The Food and Drug Administration has warned producers of two popular brands of green tea drinks not to make unauthorized nutrient claims, continuing its clampdown on misleading food labeling.

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The reason why tea is such a soothing beverage is that it contains the amino acid, Theanine. Like all amino acids, Theanine contributes to the body’s growth and development; but it also has been proven to reduce anxiety, promote comfort and produce a general sense of well-being. This helps to explain why afternoon tea parties encourage and strengthen friendship bonds while creating a relaxed and convivial atmosphere.

Drinking hot lemon tea when first waking up and before getting out of bed helps to clear the sinuses of mucous and bacteria so that the body can be prepared to handle stress and the hassles of the day. Black, green or herbal tea when mixed with fresh lemon helps to prevent sinus allergy conditions and eliminate morning coughing and sneezing. Adding a slice or two of fresh lemon to tea helps to keep sinus infection at bay and hastens the healing process.

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An Indian entrepreneur is relaunching the East India Company with the opening of a store in London Saturday, after buying the remnants of the British trading giant that once ruled much of the subcontinent.

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It only takes about 30 seconds to reduce about 80% of the caffeine in a cup or pot of tea; and to do it, all you need is water heated at the proper temperature and loose tea.

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New information about the health benefits of green tea is being discovered almost daily. According to the Journal of Periodontology, every cup of green tea you consume significantly reduces susceptibility to periodontal disease; and routinely drinking green tea helps to keep gums and teeth healthy.

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Several myths related to tea-drinking were busted at a workshop organised by the Tea Board of India. The one-day workshop, held on Friday, unveiled the findings of research carried out in institutions across the country.
“In India, we do not allow children to drink tea even though they are free to guzzle cola. But in other cultures, even toddlers are given tea. What we do not consider is cola has a huge amount of caffeine, of which barely one-third is present in tea. In contrast, tea has a lot of benefits,” said Tea Board chairman Basudeb Banerjee.
Given the propensity of people to smoke and drink tea, a research conducted by Calcutta University College of Science has come up with a welcome defence.
Since black tea has strong anti-oxidant properties, the researchers investigated its beneficial effects on cigarette-smoke induced oxidative damage of proteins as well as apoptosis (programmed cell death) and emphysema (a progressive lung disease that causes shortness of breath because of over-inflation of the alveoli or air sacs in the lung).
“From the findings, we can claim that tea alleviates the negative effects of cigarette smoking,” said Banerjee.
A related research has investigated how tea affects cell proliferation and alters the metabolism of carcinogens. “We found that black tea decreases the number of tumours and delays the onset of cancer,” said G.B. Maru of Tata Memorial Centre.
Those who have given up tea because of gastric ulcer can also take heart. “India is the second highest user of tea as a beverage but a popular notion is that it causes gastritis,” said T.C. Chaudhuri, the secretary of National Tea Research Foundation.
“Twenty to 30 per cent of the ulcers are caused by random popping of pain-killers and paracetamols. A research on the effects of tea on drug-induced ulcers has shown the ulcer-healing potential of black tea,” said Biplab Adhikari, a research associate.
For diabetics, tea consumption has been found to be healthy as it may give rise to better control of fasting hyperglycaemia and raise the level of HDL (protective cholesterol), the report claimed.

It could be a scene from a novel: Famous Tamil writers and connoisseurs gather around a well in a leafy green backyard to discuss literature and the arts, while sipping on hot chai and nibbling sundal. Tamil writer Gnani has brought the scene to life at his home in KK Nagar, where such meetings held on the second Sunday of every month.

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Indian tea exports have registered an increase of 9 million kg during the January-June period vis-a-vis last year. While the exports from north India have declined by 2 million kg, unit price realisation has seen an increase of `7 per kg. Exports from south India have increased by 12 million kg but with lower unit price realisation. Overall, during January to June 2010, total exports from India have registered 84 million kg with a forex earning of `1,036 crore as against 75 million kg last year.

The outlook for tea is quite bullish with the commodity setting new records in price in the domestic as well as export markets. Prices of north Indian tea, which consists of 75% of the country’s tea production of 980 million kg, are on the rise. The auction prices of tea in Kolkata are higher by about `23 per kg across all categories…