Tea comes from the plant Camellia sinensis. Nowadays, a myriad of tea options is available – green, black, and oolong. And though tea is now seemingly everywhere, its origin still remain uncertain, a remnant of ancient folklore claimed by both India and China [5].

Tracing the origins of tea

It is often believed in Chinese folklore that Emperor Shen Nong’s servants would serve him hot water. In one instance, tea leaves appeared in the pot of hot water. Presumably from a nearby tree, the leaves greatly pleased the emperor’s taste buds.

A separate story relays the experiences of Siddhartha, Buddhism’s founder, who supposedly tossed his own eyelids onto the earth, witnessing the birth of a tea bush. Though both stories may be apocryphal, Buddhists and the Chinese still value them [5].

Many centuries later, in 479, Turkish merchants began tea negotiations with China. Then, in 593, tea landed in Japan, into the welcoming arms of Buddhist monks. In 1618, green tea finally made the rounds in Europe, imported by the Dutch after their visits to Japan. And in the early part of the 20th century, Sumatra, Indonesia, and even Kenya become exposed to the drink [6]. Presently, millions of people, from all walks of life, consume tea on a daily basis, making it nearly ubiquitous. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, nearly 5 million tons of tea were produced globally in 2013 [7].

Tea is one of the most popular drinks in the world. Soon, it might be even more popular – because it just might save your life.

Tea first, water second

Turkish people are so utterly obsessed with tea that it would be unjust not to declare it their national drink. One can find a teapot in nearly every household. It holds a special place in the minds and hearts of all, and has become deeply ingrained into Turkish culture. Turks profoundly cherish tea, in a similar manner to how Americans love their coffee and Italians their espresso.

Turkish people brew tea first thing in the morning and tea consumption continues throughout the day. While green and black are frequent options, the latter is generally more popular.

The preparation of “Turkish” tea is rather simple. A few spoons of ground tea are placed into a teapot following a cleansing and moistening process. The teapot remains situated upon a tea kettle, where water is boiled. At an appropriate time, water is transferred from the kettle to the teapot, brewing tea. In general, the hot tea is served in small teacups to prolong the mouth-watering pleasure.

This drink represents more than just a pinch of tea leaves swirling in hot water. It is a symbol of friendship, love, and unity. Regardless of the occasion, a cup of tea creates a welcoming atmosphere and can brew lifelong friendships.

While tea may be a cultural staple for those who drink it, they may not realize that the many antioxidants the drink contains may have serious benefits for their health.

On the molecular level, what makes tea special?

Antioxidants are an umbrella term for different chemicals that keep our body’s free radicals in check. Free radicals, with an unpaired electron in their outermost atomic shell, are harmful to living organisms as they wreak havoc on the body as they attempt to seize nearby electrons. This in turn can take a heavy toll on a body, causing damage at the molecular level and possibly leading to potentially fatal diseases. Therefore, the human body utilizes antioxidants as a first line of defense against the detrimental effects of free radicals.

Polyphenols are a type of antioxidant found abundantly in many of the foods and drinks we routinely consume, including tea, fruits, and veggies. Polyphenolic compounds found naturally in tea leaves have been shown to be effective in alleviating health-related concerns [8]. However, uncertainties abound as to whether or not tea compounds truly are capable of impeding cancerous cell growth or preventing other illnesses [9, 10].

Promising results against cancer

Our understanding of polyphenols and antioxidants is raw, with each new study bringing us one step closer to fully comprehending the inner-happenings of the human body. Researchers are still interested in solving the puzzling effect of tea compounds on the overall well-being of living organisms. Studies are relatively recent, but a substantial amount of scientific research has suggested that tea compounds have beneficial effects towards human or animal health [9-12].

In a case study conducted on 130 newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients in Hangzhou, China, 124 patients who frequently consumed green tea for extended periods of time were less likely to develop prostate cancer than those who did not. Interestingly enough, the other six cancer patients also drank tea, just in the form of black [1].

