siobhan wrote:
>
> Ginny writes:
>
> <<! Does anyone know about Camellia Sinensis?>>
>
> Yes.   It's green tea.
>
> siobhan

It's the tea plant, green or black. And while we're on the subject, did
you know it is a major accumulator of flouride? Tea tends to have WAY
more fluoride in it than fluoridated water. And guess what: it looks
like fluoride is really bad for you. It is still a matter of scientific
debate whether small amounts are good for your tooth enamel. It is also
a matter of scientific debate whether it ruins your teeth, makes your
bones brittle, causes cancer, inhibits thyroid actitivity, and many
more. Have you noticed the new warnings on fluoride toothpaste? Those
warnings concern its more overt poisonousness, not these more subtle and
controversial effects. This all was a shock and disappointment to me
because I love tea, and have been drinking a lot of decaf green tea,
which has so many other beneficial compounds in it. I called Celestial
Seasonings customer service and asked them how much is in their green
tea, and they said they know it has a lot, but they don't know how much
because they don't test for it. Mercola says that the studies showing
beneficial health effects of tea were performed using the particular
beneficial compounds such as polyphenols (catechins), not using tea as a
whole beverage.

Hilary McClure
Danville, VT