Tea As A Natural Therapeutic...Part 1
There Are Two Ways that Tea Is A Natural Therapeutic...
What is it about drinking tea that makes us feel good?
Is it aroma, taste or mouth feel? Is it the sensation we get when we sip and swallow? Is it the feeling of satisfaction we get as we savor the broth?
Hum, could it be all of the above? But wait...what does feel good actually mean?
There are two ways that tea is a natural therapeutic...that is, two ways tea can be considered a treatment or therapy. Let's start with the first...Psychologically.
Yes, tea can be warm and inviting stirring feelings of creature comfort within us. Tea can be captivating sweeping us away with the wonder of the combination of Mother Nature's creation with mastery of leaf manipulation to create the pleasing tea broths that we become enamored with.
As a therapeutic, tea helps us to relax or to feel better about things, especially if there is something that has made you unhappy. If you haven't been unhappy, then tea just makes us content, satisfied and, well...happier.
Ok, so if it makes us feel better, why, and how?
Tea is a psychological therapeutic because we anticipate the experience that we will enjoy when we consume the tea starting with the gustatory pleasure. We have become familiar with the character of the tea and know what the experience is going to be like when we consume it.
Equally or more important though is that we also know what the tea is going to do for us after we consume it. With tea, phase one of the therapeutic benefit comes as we anticipate two things that immediately effect us...the consumption experience that is upon us, and the satisfaction of the sensation and health benefits coming as a result of the ingredients in the tea.
It is very much about positive reinforcement triggered by the appearance of the broth and tealeaves.
Long ago, I decided in order to avoid forgetting to have my green tea on any given day, and therefore not get my daily antioxidants, I decided to make it a habit to start the day with green tea lessening the chances that I would miss-out.
So now, after decades of drinking tea, I continue to start my day with green tea.
I wake up, make my way to my infuser, add tea and steep it to my sweet spot, and pour two lovely mugs of delightful green tea, one for Judy, and one for me.
Allowing it to cool to a temperature where I can actually taste it, I place my clear glass mug on the counter and go about my business getting ready for the day.
As I glance over at the tea on the counter and recognize the characteristic color of the broth which I have come to know and appreciate, I get my first health benefit.
