Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food – Hippocrates
History
Tea and its health benefits have been known and enjoyed in Asia for thousands of years. For just as long, Pu’er tea has been a traditional drink for keeping the mind and body in balance. Being that it was at the forefront of World medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine is most extensively-tested and applied throughout much of the human population.
Let the food be the medicine
It is well known in China that tea stimulates mental clarity and surprisingly soothes the emotions. It strengthens the blood and allows necessary energy, while relaxing the muscles and clearing fatigue, all just from a cup of tea.
Yin Yang
We have all seen the Yin and Yang symbol a time or two in our lives. This symbol says so much about the ever-important balance that Chinese Medicine places on the importance of life. The balance between warm and cold, wet and dry, sweet and sour. So much of their medicines or lifestyles are at play to encourage this balance. One of the primary balances focused on in Chinese Medicine is that between warm and cool, whether it be with foods, drinks, or mental attitude.
Four pillars of health in Chinese medicine
- Right mental attitude
- Proper rest
- Exercise to ensure good circulation
- A balanced diet
The daily herb
Pu’er tea improves digestion, strengthening body structure, and increases our overall well-being and life span. Tea is considered the most valuable of all herbs and is one of the very few recommended for daily consumption. The Tibets have a saying, You can go a week without food, but not a day without tea.
Warming and cooling
Each disease or state has a characteristic of being either warm or cool and tea, in all its wonder, has the ability to warm up cool disorders and cool down warm disorder. It has the ability to moisten us when we are dry and to flush our body when it is too moist. Each disorder with one’s body has a root and has a cure. For example, a gastrointestinal issue would be sign of too cool of a body; therefore, one is in need of a warming aid. In this case, an oxidized tea is best for aid with warming the body.