Likewise, Bettuzzi et al. observed that men administered 200 mg dosages of green tea catechins had a 10x lowered prostate cancer incidence rate as compared to a placebo group. Of the treatment group, only one individual was noted to have developed cancer at the yearly biopsy check, while in the placebo group, nine individuals developed cancer at varying times [9]. Ultimately, their observations suggest that green tea may be a beacon of hope for desperate cancer patients.

Despite such promising results, it has been noted that green tea may not be nearly as effective as advertised in treating cancer. According to Choan et al., when 19 hormone-refractory, advanced-stage prostate cancer patients (for whom hormone therapy is deemed to be ineffective) were administered green tea in capsulated form, their conditions seemed to gradually decline [13, 14]. This was the case for all patients, less one whose body responded somewhat positively to the treatment. This study confirmed that green tea had little to no effect on the progression of cancer in the body [13].

A beacon of light

According to Stockfleth et al., when 503 wart victims were exposed to Polyphenon E 15% Ointment, a medication containing tea catechins, significant reductions in ongoing warts were noticed in nearly half of the treated individuals, with under 6 percent of those treated showing signs of wart recurrence [11, 15]. The efficacy of the treatment was more noticeable in women, with 60 percent reporting full clearance of warts [11].

Furthermore, independent studies on smoking men and non-smoking women reported a decreased risk of developing lung cancer following consumption of green tea [2, 3]. Both studies provide valuable insight into the fascinating workings of tea compounds; regardless of lifestyle choices, similar effects were observed.

Black and green tea have also improved the lives of rats suffering from debilitating high blood pressure, enabling them to achieve sound cardiovascular health [10]. Another study done on rats has passively urged the scientific community to start an inquiry into the health effects of green tea on humans after obtaining promising data regarding the regulation of lipid metabolism in blood plasma [12].

Lastly, drinking tea has been shown to be helpful in decreasing risks associated with developing diabetes, yet a cause-effect relationship between consumption and risk cannot be safely assumed [4].

Tea is still fun to drink!

Studies on this topic conclude that a definitive causal relationship between tea consumption and the efficacy of its health benefits has not been confirmed [1, 3, 4]. To be able to successfully elucidate the effects that drinking tea has on inhibiting cancerous growth, research studies in general need to provide the necessary specificity regarding consumption behaviors, lifestyle choices, individual physical characteristics, and so forth. This is in large part due to the intricate design and complexity of human physiology. Moreover, we should appreciate the chemistry that takes place in our bodies at the microscopic level and continue to assume healthy dietary practices at the macroscopic level. Once we develop a better understanding of the relationship between tea consumption and health, only then can we prescribe safe medical practices regarding an appropriate tea regimen for the general population.

For now, it should be okay for habitual tea drinkers to continue indulging themselves. Moreover, tea has the intrinsic power to instill energy in social settings and to establish a conscious appreciation for the life around us.

Deeply embedded in Turkish culture and revered by many around the globe, it comes as no surprises then that a renowned Turkish bard and poetic mastermind by the name of Aşık Veysel once said, “I do not have much to offer you. But for entertainment and pleasure, either have some tea and lend an ear to my melodies or travel somewhere your heart desires.”

