Oolong Tea

From the Journal of Chinese Medicine

Oolong (known as the "champagne of teas") is considered one of the world's great teas. A favoured drink in mainland China and Taiwan, Oolong tea originated in the Wuyi mountains of China's Fujian province. Today, the highest grade Oolongs (Formosa Oolongs) are grown in the high mountains of Taiwan.

There are many teas, but only one plant. That plant is Camellia sinensis, a relative of the flowering camellia well know to gardeners. The few leaves that sprout at the very top of this plant, and this plant only, are what is transformed into all types of tea - black, green and Oolong. The leaves contain caffeine, and so do all the teas made from them, in varying amounts. Tea is an evergreen shrub. In the wild, it may grow as tall as 60 feet or taller. When cultivated for harvest, the tea bush is continually pruned to about three feet. Leaves intended for green tea are plucked in the same manner as black tea. They are then manufactured in three stages completed within a single day. Panfiring (or steaming) occurs immediately after the leaves are plucked. The leaves are placed in a metal pan over a hot flame to render them soft and pliable. The sudden exposure to heat destroys the enzymes that would other wise lead to fermentation.

Rolling the leaves on heated trays to reduce their moisture content is the next step. The process is done with the fingers and palms, and sometimes with the entire forearm up to the elbow. Firing in large mechanical dryers is the final stage of drying. Fired green tea retains only two percent of its moisture. Some green teas produced for export are rolled and fired several times; although this increases their shelf life, it may also impair their taste and character.

Tea breaks down into three basic types: black, green and oolong.

Green tea is not fermented. Black tea is 100% fermented. The fermentation process involves spreading rolled leaves on cement or tile floors in a cool, humid room for several hours. Fermentation changes the chemical structure of the tea leaf, allowing key flavour characteristics to emerge.

Oolong tea is partly fermented to varying degrees. Jade Green Oolong tea is lightly fermented (about 15%). This gives it a wonderful fresh, fragrant, green and deep flavour.

"Habitual drinking (of tea) can ease the mind and benefit the Qi, increase stamina and keep one fresh and young" - Shen-nong Ben-cao Jing, Nong's Herbal Classic c. 200 AD

"Its liquor is like the sweetest dew from Heaven" -From the 8th-century classic, 'The Classic of Tea' by Lu Yu, translated by F. Carpenter.

Tea is cold in taste and is most suited for drinking. If one is thirsty or has headache, tired eyes, restlessness of the four limbs and uncomfortable joints, then a few sips of tea can be as good as manna. -The Classic of Tea by Lu Yu

"Drinking tea slakes thirst, aids digestion, keeps off diseases, shortens the time for sleeping, relieves water retention, improves eyesight, brings clear thinking and removes disturbances; humans should not stop drinking tea for even a single day." -Zhang Qiande in A Treatise on Tea

It was of such a beverage (tea) that Lotung, a Tang poet, wrote: "The first cup moistens my lips and throat, The second cup breaks my loneliness, The third cup searches my barren entrail but to find; therein some five thousand volumes of odd ideographs. The fourth cup raises a slight perspiration -all the wrong of life passes away through my pores. At the fifth cup I am purified; The sixth cup calls me to the realms of the immortals. The seventh cup - ah, but I could take no more! I only feel the breath of cool wind that raises in my sleeves. Where is Horaisan? Let me ride on this sweet breeze and waft away thither". - Kakuzo Okakura, "The Book of Tea"

The story of tea began in ancient China over 5,000 years ago. According to legend, the Shen Nong, an early emperor was a skilled ruler, creative scientist and patron of the arts. His far-sighted edicts required, among other things, that all drinking water be boiled as a hygienic precaution. One summer day while visiting a distant region of his realm, he and the court stopped to rest. In accordance with his ruling, the servants began to boil water for the court to drink. Dried leaves from the near by bush fell into the boiling water, and a brown liquid was infused into the water. As a scientist, the Emperor was interested in the new liquid, drank some, and found it very refreshing. And so, according to legend, tea was created. (This myth maintains such a practical narrative, that many mythologists believe it may relate closely to the actual events, now lost in ancient history.)

Tea consumption spread throughout the Chinese culture reaching into every aspect of the society. In 800 A.D. Lu Yu wrote the first definitive book on tea, the Ch'a Ching. He codified the various methods of tea cultivation and preparation in ancient China. The vast definitive nature of his work, projected him into near sainthood within his own lifetime. Patronised by the Emperor himself, his work clearly showed the Zen Buddhist philosophy to which he was exposed as a child. It was this form of tea service that Zen Buddhist missionaries would later introduce to imperial Japan.

