Camellia sinensis (Linn.) Kuntze.Family: Theaceae
Synonyms: Camellia arborescens Hung T. Chang & F.L. Yu, Camellia bohea (L.) Sweet, Camellia chinensis (Sims) Kuntze, Camellia sinensis f. macrophylla (Siebold ex Miq.) Kitam., Camellia sinensis f. parvifolia (Miq.) Sealy, Camellia sinensis f. rosea (Makino) Kitam., Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, Camellia thea Link [Illegitimate], Camellia theifera var. macrophylla (Siebold ex Miq.) Matsum., Camellia viridis Sweet, Thea bohea L., Thea bohea var. stricta Aiton, Thea cantoniensis Lour., Thea chinensis Sims, Thea cochinchinensis Lour., Thea grandifolia Salisb., Thea latifolia Lodd. ex Sweet, Thea longifolia Nois. ex Steud., Thea olearia Lour. ex Gomes, Thea oleosa Lour., Thea parvifolia Salisb., Thea sinensis L., Thea sinensis var. macrophylla Siebold, Thea sinensis var. parvifolia Miq., Thea stricta Hayne, Thea viridis L., Theaphylla anamensis Raf., Theaphylla cantonensis (Lour.) Raf., Theaphylla laxa Raf., Theaphylla oleifera Raf., Theaphylla viridis Raf.
- English: black tea, black tea or green tea
- Assamese: চা Cha
- Bengali: চা Cha
- Chinese: 茶
- Common name: Tea
- Finnish: Teepensas
- Hindi: चाय Chaay
- Kannada: Teyaku
- Malayalam: തേയില Teynila
- Manipuri: চা Cha
- Russian: čajnoe derevo, чайное дерево, Чай
- Sanskrit: Syamaparni, चायसस्यम् chayasasyam
- Spanish: té
- Swedish: tebuske
- Tamil: தேயிலை Teyilai
- Telugu: తేయాకు Teyaku
- Urdu: چاے Chaay
- Korean: 차나무
- French: Théier
- Arabic: كاميليا صينية
Description: Shrubs or trees, 1-5(-9) m tall. Young branches grayish yellow, glabrous; current year branchlets purplish red, white pubescent; terminal buds silvery gray sericeous. Petiole 4-7 mm, pubescent, glabrescent; leaf blade elliptic, oblong-elliptic, or oblong, 5-14 × 2-7.5 cm, leathery, abaxially pale green and glabrous or pubescent, adaxially dark green, shiny, and glabrous, midvein ± raised on both surfaces, secondary veins 7-9 on each side of midvein and ± raised on both surfaces, reticulate veins visible on both surfaces, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, margin serrate to serrulate, apex bluntly acute to acuminate and with an obtuse tip. Flowers axillary, solitary or to 3 in a cluster, 2.5-3.5 cm in diam. Pedicel 5-10 mm, recurved, pubescent or glabrous, thickened toward apex; bracteoles 2, caducous, ovate, ca. 2 mm. Sepals 5, persistent, broadly ovate to suborbicular, 3-5 mm, outside glabrous or white pubescent, inside white sericeous, margin ciliolate. Petals 6-8, white; outer 1-3 petals sepaloid; inner petals obovate to broadly obovate, 1.5-2 × 1.2-2 cm, basally connate, apex rounded. Stamens numerous, 0.8-1.3 cm, glabrous; outer filament whorl basally connate for ca. 2 mm. Ovary globose, densely white pubescent, tomentose, or subglabrous, 3-loculed; style ca. 1 cm, glabrous or base pubescent, apically 3-lobed. Capsule oblate, 2-coccal, or rarely globose, 1-1.5 × 1.5-3 cm, 1- or 2-loculed with 1 seed per locule; pericarp ca. l mm thick. Seeds brown subglobose, 1-1.4 cm in diam. Fl. Oct-Feb, fr. Aug-Oct.
Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Astringent, Bitter Tonic, Cardiac, Digestive, Diuretic, Stomachic. [A Thai Herbal: Traditional Recipes for Health and Harmony]
Used in Ayurveda, Unani and Sidha. Astringent, cardiotonic, diuretic, stimulant, antioxidant, for diarrhea, dysentery. Bitter leaf juice taken for abortion, also applied as hemostatic to cuts and injuries; poultice of leaves applied locally to stop bleeding; leaves infusion for common cold, conjunctivitis [CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants]
The leaf buds and very young leaves of tea are used as a stimulant and diuretic, actions that can be attributed to the caffeine content. They are also used as an astringent for gastrointestinal disorders, which may be attributed to the polyphenols and tannins. Tea is very widely used to make a beverage. Green tea extracts, which are rich in polyphenlics, are available as supplements. There is also a prescription-only ointment containing green tea extract (sinecatechins), which is used for the treatment of genital warts. [Stockley's Herbal Medicines Interactions]
Stimulant, diuretic, astringent. In China, used for diarrhoea and dysentery (causes gastrointestinal upsets and nervous irritability when consumed in excess). Green tea: anticancer effects have been observed in Chinese green tea, Camellia thea, extract; the extract of Japanese green tea showed antihepatotoxic effects. [Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary]
Antineoplastic; contains caffeine: stimulates the CNS and has a mood-elevating effect (adenosine antagonist). Kidney vessel dilatation and increased glomerular filtration rate (diuresis) occur due to removal of the constrictive effects of the adenosides, positive inotropic action, stimulates gastric secretion, glycolysis and lipolysis. Tea: tannins are responsible for the antidiarrhoeal action. Animal experiments have shown an anti-inflammatory and capillary-stabilizing action due to antagonism of bradykinins and prostaglandins. [A Materia Medica for Chinese Medicine: Plants, Minerals and Animal Products]
In Asia, an infusion of the leaves is used to make a drink (tea) to invigorate the mind and the heart, stop spasms and dysentery, treat fever cough, and nervous disorders, and to promote urination and digestion. In Europe, tea has been listed in the 1949 edition of the British Pharmaceutical Codex and is found in the 10th edition of the French Pharmacopoeia. Stuart reports the Pen Ts’ao Kang Mu as “tea clears the voice, gives brilliancy to the eyes, invigorates the constitution, improves the mental faculties, opens up the avenues of the body, promotes digestion, removes flatulence, and regulates the body temperature [Medicinal Plants: Drugs For The Future? ]
Tea the popular beverage purported to prevent various cancers, treat gastrointestinal disorders, and enhance cognition. Although dried green tea leaves have been found to contain substantial amounts of vitamin K, brewed green tea is generally not considered a significant source of the vitamin. However, large amounts of brewed green tea may potentially antagonize the effects of warfarin. [Pharmacodynamic Basis of Herbal Medicine 2nd Ed]
Used in Ayurveda, Unani and Sidha. Astringent, cardiotonic, diuretic, stimulant, antioxidant, for diarrhea, dysentery. Bitter leaf juice taken for abortion, also applied as hemostatic to cuts and injuries; poultice of leaves applied locally to stop bleeding; leaves infusion for common cold, conjunctivitis [CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants]
The leaf buds and very young leaves of tea are used as a stimulant and diuretic, actions that can be attributed to the caffeine content. They are also used as an astringent for gastrointestinal disorders, which may be attributed to the polyphenols and tannins. Tea is very widely used to make a beverage. Green tea extracts, which are rich in polyphenlics, are available as supplements. There is also a prescription-only ointment containing green tea extract (sinecatechins), which is used for the treatment of genital warts. [Stockley's Herbal Medicines Interactions]
Stimulant, diuretic, astringent. In China, used for diarrhoea and dysentery (causes gastrointestinal upsets and nervous irritability when consumed in excess). Green tea: anticancer effects have been observed in Chinese green tea, Camellia thea, extract; the extract of Japanese green tea showed antihepatotoxic effects. [Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary]
Antineoplastic; contains caffeine: stimulates the CNS and has a mood-elevating effect (adenosine antagonist). Kidney vessel dilatation and increased glomerular filtration rate (diuresis) occur due to removal of the constrictive effects of the adenosides, positive inotropic action, stimulates gastric secretion, glycolysis and lipolysis. Tea: tannins are responsible for the antidiarrhoeal action. Animal experiments have shown an anti-inflammatory and capillary-stabilizing action due to antagonism of bradykinins and prostaglandins. [A Materia Medica for Chinese Medicine: Plants, Minerals and Animal Products]
In Asia, an infusion of the leaves is used to make a drink (tea) to invigorate the mind and the heart, stop spasms and dysentery, treat fever cough, and nervous disorders, and to promote urination and digestion. In Europe, tea has been listed in the 1949 edition of the British Pharmaceutical Codex and is found in the 10th edition of the French Pharmacopoeia. Stuart reports the Pen Ts’ao Kang Mu as “tea clears the voice, gives brilliancy to the eyes, invigorates the constitution, improves the mental faculties, opens up the avenues of the body, promotes digestion, removes flatulence, and regulates the body temperature [Medicinal Plants: Drugs For The Future? ]
Tea the popular beverage purported to prevent various cancers, treat gastrointestinal disorders, and enhance cognition. Although dried green tea leaves have been found to contain substantial amounts of vitamin K, brewed green tea is generally not considered a significant source of the vitamin. However, large amounts of brewed green tea may potentially antagonize the effects of warfarin. [Pharmacodynamic Basis of Herbal Medicine 2nd Ed]
497 Medicine related published articles of Camellia sinensis
