Bagged tea versus loose tea

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I love to drink tea. It has many benefits. Tea is known as nature’s ‘wonder drug’. Of late, tea and its healthy benefits have been receiving wide attention in the media. The ability of tea to promote good health has long been believed in many countries, especially Japan, China, India, and even England. The degree of processing the leaves of camellia sinensis determines whether a tea will be green, black or red (oolong). Green tea is the least processed. These are simply steamed quickly before packaging. Black and red tea are partially dried, crushed and fermented. The length of fermentation, which causes the leaves to blacken, determines whether the tea will be red or black. Recent research shows that any tea derived from camellia sinensis has cancer-fighting properties. The leaves of this plant contain chemicals called polyphenols, which give tea its antioxidant properties. Polyphenols in tea have been known to: * Help protect cells from the normal, but damaging, physiological process known as "oxidative stress." Although oxygen is vital to life, it's also incorporated into reactive substances called free radicals. These can damage the cells in our body and have been implicated in the slow chain reaction of damage leading to heart disease and cancer. * Help prevent blood clotting * Help lower cholesterol levels * Help neutralize enzymes that aid in the growth of tumors * Help deactivate cancer promoters * Help stimulate the immune system Tea also has fluoride for strong teeth, virtually no calories, and half the amount of caffeine found in an equally-sized cup of coffee. Whether decaffeinated tea has the same level of polyphenols, and thus the same health benefits, as regular tea has not yet been studied. Caffeine is a natural component of tea leaves. It is not yet known if removing caffeine also removes polyphenols. Apart from polyphenols, tea also contains a variety of ingredients that are beneficial to one's health. These include theanine (an amino acid unique to tea), vitamins, minerals, and methylxanthines. These are the components that are the source of the healthful properties of tea. These are known to: * Help fight against mutagenic agents * Delay aging * Help fight high blood pressure * Help fight against viral and bacterial infection * Help improve the functions of the digestive and excretory systems To sum it up - by drinking 2-4 cups a day of tea, you can reap in the numerous curative and preventive tea benefits. Which is your favorite? Where do you buy your tea?