The first tea seeds were brought to Japan by the returning Buddhist priest Yeisei, who had seen the value of tea in China in enhancing religious mediation. As a result, he is known as the "Father of Tea" in Japan. Because of this early association, tea in Japan as always been associated with Zen Buddhism. Tea received almost instant imperial sponsorship and spread rapidly from the royal court and monasteries to the other sections of Japanese society.

Tea was elevated to an art form resulting in the creation of the Japanese Tea Ceremony ("Cha-no-yu" or "the hot water for tea"). The best description of this complex art form was probably written by the Irish-Greek journalist-historian Lafcadio Hearn, one of the few foreigners ever to be granted Japanese citizenship during this era. He wrote from personal observation, "The Tea ceremony requires years of training and practice to graduate in art...yet the whole of this art, as to its detail, signifies no more than the making and serving of a cup of tea. The supremely important matter is that the act be performed in the most perfect, most polite, most graceful, most charming manner possible".

Such a purity of form, of expression prompted the creation of supportive arts and services. A special form of architecture (chaseki) developed for "tea houses", based on the duplication of the simplicity of a forest cottage. The cultural/artistic hostesses of Japan, the Geishi, began to specialize in the presentation of the tea ceremony. As more and more people became involved in the excitement surrounding tea, the purity of the original Zen concept was lost. The tea ceremony became corrupted, boisterous and highly embellished. "Tea Tournaments" were held among the wealthy where nobles competed among each other for rich prizes in naming various tea blends. Rewarding winners with gifts of silk, armour, and jewellery was totally alien to the original Zen attitude of the ceremony.

While tea was at this high level of development in both Japan and China, information concerning this then unknown beverage began to filter back to Europe. Earlier caravan leaders had mentioned it, but were unclear as to its service format or appearance. (One reference suggests the leaves be boiled, salted, buttered, and eaten!) The first European to personally encounter tea and write about it was the Portuguese Jesuit Father Jasper de Cruz in 1560. Portugal, with her technologically advanced navy, had been successful in gaining the first right of trade with China. It was as a missionary on that first commercial mission that Father de Cruz had tasted tea four years before.

The Portuguese developed a trade route by which they shipped their tea to Lisbon, and then Dutch ships transported it to France, Holland, and the Baltic countries. (At that time Holland was politically affiliated with Portugal. When this alliance was altered in 1602, Holland, with her excellent navy, entered into full Pacific trade in her own right.)

When tea finally arrived in Europe, Elizabeth I had more years to live, and Rembrandt was only six years old. Because of the success of the Dutch navy in the Pacific, tea became very fashionable in the Dutch capital, the Hague. This was due in part to the high cost of the tea (over $100 per pound) which immediately made it the domain of the wealthy. Slowly, as the amount of tea imported increased, the price fell as the volume of sale expanded. Initially available to the public in apothecaries along with such rare and new spices as ginger and sugar, by 1675 it was available in common food shops throughout Holland.

As the consumption of tea increased dramatically in Dutch society, doctors and university authorities argued back and forth as to the negative and/or positive benefits of tea. Known as "tea heretics", the public largely ignored the scholarly debate and continued to enjoy their new beverage though the controversy lasted from 1635 to roughly 1657. Throughout this period France and Holland led Europe in the use of tea.

As the craze for things oriental swept Europe, tea became part of the way of life. The social critic Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, the Marquise de Seven makes the first mention in 1680 of adding milk to tea. During the same period, Dutch inns provided the first restaurant service of tea. Tavern owners would furnish guests with a portable tea set complete with a heating unit. The independent Dutchman would then prepare tea for himself and his friends outside in the tavern's garden. Tea remained popular in France for only about fifty years, being replaced by a stronger preference for wine, chocolate, and exotic coffees.

By 1650 the Dutch were actively involved in trade throughout the Western world. Peter Stuyvesant brought the first tea to America to the colonists in the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam (later re-named New York by the English). Settlers here were confirmed tea drinkers. And indeed, on acquiring the colony, the English found that the small settlement consumed more tea at that time then all of England put together.

Great Britain was the last of the three great sea-faring nations to break into the Chinese and East Indian trade routes. This was due in part to the unsteady ascension to the throne of the Stuarts and the Cromwellian Civil War. The first samples of tea reached England between 1652 and 1654. Tea quickly proved popular enough to replace ale as the national drink of England.

As in Holland, it was the nobility that provided the necessary stamp of approval and so insured its acceptance. King Charles II had married, while in exile, the Portuguese Infanta Catherine de Braganza (1662). Charles himself had grown up in the Dutch capital. As a result, both he and his

Portuguese brides were confirmed tea drinkers. When the monarchy was re-established, the two rulers brought this foreign tea tradition to England with them. Tea mania swept across England as it had earlier spread throughout France and Holland. Tea importation rose from 40,000 pounds in 1699 to an annual average of 240,000 pounds by 1708. Tea was drunk by all levels of society.

