The Potion Humanity Fell in Love With
And the poison the bugs hate
It is widely agreed that the tea plant Camellia sinensis originated from Yunnan, China, and according to Chinese folklore, was discovered 4,762 years ago, in 2737 BC by Emperor Shen Nong.
Beyond legends, tangible evidence of tea was found in the tomb of Emperor Jing of Han, dating back to the 2nd century BC, which means that tea was consumed by Chinese nobility over 2,000 years ago.
How has tea kept its relevancy in humanity for so long? I believe it has to do with the way it tricks our brains.
Tea plants produce caffeine primarily as a defense mechanism against insects and bad microbes. Caffeine shows up in higher chemical concentrations in the younger leaves and buds of the tea plant compared to older leaves.
From the perspective of the plant, this makes total sense. The extra caffeine levels in these tender parts of the plant provide extra protection to the little young leaves against bugs and pathogens.
But maybe tea plants got a bit too carried away with defending themselves, because humans like Emperor Shen Nong found out that caffeine had many benefits for them.
Specifically, the caffeine. Here's why.
Our brain cells produce molecules called neurotransmitters that attach to different receptors, which control our behaviors and even actions. But these molecules can also trick the mind and hack it.
There is a molecule called adenosine which normally promotes relaxation and sleepiness by binding to its receptors in your brain and calming neural activity. But caffeine structurally resembles adenosine and competes for these receptors. What ends up happening is, adenosine doesn’t attach to its rightful receptors in your brain, and so the calming effects are never triggered.
This all was happening in the brains of farmers, monks, and nobles in Ancient China thousands of years ago. To them, this was lit. Especially for the monk. Now they could increase their meditation hours by at least 2 to 3 hours. As far as they were concerned, tea was magic stuff.
Today we continue to drink tea for the same reasons as our ancient ancestors did. It lifts us when we feel a dip in energy. It helps us trick ourselves out of misery and exhaustion. It gives some of us a momentary moment of comfort. It can soothe pain and relieve a tired mind.
In nature, nothing is truly bad or good. Nature doesn’t discriminate or have morality. Tea is poison to insects, but for humanity, it became a useful tool for staying alert. Tea outsmarted the insects and the humans. It now has humanity keeping it alive and propagating its seeds as a way to protect its young from those pesky little bugs.
P.S.
We have a lovely online troll who loves to tell us and everyone he meets, that tea is a poison and that tea businesses such as our own sell poison.
Well, it turns out he is a bug.
Last of all, check out the Pure Land Tea Set, our new beginner friendly Gong Fu Tea Set. It comes with everything you need in the box to get started drinking tea the proper way, including the tea itself!
