On Sep 22, 9:01 am, dank
nugget.org> wrote:> Melinda wrote..., On 09/07/2007 19:41:
>
>>>On Sep 7, 3:11 pm, Alan
alanandmike.com> wrote:>
>>>>P.S. I don't think it's the caffeine. I drink caffeinated soda all
>>>>day, and even take a 200 mg caffeine pill if I really need to stay
>>>>awake (no headache, just wide awake and a little jittery).
>
>>>>On Sep 7, 2:09 pm, Alan
alanandmike.com> wrote:>
>>>>>I haven't seen this discussed in a while, so I thought I'd revive it
>>>>>in case there is any new info out there (and because it's really been
>>>>>affecting me lately). After drinking several infusions of Silver
>>>>>Needle (Yin Zhen), I got a headache and some sinus pressure. This
>>>>>pressure is similar to how I feel after drinking alcohol, so I assumed
>>>>>it was due to dilated blood vessels and nasal/sinus tissues. Yesterday
>>>>>I drank several infusions of Jade Flower (tea ball from Tao of Tea
>>>>>that has a wonderful flavor, not just the novelty of the tea ball) and
>>>>>got the same thing, including a headache near my temples which pretty
>>>>>much ruined the rest of my day. I haven't noticed this with black
>>>>>(fully oxidized) teas, and am in fact drinking several cups today to
>>>>>verify this.
>
>>>>>I don't know much about the chemistry of tea, but I presume these
>>>>>headaches are caused by some component of tea which is chemically
>>>>>altered or destroyed during oxidation.
>
>>>>>Thanks!
>
>>>>>Alan
>
>>>epigallocatechin gallate - ECGC in green teas is relatively high. Some
>>>French studies have linked these components to asthma-like symptoms.
>>>In some patients these levels have been know to induce a histamine
>>>release.
>>>There are studies being done in Japan and France regarding histamine
>>>release in some patients following green tea consumption.
>>>It could also be that the methods used to grow your tea may be
>>>contaminated with allergenic sources, such as pesticides, herbicides
>>>or fertilizers.
>>>I would suggest trying these teas organically grown.
>>>Be well.
>>>Shen
>
>> You know that's really really interesting Shen, thank you. I thought it was
>> my imagination that I was feeling like I was having a little bit of a nasal
>> allergic reaction (sneezy) when I drank certain green teas (Huang Shan Mao
>> Feng and other "fluffy"
types...could partially be tea dust too I suppose).
>> I am very sensitive to grass pollen,
FWIW...interesting.
>
> Funny you should mention grass, because I purchased a premium brand of green
> tea a while back that tasted like grass. It was plain old green tea in
> fancy sealed pouches and it tasted like grass. I've tried lots of other
> brands and they always tasted like tea, but this brand's green tea tasted
> like grass while its green/white blend tasted normal. Is it possible that
> batches of tea on the world market are adulterated with grass? I've seen
> bags of fake marijuana buds made from grass clippings, so why wouldn't some
> Chinese tea traders mix in a percentage of grass with tea leaves just like
> other traders adulterate flour with melamine or toothpaste with antifreeze?
Well, primarily in most cases with Chinese tea and decent Indian teas,
you can see the leaf or part of the leaf.
For those of us who take this tea stuff probably much too seriously,
myself included, we look at the leaves. We check out the leaves before
and after steeping. So, frankly, it would be pretty difficult to slip
grass in there.
In Japanese teas, it would also be difficult since colour in a factor
and cut of the leaf.
Shen
