Mint Tea

Meet Allyce. We have been friends since the 7th grade! Impressive?! I think so! Allyce is quite the talented & inspirational writer. In fact, she was actually the one who introduced me to the blogging world years ago...she is like a blogger entrepreneur! You should probably go to  Living By Loving  to check it out for yourself! I swear there is a reason to my rambling! Fun fact about Allyce; she recently revealed her love for MINT ICED-TEA. Her inquiring mind was curious as to what health benefits this love of hers contained. Obviously my duty as a friend is to answer her question, as I'm sure she is having a hard time performing day to day activities without this knowledge. So for all of you mint-iced tea lovers out there, here you go!

Let's talk about the main ingredient in this drink. In case you forgot to pay your brain bill this month...I'm talking about the tea. Tea clocks in right after water when we're talking about world popularity of beverages. Chinese legend has it that tea was invented accidentally by Emperor Shen Nong. One summer day a servant was boiling water for the emperor when dried leaves from a Camellia bush fell in. The pleasing aroma became of interest & the emperor had to try it. I'm gonna bet that this was the reason for the 'Emperor's New Groove' as he was hit by the refreshing yet surprisingly delightful flavor! It's safe to say it was love at first sip, because right then & there he declared tea to give vigor to the body. Back in those days tea was a medicinal beverage only & it wasn't until later that it became normal to drink tea whenever your little ♥ desired.

There are 4 basic types of tea: black, green, oolong, & white. Black tea is like the Kim Kardashian of teas. You know the other members of the family, but Kim is still the most popular. Since I don't want to overload your brain, black is the one we're focusing on today. Black tea is typically what you are consuming when you drink a cup of hot tea, iced-tea, or sweet tea here in the good old US of A.

Black tea comes from tea leaves that were exposed to air, & then the air changes the leaves from green to black. An article on Medline Plus mentions some of the health claims associated with black tea. Let's play a version of "E! News So True/So False." Who knew you were going to have so much fun today?!
     RUMOR # 1: Black tea can heighten alertness, learning, & memory skills - this is so true. Thanks to black tea's caffeine properties.
     RUMOR # 2: Black tea can alleviate headaches - we are so not sure about this, because there is insufficient data to support or reject this claim.
      RUMOR # 3: Black tea can prevent heart disease - this is so maybe? As far as heart attacks go, some evidence supports that those who drink black tea have a lower risk. I guess we'll mark it down as possibly effective?!
     RUMOR # 4: Black tea can help prevent Parkinson's disease - this is so maybe? I don't know about you, but all these gray-area answers are getting a little bit on my nerves! Chalk another up for possibly effective.
     RUMOR # 5: Black tea can prevent cancer - this is so not all the way true. While some women who drink tea (black or green) on a regular basis have a lower risk of developing ovarian cancer, it is not likely that tea will prevent cancer.
     RUMOR # 6: Black tea drinkers can say goodbye to tooth decay - as far as preventing tooth decay is concerned, there is not enough evidence to deny or confirm this claim.
So what I'm really saying is that the ONLY thing we can for sure say about black tea is that it can heighten alertness, memory, and learning skills. Moving on...

Think of the mint in mint iced-tea as a rainbow on a dreary afternoon.  Can you say insta-smile?! Bet you didn't know mint was part of Greek mythology. I believe the story went like this: 
     Once upon a time there was a lady named Mint who had a lover named Pluto. This information becomes a bit more scandalous when we learn Pluto had a wife, Persephone. For some weird reason (that's sarcasm, in case you were confused) Persephone wasn't too fond of her husband having a girl on the side.  Taking matters into her own hands, Persephone put a spell on Mint & turned her into a lowly plant that others could walk on. Lesson learned, don't get on a girl's bad side if she has magical powers. Unable to reverse the spell, Pluto softened the blow by giving mint a sweet scent that would fragrance the air with a smell whenever someone trampled on her. Aww, how sweet & thoughtful. That Pluto, he totally out-did himself!
Oh, you probably would like to know that traditionally mint has been used to treat indigestion, promote fresh breath, & aid with mental fatigue.

I think it's safe to say that the overall outcome of consuming mint iced-tea may result in an alert, fresh breath, individual that doesn't have to worry about an upset stomach post eating. Sounds like a good deal to me!