Does Black Tea Calm the Nerves?

tidbits that tantalize


Relax - Your Tea

Is On The Way...

What should you do if you narrowly escape a car accident - not your fault, of course - and find your heart pounding at the rate of a small alien creature attempting to escape? What if you're embroiled in an argument - again, absolutely not your fault - with a movie rental store that burned down and now, finally relocated, claims you owe them 87 days in late fees? What should you do when your wife claims - once again... OK, so this was a bad choice of examples - simply repeat your "Yes, dear" peace mantra, apologize and move on.

But, what about the other upsets? Is there a way you can bring yourself back to earth for a soft landing in a reasonable period of time? Well, if the Brits are to have their say, the solution is the proverbial "spot of tea."

Researchers at the University College London studied the physiological effects of black tea on a group of 75 young adults. It's one of the first double-blind studies to scientifically assess the ages-old claims of teas calming influence. In a vindication of both history and tea drinkers, the study found that black tea indeed has a significant calming effect following stressful situations.

The study participants drank a tea-like concoction four times each day, with the control group's drink being devoid of any real tea. Both study groups were then subjected to stress inducing situations and cortisol levels, blood pressure and other stress-related factors were monitored.

Significantly, both groups responded in similar manners to the stress, exhibiting increased blood pressure levels and increases in the stress hormone cortisol. But, the actual tea drinkers recovered their pre-stress levels of calm more quickly. Not only did their physiological levels of stress related readings decrease more rapidly, they also reported greater degrees of relaxation following the stressful encounters.

The scientists have joined forces with the Spot On Tea Company to develop the On The Spot Emergency Tea Service Set. Their goal is to reduce stress levels in Britain by 27% in the coming year. Eventually, as spontaneous tea parties erupt across the world, they hope the power of the ubiquitous middle-finger will replaced by the civility of the gently curved pinky as it clasps the calming cup of cordiality...

To read more about the study, see this from the University College London.