Jasmine, known scientifically as Jasminum officinale, is a flowering shrub that is native to the Mediterranean basin. A quick-growing shrub, jasmine bears white or yellow flowers, which yield a pleasantly scented oil that has been used for centuries for its reputed medicinal properties. Modern research on jasmine oil and jasmine-infused tea has confirmed some of the plant's health benefits. Consult your doctor before beginning a regimen of self-treatment with jasmine or any other herbal remedy.
Antioxidant Properties
Iris F.F. Benzie and Y.T. Szeto, researchers at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, compared the antioxidant properties of 25 types of tea, including four brands of jasmine tea, which is a brew of green or white tea to which dried jasmine flowers have been added. In a laboratory, researchers measured the relative antioxidant capacities of each tea using the ferric reducing/antioxidant power, or FRAP, assay method. In an article published in the June 1997 issue of the "Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry," the researchers reported that all four brands of jasmine tea scored high in antioxidant properties, with each cup of tea offering the same potential to improve antioxidant status as 150 mg of pure ascorbic acid, or vitamin C.
Helps Prevent Atherosclerotic Disease
The oxidation of low-density lipoprotein, the so-called bad cholesterol, plays a key role in the development of atherosclerotic disease. A team of biochemistry researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong studied the capacity of jasmine green tea polyphenol extracts and its individually isolated epicatechin isomers to inhibit this oxidation process. The team found that the four most common epicatechin isomers in the tea were epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG; epigallocatechin, or EGC; epicatechin, or EC; and epicatechin gallate, or ECG. Although all four isomers demonstrated an ability to inhibit the oxidation of human LDL, researchers reported that EGCG and ECG showed the strongest inhibitory powers. The team reported its finding in an article in the June 1997 issue of "The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry."
Promotes Longevity
In "The Okinawa Program," authors Bradley J. Wilcox, D. Craig Wilcox and Makoto Suzuki reported on their investigation into the factors responsible for the longevity of many Okinawans. They found a high level of jasmine tea consumption among most Okinawans but especially among a study group of Okinawan centenarians. They credit the antioxidant properties of the tea's flavonoids and lignans, which attack the free radicals widely considered responsible for a wide array of illnesses and the deleterious effects of aging.
Sedative Properties
Researchers at Kyoto University's Laboratory of Nutrition Chemistry Department studied the effect of jasmine tea's odor on the mood states and autonomic nerve activity of 24 healthy volunteers. Subjects inhaled the tea's odor for five minutes, after which researchers conducted a battery of tests to measure the sedating effect of the tea's odor. In an article published in a 2005 issue of the "European Journal of Applied Physiology," researchers reported that the odor of jasmine tea, even at low intensities, has significant sedative effects on mood states and autonomic nerve activity.
References
- "Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry"; Total Antioxidant Capacity of Teas by the Ferric Reducing/Antioxidant Power Assay; Iris F.F. Benzie and Y.T. Szeto; January 1999
- "The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry"; Inhibitory Effect of Jasmine Green Tea Epicatechin Isomers on LDL-Oxidation; Anqi Zhang et al.; June 1997
- "The Okinawa Program"; Bradley J. Wilcox, D. Craig Wilcox and Makoto Suzuki; 2002
- "European Journal of Applied Physiology"; Sedative Effects of the Jasmine Tea Odor and (R)-(')-Linalool, One of Its Major Odor Components, on Autonomic Nerve Activity and Mood States; Kyoko Kuroda et al.; 2005
Member Comments