References

1. Jian, L., L. P. Xie, A. H. Lee, and C. W. Binns. “Protective Effect of Green Tea against Prostate Cancer: A Case-Control Study in Southeast China.” Int J Cancer 108, no. 1 (Jan 1 2004): 130-5.
2. Mendilaharsu, M., E. De Stefani, H. Deneo-Pellegrini, J. C. Carzoglio, and A. Ronco. “Consumption of Tea and Coffee and the Risk of Lung Cancer in Cigarette-Smoking Men: A Case-Control Study in Uruguay.” Lung Cancer 19, no. 2 (Feb 1998): 101-7.
3. Zhong, L., M. S. Goldberg, Y. T. Gao, J. A. Hanley, M. E. Parent, and F. Jin. “A Population-Based Case-Control Study of Lung Cancer and Green Tea Consumption among Women Living in Shanghai, China.” Epidemiology 12, no. 6 (Nov 2001): 695-700.
4. Song, Y., J. E. Manson, J. E. Buring, H. D. Sesso, and S. Liu. “Associations of Dietary Flavonoids with Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, and Markers of Insulin Resistance and Systemic Inflammation in Women: A Prospective Study and Cross-Sectional Analysis.” J Am Coll Nutr 24, no. 5 (Oct 2005): 376-84.
5. “What Is the History of Tea?” Bigelow Teas. https://www.bigelowtea.com/Special-Pages/Customer-Service/FAQs/General,-Tea-Related/What-is-the-history-of-tea.
6. “Tea Outpost.” Tea Outpost. http://teaoutpost.com/tea-timeline-in-history/.
7. “World Tea Production and Trade: Current and Future Development.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. https://fountainmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/a-i4480e-7b3.pdf.
8. Khan, N., and H. Mukhtar. “Tea and Health: Studies in Humans.” Curr Pharm Des 19, no. 34 (2013): 6141-7.
9. Bettuzzi, S., M. Brausi, F. Rizzi, G. Castagnetti, G. Peracchia, and A. Corti. “Chemoprevention of Human Prostate Cancer by Oral Administration of Green Tea Catechins in Volunteers with High-Grade Prostate Intraepithelial Neoplasia: A Preliminary Report from a One-Year Proof-of-Principle Study.” Cancer Res 66, no. 2 (Jan 15 2006): 1234-40.
10. Negishi, H., J. W. Xu, K. Ikeda, M. Njelekela, Y. Nara, and Y. Yamori. “Black and Green Tea Polyphenols Attenuate Blood Pressure Increases in Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.” J Nutr 134, no. 1 (Jan 2004): 38-42.
11. Stockfleth, E., H. Beti, R. Orasan, F. Grigorian, A. Mescheder, H. Tawfik, and C. Thielert. “Topical Polyphenon E in the Treatment of External Genital and Perianal Warts: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Br J Dermatol 158, no. 6 (Jun 2008): 1329-38.
12. Raederstorff, D. G., M. F. Schlachter, V. Elste, and P. Weber. “Effect of Egcg on Lipid Absorption and Plasma Lipid Levels in Rats.” J Nutr Biochem 14, no. 6 (Jun 2003): 326-32.
13. Choan, E., R. Segal, D. Jonker, S. Malone, N. Reaume, L. Eapen, and V. Gallant. “A Prospective Clinical Trial of Green Tea for Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer: An Evaluation of the Complementary/Alternative Therapy Approach.” Urol Oncol 23, no. 2 (Mar-Apr 2005): 108-13.
14. “Androgen-independent Prostate Cancer – Harvard Prostate Knowledge.” Harvard Prostate Knowledge RSS. March 11, 2009. http://www.harvardprostateknowledge.org/androgen-independent-prostate-cancer.
15. “Polyphenon E Ointment.” Drugs.com. October 31, 2006. http://www.drugs.com/polyphenon_e.html.

A visit to a mosque and a simple gesture of kindness remind the author that, despite what the news might report, people of different faiths have far more similarities than differences.
Be kind, for wherever kindness becomes a part of something, it beautifies it; wherever it is taken from something, it leaves it tarnished. (Bukhari, Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh))

As part of a course on the Religions of Abraham that I teach at St. Joseph’s College, I regularly require students to visit a mosque. This past fall we visited Masjid Umar Bin Khattaab in Shirley, NY, which is in close proximity to our Patchogue campus. The students were welcomed by Imam Mehdad Islam, a friend and also a student at St. Joseph’s. We all sat in a circle on the masjid floor for an informal question and answer session. As we did so, a gentleman was praying alone in a corner of the mosque. After he finished praying, he joined the circle and then proceeded to ask if anyone in the group wanted some tea. It was a cold and rainy November afternoon, and although tea would have been welcomed by many, no one wanted to ask. Finally, not wanting to offend the kind gentleman, I said yes. Immediately several other students also said they would love some. We all thought that there was a kitchen in the back where he would prepare the tea. Much to our surprise, he said that he was going across the street to a local 7-11 and that he would be back shortly. Ten minutes later, he returned soaking wet with eight cups of hot tea! While students gained a lot of valuable information from their conversation with the imam, by far the greatest lesson they learned that day was from the kind deed of this unnamed man. It left a lasting impression of kindness, simply through serving us tea.