Orgone Energy

Tatum Delson Ph.d.

Orgone energy is a theory originally proposed by Wilhelm Reich in the 1930s. Reich's research was originally part of Sigmund Freud's theories of neurosis in humans. Extrapolated from the Freudian concept of libido first as a bio-physical source and later as a universal life force or bio- energy. Wilhelm Reich believed that traumatic experiences blocked the natural flow of life's energy in the body, leading to physical and mental dis-ease.

Orgone was closely associated with sexuality. Reich, following Freud, saw sexuality as the primary energetic force of life. The term itself was chosen to share a root with the word orgasm, which both Reich and Freud took to be a fundamental expression of psychological health. Reich concluded that this sexual energy or libido (energy) was deeply rooted in the primordial energy of life itself, in tune with more than just sexuality. Orgone was everywhere and Reich measured this energy-in-motion over the surface of the earth. He even determined that its motion affected weather formation.

In its final conception, orgone energy was conceived as the anti-entropic principle of the universe, a creative substratum in all of nature. Orgone was seen as a massless, omnipresent substance, similar to luminiferous ether, but more closely associated with living energy than inert matter, similar to Qi and Prana. It could coalesce to create organization on all scales, from the smallest microscopic units called bions in orgone theory to macroscopic structures like organisms, clouds, or even galaxies.

Orgone energy and Schumann Resonance are the natural energy frequencies that occur in nature, where nature has not been disturbed. Orgone Energy and Schumann Resonance produces negative ions (the good health giving and beneficial ions), which is why we always feel better when spending time in nature such as in a forest or on the beach or even in the garden.

Positive ions (the bad ions) are the ions we want to avoid, and the ions that occur in cities and built up areas. Positive ions are produced by electrical wiring, electromagnetic radiation, geopathic stress, cell phones, florescent lights, computers, electronic equipment and much other noxious energy. These are the 'bad ions' that we want to avoid or eliminate.

Ovarian Cancer and Nutrition

From the Alternative AnswersAlternative Answers Community

Q: I am asking about a family member who is only 40 years old with small children and has been told she only has 6 months to live because of ovarian cancer. She is in the forth stage. She has gone through chemotherapy with no progress. We are all shocked because she looks very healthy and really feels fine. I can't give in to the 6 months and I need to know if their is any other herbs or diet we can try to prolong her life if even a day. Any information will be greatly appreciated.

A: A good nutritional program is a must. See your local nutritionist for help in creating a plan that works for her needs. In vitamin therapy, they should be taken in injection form whenever possible.

Essential are:

CoenzymeQ10, 90mg daily. This improves cellular oxygen.

Garlic capsules, 2 capsules, 3 times a day enhances immune function.

Melatonin 3 mgs daily, taken 2 hours before bedtime, a powerful antioxidant which also helps to sleep.

Beta Carotene 25,000 IU's daily, needed by all cells to repair and build.

Proteolytic enzymes, 6 tablets 3 times daily, between meals, powerful free radical scavenger.

Selenium, 200 mcg daily, also an essential free radical scavenger.

Superoxide dismutase, by injection, destroys free radicals.

Vitamin A, 50,000-100,000 IU's FOR 10 DAYS, THEN 50,000 IU's daily for 30 days then reduce to 50,000 IU's then reduce to 25,000 IU's daily. Any one with cancer requires a higher than normal amount of this antioxidant.

Vitamin E up to 1,000 IU's daily is a powerful cancer fighter and anitoxidant.

Vitamin B complex,100 mg plus brewer's yeast 1 teaspoon daily for a week, then gradually increase to 1 tablespoon, 3 times daily.

Vitamin C 5,000-20,000 in divided doses. Powerful anticancer agent, promotes the about of interferon in the body.

Maitake mushrooms inhibits the growth of cancerous tumors. It also helps the body adapt to the stress of cancer treatment such as chemotherapy.

Shitake or Reishi mushrooms has immune building and anti-tumor properties.

She MUST change her belief system about this dis-ease. (See Belief Systems). First, to overcome the fear which is not allowing her system to heal. Secondly,with the stress of a so called "death sentence", it is the system in shock with the mind-body trying to deal with the words of a doctor who sees things in a different light.

Essiac is an herbal remedy that activates the body's natural defenses, helps relieve pain, and has anti-tumor properties. If she can exercise, she should. It helps relieve depression and promotes oxygenation of the tissues.

Remove known carcinogens from your life and from your home. These can come in the form of paints, cleaning products, pet supplies, pesticides, cosmetics, personal care products, as well as some foods and beverages.