W. Scott Tebb

“ In the language of the poor, who in London we are told spend one-eight of their income in buying tea, it produces a feeling of comfort. Neither the philosopher nor the philanthropist will despise this property of tea, this power of conferring comfort, or removing ennui, of promoting those happier feelings of our nature under which we can do most and bear most. There is no denying the considerable dependence of our moods and frames upon substances ”

“ As to the consumption of tea, it seems to be enormous and increasing rapidly all over the country. I am informed that it is taken by young and old alike, and even by babes in the cradle. It is drunk as often as it can be got, at every meal and between meals, often six times a day, and especially by females and usually without milk, and often without food. I may safely say that it is never taken as an infusion, but is generally stewed for hours, the old leaves being left in the teapot and fresh added as required. ”

“ I may remark incidentally that it has always been a matter of surprise to me how it is that we English people do not suffer more than we do from our indulgence in tea, especially tea prepared as it usually is, and taken after a prolonged fast early in the morning. ”

“ With these important testimonies from responsible officials, it is difficult to resist the conclusion that the abuse of tea drinking has acted as a factor in the increased prevalence of insanity.
As a general conclusion from my investigations I have no doubt that in the first place we drink too much tea; this is shewn by a simple calculation from the average annual amount imported for consumption. Of course children of tender years should obviously be given no strong stimulants (such as tea or coffee) and adults would be acting wisely to very much limit the amount taken. ”

“ The symptoms of disturbance occur when even the best kind of tea is taken in excess, and almost inevitably from the mixture called ‘green tea’ when that is taken even in moderate quantity.... Tea first quickens, and then reduces the circulation which is the action of a stimulant. But tea does more than this; it contains tannin, and is therefore styptic or astringent in its action from which circumstance it is apt in many persons to produce constipation, and interfere with the function of the liver. In some persons this astringent effect of tea is very bad. ”

“ This tea-drinking is becoming a curse, and the people are developing a craving for tea, just as great as that which a drunkard has for alcohol, or a drug-taker for his own particular drug. There is no [Pg 25] manner of doubt but that the condition of bodily health affects the mental health of every man, woman and child, and if the starved stomach becomes a prey to chronic dyspepsia the chances are very great that the mind will, before long, be materially affected especially where there is a predisposition to insanity of an hereditary type. ”

“ The tea should be examined for the amount of the alkaloid, and also the tannin extracted by infusion, and the price based on the proportion of the essential ingredient, viz: the alkaloid and if it is desired to place the matter on any sort of scientific basis, the public should in each case be informed of the weight of tea required to be used with boiling water (this being regulated by the quantity of the alkaloid) , and at the same time an indication should be given of the proportion of tannin liable to be extracted in a standard infusion. ”

“ In the United States more than half the tea comes from China and the bulk of the remainder from Japan.
I now proceed to deal briefly with the constituents of tea which are generally believed to impart to the tea infusion its special characters.
Alkaloid. The alkaloid which is present in tea to the extent of 3 or 4 per cent. is thought to be identical with that found in Coffee, viz: caffeine. It has the well-known stimulant and invigorating qualities with which the taking of tea is associated. Thus the brain is stimulated, the intellect becomes clear ”

“ Owing to the results of this beverage he said “men seem to have lost their stature and comeliness; and women their beauty ... what Shakespeare ascribes to the concealment of love, is in this age, more frequently occasioned by the use of tea.... I am persuaded the inhabitants of this island will never increase in number nor enjoy a blooming health whilst they continue such an extravagant use of tea.” ”

“ He thought that tea at breakfast was not so apt to cause indigestion, but that tea in the afternoon two or three hours after lunch would sometimes bring on acidity almost immediately. A part of the mischief wrought by tea in the lower classes was due to allowing it to infuse for a long time so that a large quantity of tannin was extracted. [Pg 19] Another reason was that the poor were accustomed to drink tea very hot. Heat was a powerful stimulant of the heart, and a cup of hot tea was therefore much more stimulating and refreshing than a cold one. ”

“ He said that tea was very apt to cause a feeling of acidity and flatulence. Sometimes the acidity comes on so soon after the tea taken that it is difficult to assign any other cause for it than an alteration in sensibility of the mucous membrane of the stomach or œsophagus. The effect of tannin he said was to interfere very considerably with the digestion of fresh meat, and there were many people in whom tea taken along with fresh meat will upset the digestion. ”

“ He found that amongst the less hardy and robust complaints were ascribed to the drinking of tea “there are many who cannot bear to drink a single dish of tea without being immediately sick and disordered at the stomach, ... and that in irritable constitutions it speedily excited the nerves to such a degree as to give rise to uneasy sensations and bring on spasmodic affections.” He also says “I know people of both sexes, who are constantly seized with great uneasiness, anxiety, and oppression as often as they take a single cup of tea.” ”