This experience has stayed with me, especially as the media’s constant bombardment has made us all too familiar with the examples of hatred and cruelty that human beings are capable of perpetrating against one another, often in the name of religion. Such actions support the negative stereotypes of religion held by many. The religion of Islam in particular is often maligned by many of these negative stereotypes. Sadly, the many examples of goodness and kindness extended by Muslims in the name of their faith often go untold. In this article, I would like to share the story of four examples of genuine kindness among everyday Muslims who are true examples of the “beautiful souls” written about by Eyal Press in his book of the same title. I offer them as four cups of tea that are reminders of the many deeds of kindness and courage that often go unnoticed in the daily barrage of negative publicity we are all exposed to.

The practice of kindness and generosity is central to Islam and goes back to the hadith and sunnah of the Prophet (reports of his traditions, sayings, and things that he approved). One little known example is the so called “Ashtiname of Muhammad.” High atop Mt. Sinai in the Sinai desert there stands, as it has for centuries, the Monastery of St. Catherine. It was built on the site where Christians believe God gave the tablets of the law to the Prophet Moses (pbuh). In a gesture of true kindness and brotherhood Muhammad (pbuh) is believed to have issued a decree that the monks of this monastery would enjoy the protection of Muslims for all time. The decree, known as the Ashtiname, reads in part:

If any monk or pilgrim entrench himself in mountain, valley, cave, township, level, sand or church, I shall be behind them defending them from any that shall envy them, by myself, my helpers, my people, my sect, and my followers, inasmuch as they are my subjects and the people of my covenant.^[1]

To this day, visitors to the monastery can read firsthand what is believed to be the original decree.^[2] It is powerful reminder of the kindness of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to the monks of the monastery and the surrounding region.

More recently, the kindness of many “righteous Muslims,” has been recognized by the Israeli government at the Holocaust Memorial of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. It is a little known fact that among the 20,000 men and women who have been recognized by the Israeli government as “Righteous Among the Nations” because of their heroic deeds of kindness in helping Jews during the Holocaust, 70 are Muslims. Their names are preserved along The Avenue of the Righteous at Yad Vashem. Echoing the words of the Qur’an, 5:32 – “and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole humanity” – there is a verse from the Jewish mishnah inscribed at Yad Vashem that states, “Whosoever saves a single life, saves an entire universe.” (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5, found on the Yad Vashem website. The stories of many of these courageous men and women can be found at the Yad Vashem website and also in Robert Saloff’s book, Among the Righteous: Lost Stories From the Holocaust’s Long Reach into Arab Lands.)

Another remarkable and little known act of kindness and understanding can be found in the work of Khaled Kasab Mahameed, who in 2005 built a Holocaust museum in the city of Nazareth on the West Bank. Mahameed’s story was reported by Tim McGirk in a Time Magazine story on July 8, 2008. The article tells of an Israeli-Arab lawyer named Khaled Kasab Mahameed, who in an effort to try and explain the Israeli wall along the borders of the West Bank by taking his children, took them to the Yad Vashem memorial. He explained that he did this because he realized that his children were not taught about the Holocaust in their history books. In his view, Palestinians can only be successful in achieving their goals if they are able to understand the reality of the Holocaust and the “place that it holds in the Israeli psyche.” To fill this gap in his fellow Arabs’ understanding of the horrors of the Holocaust, Mahameed set up the Arab Institute for Holocaust Research and Education in his hometown of Nazareth. Strongly influenced by the teaching of Mohandas Gandhi, Mahmeed has dedicated his life, often in the face of criticism from his detractors, to achieving peace through the understanding fostered by education.

