Thanks to the wisdom of an ancient ruler who mandated that drinking water must be boiled before it was allowed for human consumption, probably the first example of practicing preventive medicine, the Chinese have never suffered from epidemics of serious intestinal infectious diseases, such as cholera, which had killed many people in other Asian countries. However, boiling water 5,000 years ago in primitive utensils made of clay, pig iron, bronze and brass may have had adverse side effects on health. At boiling temperature, water is an excellent solvent for many metals, such as arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium, aluminum and iron, which are natural components in the materials used to make primitive cooking utensils and may be poisonous to the human body.

Ancient medical and literary writings have indicated that heavy metal poisoning was widespread in the history of China and was probably a chronic disease leading to premature death. The emperor who built the first centralized government in China died at age 50 in 210 B.C. He had spent much of his youth searching for herbs to extend his life, but to no avail. Cardiovascular diseases and cancer were not the major causes of death, since most people died before age 50. Only the Taoists who drank a lot of tea were known to live longer. Based on the current understanding of tea science, it became obvious that the major obstacle to longevity in ancient China was metal poisoning. Today, we know that green tea might have served as an antidote to chronic heavy metal poisoning through its most abundant antioxidants and its metal-chelating chemical properties. To counter chronic toxicity of the heavy metals in foods and drinks, the quality and the dose of the tea drink might not play a very crucial role. No strict quality controls on tea products were necessary in the past.

In our modern society, metal poisoning is no longer a major health problem. Instead, disorders associated with aging are our grave concerns since our average life expectancy has passed beyond 70 years. Intense scientific research has focused on using green tea to protect the health of our aging body in the laboratories and among human populations. After reviewing the “totality of the publicly available scientific evidence”, Dr. Lee concluded that humans should drink the kind of green tea that the scientists feed their laboratory mice in order to get the same health benefits of tea as the mice do. Specifically, the tea leaves must be of a fresh crop from reputable tea plantations and are extracted with deionized hot water shielded from atmospheric oxygen in an Erlenmeyer flask. The antioxidant levels of the final tea drinks should be “typical” for green tea as defined by the National Cancer Institute, which means they contain 710 μg/ml (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). In addition, green tea is administered ad libitum - to be the only daily fluid intake as desired.

Here is how humans can find a way to do it.

Historically, the ancient Chinese invented porcelain, the non-metallic utensils now known as chinaware, or simply "china".  Its purpose before 900 A.D. was primarily for making and serving tea. They had learned that metals, especially iron, caused deterioration of hot teas. Even a trace of iron in tea drinks can cause significant degradation of tea antioxidants in the presence of oxygen, as confirmed by recent scientific research. Since the antioxidants in tea leaves must be extracted with hot water, it is important to avoid oxygen, oxidizing agents and iron in tea preparation. Dr. Lee’s patented anaerobic tea extraction technology helps put the art and science of tea into practice for health protection.

As part of the effort to educate the public about the benefits of drinking high-antioxidant green tea, Dr. Lee has submitted a petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a qualified green tea health claim.

This history and modern research has formed the basis for a new green tea revolution:
Dr. Lee's TeaForHealth™

Learn about the science and art behind TeaForHealth™ by browsing the Tea Library

Dr. Lee's TeaForHealth™