“ I should like to say a few words concerning the sources of tea supply to the United Kingdom. Of course until fairly recent times practically all the tea came from China. Early in the last century it was found that the tea plant was indigenous to India. In 1825 the Society of Arts offered their gold medal “to the person who shall grow and prepare the greatest quantity of China tea, of good quality, not being less than 20 pounds weight” [9] in the East Indies and British Colonies. ”

“ At first the alkaloid seems to excite the nervous system, to produce a pleasant sensation and to keep the mind agreeably enlivened and active. The effect is followed by depression, sinking sensation at the stomach, flatulency, unsteadiness with feebleness of muscular power, and not infrequently a lowness of spirits, amounting almost to hypochondriacal despondency. Poor people meet the craving for natural food by taking large quantities of tea. A strong craving for it is engendered which leads to the taking of tea at almost every meal, greatly to the injury of health. ”

“ Poor women in the factory and cotton districts become actual sufferers from this cause. They are rendered anæmic, nervous, hysterical, and physically feeble. In the better classes of society similar if not such severe injury is effected by tea in those who indulge in it many times a day, and especially in those who indulge in what is called afternoon tea.... The afternoon tea or drum causes dyspepsia, flatulency, nervous depression and low spirits, for relieving which not a few persons have recourse to alcoholic stimulation.... ”

“ Tea taken late in the evening, except immediately after a moderate meal, interferes with the sleep of most persons by causing indigestion, with flatulency, and sense of oppression. Some are kept awake entirely by the action of the tea on the [Pg 20] nervous system; others get off to sleep, but are troubled with dreams, restlessness, and muscular startings. In a few incubus or nightmare is a painful symptom induced by tea. ”

“ I think that with this exception of mineral matter, tea adulteration in this country may now be said to be practically non-existant.
[Pg 12]
We have glanced through the general effects of the important constituents of tea. I now propose to consider the amount of harm which can be justly attributed to this popular article of daily consumption.
The opposition to tea on the ground of injury to health is almost as old as the introduction of tea itself. ”

“ My general recommendations from the foregoing experiments, and also from the experience of the various authorities are that if tea is to be no longer a source of injury to health we should drink much less, and infuse for a briefer period. The dealers also should more frequently submit samples for analysis as in the case of other foods and drinks; thus when we do drink tea we should be in a position to avoid those varieties which are especially harmful ”

“ In Ceylon and parts of India the first picking is in March and there may be as many as 25 pickings in the season until October; in China the first picking is in April, and in Japan late in April or early May. The early pickings make the finest quality of tea, and the very late leaves are not usually exported at all, but are used by the peasants locally. ”

“ Dr. Bullard [18] of Boston made inquiry into the subject of poisoning from excessive tea drinking and found that the prominent symptoms were loss of appetite, dyspepsia, palpitation of the heart, headache, nervousness and various forms of functional nervous symptoms of an hysterical or neuralgic character; he found that usually speaking five cups of tea a day on an average were required to produce symptoms of tea poisoning. ”

“ The tea-plant, Thea Sinensis, botanically speaking a close ally of the Camellia is in its natural state a tree which attains to 20 or 30 feet in height. Under cultivation it remains a shrub from three to six feet high. It grows in all tropical and sub-tropical countries, and roughly it takes the labour of one man a day to produce a pound of tea. ”

“ For children he thought it decidedly harmful; “children and very young persons in general, should as much as possible be deterred from the use of this infusion. It weakens their stomach, impairs the digestive powers and favours the generation of many diseases.” ”

“ It is a great and powerful disturber of the nervous system, and no one who has any regard for his or her nervous system would take it in that way. Its immediate effect may be all that can be desired. It relieves the malaise which is in itself a sign of warning, and it thus enables the consumer to disregard it. ”

“ His work entitled “Neothea,” and published in 1716, was written to shew the folly of sending to China for tea, when we had so many herbs to hand, just as pleasant and far more healthy. His wit for which he was justly celebrated was not sufficiently powerful to render the use of tea unfashionable.
Boerhaave, the great Dutch physician, and follower of Hippocrates and Sydenham had an objection to tea, but not so much to the herb itself as to the practice of drinking of hot liquids. He refers to those persons who “weaken their bodies with perpetual drinking of aqueous liquors ”

“ The shrubs are planted in rows three or four feet apart and look like a field of currant or gooseberry bushes; at the end of the third year the bushes become large enough to allow of the first picking and in the eighth year the plant is cut down, when new shoots spring up from the old roots. ”