One final “cup of tea” comes again from a little known incident that occurred in Egypt on January 11, 2011, when a group of Muslims formed a human chain around a Coptic Church as Christians gathered to celebrate Midnight Mass. According to the story, as reported in Egypt’s Al Ahram newspaper, thousands of Muslims gathered to protect the church on Christmas Eve to avoid an attack by extremists on Christians who were attending Mass. They gathered to offer their bodies as “human shields,” and to prevent further atrocities. Such actions are not isolated, but have been emulated on other occasions and in other countries. For example on October 8, 2013, The Huffington Post, as well as other media outlets, reported that on Oct. 6, 200-300 Pakistani Muslims formed a human chain outside a Catholic Church in Lahore to show their solidarity with the victims of a church attack by extremists two weeks earlier.

All of these stories bear an amazing resemblance to the Ashtiname of the Prophet Muhammad fourteen hundred years earlier where he pledged protection to the monks of the Monastery of St. Catherine. They demonstrate in a very powerful and convincing way the lesson my students learned on a rainy November afternoon while visiting a local mosque. The practice of kindness, as simple as sharing a cup of tea, or as dangerous as risking one’s life to protect another, is central to the practice of Islam. As Hamid Vesili, one of the Righteous Muslims honored at Yad Vashem, said in describing the motive for his heroic and courageous action in protecting Jews in Albania: “Our parents were devout Muslims and believed, as we do, that ‘every knock on the door is a blessing from God.’ We never took any money from our Jewish guests. All persons are from God.” Tea anyone?

^[1] This translation by D.S. Margoliouth has been quoted from “The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Monks of Mount Sinai: Issues of Historicity, Authenticity and Reliability” by Dr. John Andrew Morrow (www.lastprophet.info).

^[2] There are other claims about the original copy that it has been brought to Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.

But our similarities and differences can also be much more significant, as well. On one hand, for instance, the tenth anniversary of 9/11 was a major occasion for the U.S., but for a great majority of the world it was just a single chapter-albeit a long one-in the chronicles of violence in human history. On the other hand, almost every nation today from the Philippines to Nigeria has diverse security issues, and in many countries mass killings, violent attacks, and explosions have become astonishingly unastonishing. Just before the turn of the year, for instance, terrorism showed its monstrous face once again against Christians observing Christmas in Nigeria. Indeed, these attacks were an unprecedented form of violence by so-called Islamic terrorists-where in the history of Islam can one show violence against Christians as they are worshipping, especially when the Qur’an and the Prophet forbade harming worshippers in churches or monasteries? Is there any permission in Islam to attack civilians? Iraq and Syria have their own fashion of violence: sectarian conflicts in the fight for obtaining the right to rule. There are many major concerns that all human beings share, and this calls for developing a common understanding so that we can tackle them together. In all of the events The Fountain organizes, we try to raise awareness of our commonality by cultivating an environment in which we can learn from our differences.

The lead article in this issue underlines one dimension of one of our universal humanness by relating “happiness” to “virtue.” The article on autism tries to open a window of hope for families suffering from this really difficult ordeal. In “The Optimizing Man,” you will read on the many economic irrationalities we commit for the sake of transient fancies. The article on cultural differences shares with us some interesting differences between varying nations of the world with memorable examples. De Villa guides us on an exploration of the fantastic civilization of Al Andalus, an exemplary era of coexistence in human history.

“The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger, the second time you are an honored guest. The third time you become family, and for our families we are prepared to do anything, even die.”

This astonishing book is a nonfiction tale of those three cups of tea Greg Mortenson had with the people of Korphe, a remote village in Northern Pakistan. Co-written by acclaimed journalist David Oliver Relin, the 368 page long book met with enthusiastic acclaim, and since its publication in 2006 has sold more than 2.5 million copies in 29 languages. Moreover, in an official ceremony in March 23, 2009, Mortenson received Pakistan’s highest civilian award, the Sitara-i-Pakistan (The Star of Pakistan) for his courage and humanitarian effort to promote education for the last fifteen years.

