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ORIGINS  CAMELLIA SINENSIS - The Tea Plant From Natural History of the Tea Tree, J.C. Lettsome, 1799. According to Chinese mythology, tea was discovered by China's legendary second Emperor, Shen Nung, the "Divine Cultivator" (said to have reigned during the 3rd millennium B.C.E.). One day, the story goes, the Emperor was boiling water when some tea leaves blew into his pot. The resulting infusion pleased him so much that a new beverage was born. Shen Nung is also regarded as the originator of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, so it is not surprising that he should be credited with the discovery of tea, an herb that has been praised for its healing properties as long as it has been known. (NEXT) |
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