Camellia sinensis 

Benifuuki, Camellia sinensis, Camellia thea, Camellia theifera , ,Green Sencha Tea, Thé Vert Sensha, Thea bohea, Thea sinensis, Thea viridis, Yame Green Tea, Yabukita,

“is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea. It is of the genus Camellia (Chinese: 茶花; pinyin: Cháhuā, literally: “tea flower”) of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. Common names include “tea plant”, “tea shrub”, and “tea tree” (not to be confused with Melaleuca alternifolia, the source of tea tree oil, or Leptospermum scoparium, the New Zealand teatree).

Two major varieties are grown: Camellia sinensis var. sinensis for Chinese teas, and Camellia sinensis var. assamica for Indian Assam teas. White tea, yellow tea, green tea, oolong, pu-erh tea and black tea are all harvested from one or the other, but are processed differently to attain varying levels of oxidation. Kukicha (twig tea) is also harvested from Camellia sinensis, but uses twigs and stems rather than leaves.

The name Camellia is taken from the Latinized name of Rev. Georg Kamel, SJ (1661–1706), a Moravian-born Jesuit lay brother, pharmacist, and missionary to the Philippines.

Carl Linnaeus chose his name in 1753 for the genus to honor Kamel’s contributions to botany (although Kamel did not discover or name this plant, or any Camellia, and Linnaeus did not consider this plant a Camellia but a Thea).

Camellia sinensis is native to East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, but it is today cultivated across the world in tropical and subtropical regions.

Camellia sinensis is an evergreen shrub or small tree that is usually trimmed to below 2 m (6.6 ft) when cultivated for its leaves. It has a strong taproot. The flowers are yellow-white, 2.5–4 cm (0.98–1.57 in) in diameter, with 7 to 8 petals.

The seeds of Camellia sinensis and Camellia oleifera can be pressed to yield tea oil, a sweetish seasoning and cooking oil that should not be confused with tea tree oil, an essential oil that is used for medical and cosmetic purposes, and originates from the leaves of a different plant.

The leaves are 4–15 cm (1.6–5.9 in) long and 2–5 cm (0.79–1.97 in) broad. Fresh leaves contain about 4% caffeine, as well as related compounds including theobromine.”

Tea plants prefer a rich and moist growing location in full to part sun, and can be grown in hardiness zones 7 – 9. However, the clonal one is commercially cultivated from the equator to as far north as Cornwall and Scotland on the UK mainland.

Potent antioxidant , best not to consume however at alkaline (pH 13) conditions as it then becomes a pro-oxidant (Excerpt from research:”  The maximum extractable polyphenols and flavanoids were achieved at 6–8 min after the tea brew is prepared. “)  *see research link PMC3679539/ , /PMC4520228/

Decreases sperm count  *in rats  *see research link 21941943

DNA protective   *see research link 20807462

Inhibits cartilage degradation in humans and cows which can reduce arthritis *see research link 11880552

Reduces bad LDL cholesterol  *see research link 19838489

Anti-diabetes properties   *see research link 21859352

Antibacterial against caries (excerpt from research :” The antibacterial effect of green and black tea extracts were compared with those of amoxicillin, cephradine and eugenol. “)  *see research  link  9875456,   21612452, 16707877

Remineralizes tooth enamel  * see research link 22126349, 16707877

Isolated/ too high tannin levels can cause tumors * see research link 187761

Anti-anxiety properties  *see research link 23625424

Anti-parasitic against Trypanosoma cruzi the cause of Chagas *see research link PMC310206/

Increases the absorption of some medicines and reduces others (excerpt from:” increase the bioavailability of diltazem, verapamil, tamoxifen simvastatin, 5-fluorouracil, and nicardipine. Conversely, green tea extract and/or (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate reduce the bioavailability of quetiapine, sunitinib, clozapine, and nadolol.   “)  * see research link 28118673

Reduces body weight gain  (excerpt from research:” (2016 study) 12 weeks of treatment with high-dose green tea extract resulted in significant weight loss, reduced waist circumference, and a consistent decrease in total cholesterol and LDL plasma levels “)  *see research link PMC2821884/, , 23131813/, 16277999 , PMC4025876/ , 26093535

Smooths skin,reduces sebum levels to normal, improves skin quality,  *see research link 23742288 , 20846135

Reduces PCOS Polycystic ovary syndrome * in rats (excerpt from research:”  *see research link PMC4673950/

Clears genital warts  * see research link 18363746

Potent antiviral against HPV,  HIV-1 , Hep C, Herpes simplex , West Nile Virus, Dengue and Zika *2017 study  (Excerpt from research:” We assessed the effect of EGCG on ZIKV entry in Vero E6 cells. The drug was capable of inhibiting the virus entry by at least 1-log (>90%) at higher concentrations (>100μM). “)  * see research link PMC3315882/ ,PMC3594666/ , 22105803,  27344138, *PMC5504193/

Can reduce iron absorption  *see research link  11237939/

Can be pancreas damaging and act as a pro-oxidant which is bad  (Excerpt from research:” (EGCG), a green tea polyphenol exacerbated the loss of islet cell mass and insulin-immunoreactivity in beta cells*in diabetic rats  ”) *see research link 16765345/

Research on Camellia Sinensis:

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-960-green%20tea.aspx?activeingredientid=960

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3679539/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4520228/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21941943

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20807462

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11880552

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19838489

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21859352

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21612452

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22126349

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9875456

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16707877

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/187761

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23625424

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC310206/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28118673

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2821884/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16277999

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/articles/23131813/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23742288

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20846135

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4673950/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11237939/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16765345/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4025876/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26093535

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3315882/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18363746

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3594666/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27344138

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22105803

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5504193/

http://healthytea101.blogspot.nl/2014/12/darjeeling-tea-benefits.html

http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/07/01/our-recipe-for-green-tea-rice-cooker-pancakes-amazingly-tasty-ridiculously-easy/