Tea health has gone through three stages: medicinal, edible and drinking. From medicinal to edible, and then developed into the most common beverage, it shows that people's demand for tea is more urgent. At first, tea was used as an object of detoxification and sacrifice due to accidental needs. Then, people realized the medicinal value of tea and began to use it as a medicine. However, people still feel inadequate, and it has developed into the edible stage of tea. In this way, tea meets people's regular needs. Three meals a day, two meals a day, eat all the time every day, and drink tea when eating. With the continuous expansion of the role of tea, this opportunity demand is also difficult to meet people's needs. As a result, tea has developed into an ordinary drink.

Hua tuo on tea

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Hua Tuo, a famous doctor, mentioned in On Food: "Bitter tea is good for a long time." It means: "tea tastes bitter, and it can make people think deeply and broaden their thinking after drinking." This is the first time in history to record the medicinal value of tea.

Huatuo traveled all the year round in Jianghuai area, collecting medicines and treating diseases for the people, and accumulated rich medical experience. It is said that when he is tired, as long as he drinks a cup of green tea, the fatigue will disappear at once, so he deeply understands the view that "bitter tea is good for a long time", which shows that tea has the effect of exciting the brain and refreshing the brain.

Tea begins with medicine.

Before Shennong's herbal medicine, the records of tea were mainly detoxification and sacrifice. People are poisoned, sacrificed, and even sick and take medicine, which is accidental and by no means frequent. Only by these accidental opportunities can people enjoy the "spiritual thing" discovered by Shennong for mankind-tea.

5000 years ago, Shennong discovered that tea was first used for detoxification, and then gradually used as medicine.

Books on tea medicine in past dynasties describe that tea has many functions. Li Shizhen's theory of integrating various drugs is summarized as "bitter, sweet, slightly cold and non-toxic" in Compendium of Materia Medica. Indications: fistula, dysuria, phlegm-heat to quench thirst, less sleep, strong sense of pleasure, lower qi and digestion. "

Li Shizhen also pointed out from a dialectical point of view that "tea tastes bitter and cold, and the yin in the yin will sink, which can best reduce the fire. Fire is a disease, and it will go away. " Then, point out that "fire is fake or real." If a young and healthy person has a strong stomach, and his heart, lungs, spleen and stomach are full of fire, it is suitable for drinking tea ... Xu Ruohan's people with weak blood drink it for a long time, and their spleen and stomach are cold and their vitality is damaged. " Based on personal experience, this paper analyzes the function of drinking tea: "Shizhen was full of energy in her early years, and every time she drank new tea, she would reach several bowls, which relaxed her sweat and cleared her bones and muscles, and she felt quite happy." Middle-aged stomach gas is slightly damaged, and drinking it is harmful, but it is not stuffy or disgusting, that is, the abdomen is cold and leaking. So, prepare all the statements and get on well with the police. "

Zhao Xuemin's Compendium of Materia Medica in the Qing Dynasty said: "The mouth is not good, and it is effective to use tea tree root decoction instead of tea. The soaked tea leaves are dry, which can cure nameless swelling, dog bites and burns into sores. Treating epilepsy in sheep with scrubbed old tea: the tea produced in Hangzhou is the best before it rains, which can clear the throat and improve eyesight, replenish vitality, benefit the heart and clear the seven orifices; Pu 'er tea tastes bitter and greasy, which is toxic to cattle and sheep. It should not be used if it is deficient. "

Zhao Yi's Miscellaneous Notes on Exposing the eaves in Qing Dynasty said: "There is no difference in China's local tea production. And the nomadic sector in the northwest depends on it for a living. The cheese he eats is very fat, otherwise there is no way to get rid of Wei Rong. "

There were also people who opposed drinking tea in ancient times. For example, in the preface to tea drinking by Miao in Tang dynasty, it is said that drinking tea "relieves depression and eliminates stagnation, and a day is good;" Inferior gas immersion, lifelong hazard, four major. If you benefit, you will benefit, and if you suffer, you will suffer. It is not called tea inflammation. It is not an easy blessing, but a far-reaching harm. "

As mentioned above, the ancient people's medical use of tea was based on their own feelings or rumors, especially the rumors before written records and personal experiences afterwards. Medical books are the product of practice rising to theory. Later, many medical books mentioned the medicinal use of tea, which fully showed that in the history of China's development, tea was mainly used for medicinal purposes for a period of time.

Tea develops with consumption.

Tea develops into food after medicinal climax. This also shows that although tea is a cure-all medicine, it is effective, not specific, but a health food. This is also the inevitable development of tea to food.

Tea as food began around 600 AD. During the period of 1000, many books recorded the edible value of tea, and all called tea "famine relief" food, "health food" and even "frugal food".

"Yanzi Chunqiu Miscellaneous Man" said: "Yanzi is like Qi Jinggong, eating no millet, baking three times and coating five eggs." "Record of Wood and Tea" said: "Tea is edible, the bitterness and astringency are removed for two or three times, washed and eaten with oil, salt, ginger and vinegar." "Disaster Relief Materia Medica" said: "In order to save hunger, young leaves or winter leaves (tea trees) can be boiled in soup." The article about tea porridge in Chaliao Ji said: "Tea porridge is unknown in ancient times, and it has fallen in Jin and Song Dynasties. Wu people pick leaves and cook them, which is called tea porridge. " The Book of Songs says: "If you pick tea, you will be rewarded and eat my farmers." Guo Pu's "Er Ya Zhu" said: "Tea tree is as small as gardenia, and it has leaves in winter, so it can be boiled into soup."

During this period, both the "Yanzi" in the upper class and the "farmers" in the lower class regarded tea as a famous dish of moss and tea ceremony. Because it is a vegetable, they can eat it and mix it with other vegetables and grains to make food, especially porridge, which tastes delicious and healthy. Even though Lu Yu of Cha Sheng later disapproved of using tea as food, he had to admit that tea was used as an ordinary drink and was generally made into tea porridge. He also said in the "Six Tea Classics": "Tea drinkers, loose tea, powdered tea and cake tea, are Nai, Nai, Nai, Nai, Nai, and are stored in bottles ... or use onions, ginger, dates, orange peels and so on. It is said that this way of eating tea is like a play, but it is undeniable that people drink tea as porridge.

During this period, although tea was still mainly eaten, it was still not abandoned as a medicine, and it was not until the later stage of this stage that it gradually turned to drinks.