flush out toxins in the body.

I've taken it upon myself to try to drink more than the recommended amount of water each day but now I think I'm going to have to try to drink a bottle sized amount of green tea daily to help trim my tummy.

For more Women's Health articles on the benefits of catechins in green tea, click this link.

I believe everyone should have the knowledge and resources that will help them to live longer, healthier, and happier lives because there are so many more people we all have to meet before our time is up!