Medicinal and therapeutic potentialities of tea (Camellia sinensis L.) – A review

0963-9969/$ see front matter 2009 Elsevier Ltd. A doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2009.01.007 E-mail address: [email protected] The medicinal effects of tea have a history dating back almost 5000 years. The chemical components of green tea chiefly include polyphenols, caffeine and amino acids. Tea also contains flavonoids, compounds reported to have anti-oxidant properties having many beneficial effects. Tea flavonoids reduce inflammation, have antimicrobial effects and prevent tooth decay. Consumption of tea may have diuretic effects due to the caffeine. A related compound found in tea is theophylline, a licensed medicine for the treatment of respiratory diseases such as asthma. Today’s computer-driven world can generate complicated lifestyle-related disorders and consumption of certain natural product like tea may very well replace the ill-effects of chemical drugs leading to a safer world with happier life. The paper is an overview of revealing all such ethno medicinal research efforts throughout the world over the times. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.