The Arrival of Fall

Hello All,

The final weekend of summer has arrived. It’s back to school and sweaters. I need a cup of tea just thinking about it.

The store will be starting fall hours after this weekend. We will be open
Mon-Wed 10:00-6:00
Thursday 10:00-9:00
Fri.-Sat. 10:00-6:00
Sunday 12:00-5:00

We will be at the Newman Wine Vaults on Saturday, September 6th from 1:00-4:00 as part of Doors Open Days. Doors Open St. John's is heading into its 6th year with its largest event to date! 28 sites are participating including some of our most popular sites and 11 new sites. For more information please contact Hilary Grant at 739-6592 ext: 7 or email Doors Open NL or visit the website at doorsopendays.com .
Walking down the aisle? Britannia Teas will be participating in the Devotion Wedding Show Sept 28th 2008 at the Delta Hotel. Come by the booth and enter our prize draw.
Look for lots of new stock over the next few weeks. Today, I had my first Christmas shopper! I’ve been working on my list ever since.
See you in the store.

KELLY

Rooibos The Healthy Herbal

Rooibos is from South Africa and is a member of the legume family of plants. It is used to make the popular tisane that is now drunk throughout the world. Its scientific name is Aspalathus linoaris. Rooibos translated from the Afrikaans means red bush. When steeped the tea is a rich red brown in colour.
The first time I had Rooibos I was a little unsure of it. I think because I was expecting it to taste like tea. Today I cannot imagine not having Rooibos in my cupboard. I can drink it by the pot! As it is a naturally caffeine free beverage drinking it that way has had no adverse effects on me. In fact, Rooibos is quite a beneficial tea.
This tisane makes a great night time drink. It has a relaxing effect that has been found to help those that have disturbed sleep habits, relieve headache and nervous tension. Pair it up with some chamomile and lavender and it will be dream time before you know it.
Rooibos is a natural source of calcium, potassium, copper minerals, manganese, fluoride, alpha hydroxy acid, zinc, iron, sodium and antioxidants. Studies have shown that Rooibos contains more antioxidants than green and white teas.
Rooibos is generally quite easy on the stomach and has been known to help with stomach ulcers, nausea, constipation and heartburn. Also, because it contains no oxalic acid people with kidney stones can have the pleasure of drinking a cup without negative repercussions.
Rooibos has been recognized as helpful in relieving irritable skin conditions. Many cosmetic companies are adding Rooibos to their skin creams and bath products. Applying your infused leaves directly onto your skin can provide relief from itchy and sun damaged skin. It also works like cucumber to relief tired eyes. Just pop the infused leaves into the fridge place in a cloth teabag and lay it onto your eyes.
Did you just have a workout? Instead of reaching for your sports drink have a cup of Rooibos instead. It contains all the minerals needed to balance your body after you have spent time at the gym. It’s also supposed to aid in digestion and help you to shed some of your extra pounds.
And if you had a glass more of your favourite wine than you should have last night a cup of Rooibos is supposed to help you get past your hangover.
The other great thing about this tisane is that it accepts flavouring really well. Over the years I have moved from flavoured black teas to flavoured Rooibos. And while I prefer our Hunny Rooibos our customers have made the Belgian Chocolate our best selling tea.

Tea and Your Health

We love a cup of tea! The smell, the taste and the soothing first sip make me love my cuppa. For me, it’s about drinking my favourite beverage. So, research showing that tea is full of health benefits is an added bonus. More and more research studies are examining this ancient beverage.
For centuries in China tea was said to combat depression, aid in digestion, make one energetic and alert, and alleviate skin troubles and rheumatism.
Today tea is said to help the fight with weight loss, cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Tea is also a source of manganese, potassium, zinc and fluoride. Health Canada has recently deemed tea a natural health product. Packagers are now allowed to state the following health claims
· Tea is a recognized source of antioxidants for the maintenance of good health
· Tea is helpful in increasing alertness
· Tea is accredited in helping to maintain and/or support cardiovascular health

In relation to cancer, recent studies have suggested that derivatives of green tea help cut off oxygen to tumours thereby stopping them from getting any bigger. This is evidenced in a study in China in that concluded that while green tea did not prevent prostate cancer in men it did aid in stopping the advancement of the cancer. It is important to note that studies have shown that tea is effective only with certain types of cancer.
This past spring, we had a rush of people looking for Wuyi Oolong in order to lose weight. While, all tea is supposed to help you lose weight you also have to have a balanced diet and exercise and you have to drink 3-5cups a day. You shouldn’t drink them all in one sitting as 5-6 cups can act as a diuretic. Also, you shouldn’t be adding sugar or high fat milk to your tea if you are using it as a weight loss aid. Drinking a cup with your Boston Cream doughnut isn’t going to stop you from gaining weight.
The flavonoids in tea are said to aid in lowering cholesterol and contributing to a healthy heart. A study published in the Sept 13, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that those who drink 5plus cups of tea a day reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by 26%. Considering that this was the result of an 11 year study of 40,530 Japanese adults, I thinks it’s safe to say that tea does contribute to cardiovascular health. While tea is supposed to aid in the physical cardiovascular health of people, it could be that it aids in the mental cardiovascular health of people. In this day and age of go go go we often don’t take time to slow down. There is something calming about having a cup of tea. It often means just taking the time to prepare our cup of tea and sitting back and enjoying it. I can feel my blood pressure decreasing while I sip my Dragonwell.
There are hundreds of studies that have been and are being done. Some of these studies support the health claims and some do not. The most important thing is to take care of ourselves and follow the advice of our health care providers. Tea can be a part of what makes us feel good. It just shouldn’t be the only part. The thing to consider is that it is a possible aid and not a cure.