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A glossary of science/medical terms as they relate to tea

ALKALOIDS: Alkaloids occur naturally in nature. They are nitrogen-containing compounds that are alkaline when in solution. We taste them as "bitter." They exert a physiological presence. Nicotine and caffeine are alkaloids.

ANTIOXIDANT: These are agents/compounds which retard oxidation in the human body.

CAFFEINE: An alkaloid (see above) found in coffee, cocoa, tea and other beverages.

CATECHINS: These are polyphenolic compounds which occur in plants naturally. One of these, polyphenol oxidase, causes the darkening of certain vegetables when these vegetables are cut by a knife thus rupturing the cell wall and exposing the chemical to oxygen. It is also responsible for turning freshly picked tea leaves black (as in black tea--this process is explained elsewhere in "The Tea Man’s Tea Talk").

EPIGALLOCATECHIN GALLATE (EGCG, ECG, EGC, EC): A group (family) which are directly related to catechins (see above). These appear mostly in green tea but also in black tea in a somewhat changed configuration.

FLAVANOLS, FLAVONOLS, FLAVONOL GLYCOSIDES, FLAVANDIOLS: A group (family), all of which are related and all of which occur naturally in plants. They possess antioxidant characteristics and a large percentage of them guard against changes caused by the existence of free radicals (see below) in the body.

FREE RADICAL: This is a substance which can bring about negative changes in the body as a result of its oxidizing effects. Some changes include: hardening of the arteries and onset of certain cancers.

GALLIC ACID: A plant polyphenol which has the ability to act as an antioxidant.

OXIDATION: Any change caused by oxygen.

POLYPHENOLS: Certain plant compounds containing groups of ‘phenols’ and which also contain certain antioxidant characteristics.

POLYPHENOLIC COMPOUNDS: These plant chemicals consist of several groups. Each group has a oxygen and a hydrogen atom, which is called a phenol group.

THEAFLAVINS: These chemicals produce a yellowish or golden color in black teas.

THEARUBIGINS: These chemicals are actually the red or brown pigments in tea leaves which are responsible for the color of the tea. Brown pigments occur in India teas (and elsewhere if the parentage of the bushes is India) and red pigments occur in Chinese teas.

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