There are only three basic types of Asian tea; Green, Black and Oolong. All three come from the same tea plant -- Camelia sinensis. The differences between the teas result from the way the tea leaves are plucked and processed. Although there are three basic types of tea, there are over 3,000 varieties to choose from. Despite their name, herbal teas are not tea at all because they do not come from the tea plant, but from herb and spice plants.

In recent Dutch studies it was found that men who drink black tea which contains catechins are fifty percent less likely to die of ischemic heart disease. This occurs when our arteries become clogged and are unable to work as they should because of them becoming narrow.

We now know that drinking a half to two cups of tea per day may promote fertility by inhibiting abnormalities in our chromosomes. In a recent test 250 women drank as little as half a cup of tea per day and their pregnancy rates were double those who did not.

A remedy for puffy eyes is to lie in a horizontal position and place either a tea compress or wet teabag over both eyes and leave for about 20 minutes. The puffiness around the eyes will amazingly vanish and your eyes will look and feel brand new.

One way to rid your refrigerator of unpleasant smells is to place one or two used tea bags somewhere within the fridge. The next day any bad smell will be gone!

A substance called Tannic acid which naturally occurs in tea is said to help in the battle against warts. Apply a wet tea bag to the infected area for about 15 minutes three times daily and the wart will slowly begin to shrink until it eventually disappears.

It is known that men in Asian countries who consume green tea have very low instances of prostate cancer. Many prominent researchers are convinced that this is due to green tea containing many powerful antioxidants and preventative anti-cancer agents.

In recent Australian studies CSIRO scientists found that the occurrence of skin cancer in laboratory mice was greatly reduced when they were given black tea. It is thought that polyphenols which are very strong antioxidants and are contained in the tea are the most likely reason for this phenomenon.

The costliest teabag ever was created for the 75'th anniversary of the PG TIPS tea company. The bag was filled with two hundred and eighty diamonds and expensive limited edition tea leaves. The tea bag cost 7,500 pounds and would be auctioned in aid of a Children's hospital in Great Britain.

Contrary to what one might expect, Turkey is a land of tea drinkers. Turks drink more tea per head than any other nation, even more than the British and they are now the world's biggest tea drinkers. The total annual consumption of tea in Turkey is approximately 120 thousand tons whereas that of coffee is only 8 thousand tons.