Mortenson’s story begins in 1993, after a failed attempt to climb the world’s second highest peak, K2, to honor the memory of his younger sister Christa, who died from a massive seizure after a lifelong struggle with epilepsy. Alone, exhausted and emaciated, Mortenson wandered into the impoverished village of Korphe, where the villagers took him in and nursed him back to health. “They had very little but they gave me everything they had, and I was very touched by their hospitality” said Mortenson in an interview to CBS News .

While he was recuperating in Haji Ali’s – the chief of the village – home, he learned more and more about how people lived in this part of the world; that the nearest doctor lived a week’s walk away, most of the children suffered from malnutrition and one out of three children died before their first birthday. Mortenson felt he owed the people of the village, who had already begun to call him “Dr. Greg,” although he was a nurse. He thought at least he could get some supplies for Korphe’s school. Yet, taking him to an open land, Haji Ali explained that they didn’t have a school, and a teacher cost one dollar a day, which was more than the villagers could afford. Mortenson watched boys and girls kneeling on the frosty ground to write out their multiplication tables by scratching in the dirt with sticks. “I felt like my heart was being torn out. Can you imagine a fourth- grade class in America, alone, without a teacher, sitting there quietly and working on their lessons? I knew I had to do something,” Mortenson recounts in the book (p. 32). At that very moment, notes from Mortenson’s heart translated into a commitment. He put his hands on Haji Ali’s shoulder and said, “I will build a school here, I promise.”

Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a Time traces Greg Mortenson’s efforts to fulfill this promise. Along the way, he encountered enormous obstacles. Upon his return to California, he sent 580 letters to celebrities asking for funds for the school, which yielded only one reply, a $100 check; he sold everything he owned, lived in a car to reduce his expenses and accepted donation in pennies from schoolchildren.
In spite of the challenges of raising funds, separation from his wife and newly born daughter, and an eight day kidnapping by the Taliban, Mortenson eventually succeeded in building the school. From his earnest promise grew Central Asia Institute, which built more than fifty schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. “I see education least invested in, that can bring the most change” says Mortenson. In this respect, he is convinced that extremism and terror must be fought with books, not with bombs. He places particular emphasis on educating girls; their education, he believes, can affect the whole community. He gives the example of Jahan, the first educated woman in Skardu, who, after completing her studies in healthcare, could help reduce the mortality rate of women during pregnancy from about twenty a year to zero.

Along with recounting Greg Mortenson’s personal determination to build the school, the book also makes frequent mention of the villagers’ passion for education and their many sacrifices. In one instance, Haji Ali hands over twelve rams – half the wealth of the village – to Haji Mehdi, a mafia boss who ran the economy of the region and didn’t want the school built. “Don’t be sad,” Haji Ali told the shattered villagers. “Long after all those rams are dead and eaten this school will still stand. Haji Mehdi has food today, now, our children have education forever” (p. 153).

In another instance, he shows the Koran to Mortenson, and asks: “Do you see how beautiful this Koran is?”

“Yes” replies Mortenson.

“I can’t read it. This is the greatest sadness in my life. I will do anything so the children of my village never have to know this feeling. I will pay any price so they have the education they deserve.”

Mortenson’s story is uplifting in many ways. It is a story about “compassion in action, not talk” as Mortenson puts it. It is about taking notes when our hearts begin to speak and leaving our comfort zones to achieve what we deem right and necessary. In Brokaw’s words, his story is proof that “one ordinary person, with the right combination of character and determination, really can change the world.”

There are other stories of anonymous heroes all around world, who pack up their lives into a suitcase and move to remote places to turn stones into schools. Their stories are yet to be told.

Notes

1. http://www.threecupsoftea.com/greg-mortenson-bio-and-professional-photo
2. ttp://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/04/sunday/main4697362.shtml
3. http://www.threecupsoftea.com/2009/01/21/msnbc-jan2009/
4. http://www.blogs.targetx.com/wildriverreview/penworldvoices/2008/02/greg_motensons_mission_to_prom.html
5. Three cups of tea One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a time, Greg Mortenson and david Oliver relin, 2006, Penguin Books, review of tom Brokaw.