TERNSTRCEMIACE^E. XXVII. THEA. OLACINE^. 



579 



over a very gentle fire, that it may be deprived of any humidity 

 which remained, or it might have since contracted. That which 

 is brought down to Canton undergoes a second roasting, winnow- 

 ing, packing, &c. from whence it is sent to Europe. 



The Chinese know nothing of Imperial tea, flower of tea, 

 and many other names which in Europe serve to distinguish 

 the goodness and the price of tea ; but besides the common 

 tea they distinguish two other kinds, viz. the Voui and 

 Soumlo, which are reserved for people of the first quality, and 

 those who are sick. We have two principal kinds of tea in 

 Europe, viz. Green tea, which is the common tea of the Chi- 

 nese ; T. Le Compte calls it Blng-tea, and says it is gathered in 

 April ; Boheatea, which is the Voui or Vou-tcha of the Chinese, 

 M. Le Compte makes to differ from the Green tea only by its 

 being gathered a month before it, viz. in March, while in the bud. 

 Others take it for the tea of some particular province, the soil 

 being found to make as much alteration in the properties of tea as 

 the time of gathering. As to the difference of flavour and colour 

 peculiar to these two kinds, Dr. Lettsom thinks that there is rea- 

 son to suspect that they are produced by art. As to the opinion 

 that green tea owes its verdure to an inflorescence acquired 

 from the plates of copper on which it is supposed to be curled 

 or dried, there is no foundation for the suspicion, as the infu- 

 sions undergo no change on the affusion of volatile alkali, which 

 would detect the minutest portion of copper by turning the 

 liquors blue. On the whole, Dr. Lettsom thinks it not impro- 

 bable that some green dye, prepared from vegetable substances, 

 is employed in the colouring of the leaves of the green teas. 

 And Newmann suspects that the brown colour and flavour of 

 the bohea teas are introduced by art. Both convey their own 

 particular colour to water, but to rectified spirits they both im- 

 part a fine deep-green. Savory speaks of a sort of red tea or 

 Tartar tea, called Honan-tcha, which tinges the water of a pale- 

 red ; it is said to be extremely digestive ; by means of it the 

 Tartars are said to be able to feed on raw flesh. The drink tea is 

 made in China and the greatest part of the East in the same man- 

 ner as in Europe. The Japanese are said to prepare their liquor 

 in a somewhat different manner, by pulverizing the leaves, stirring 

 the powder in hot water, and drinking it as we do coffee. The 

 Chinese are always taking tea, especially at meals, sometimes 3, 

 6, or 10 times a day ; it is the chief treat with which they regale 

 their friends. 



With regard to the commercial history of tea, it was first 

 introduced into Europe by the Dutch East India Company 

 very early in the 17th century, and a quantity of it was 

 brought over from Holland by Lord Arlington and Lord Os- 

 sory about the year 1666, at which time it was sold for 60s. a 

 pound. But it appears, even before this time, drinking of tea 

 even in public coffee-houses in this country was not uncommon, 

 for in 1660 a duty of 8d. per gallon was laid on the liquor made 

 and sold in all coffee-houses. The present consumption of it is 

 immense, both amongst the rich and the poor. 



Tea is extolled as the greatest of all medicines, moderately and 

 properly taken ; it acts as a gentle astringent and corroborative ; 

 it strengthens the stomach and bowels, and is good against nau- 

 seas, indigestions, and diarrhoeas. It acts as a diaphoretic and 

 diuretic. The immoderate use of it is, however, very prejudicial. 

 It refreshes the spirits in heaviness and sleepiness, and seems 

 to counteract the effects of inebriating liquors. The activity 

 of tea chiefly resides in the fragrant and volatile parts, which 

 stands charged as the cause of those nervous affections that are 

 said to be produced or aggravated by the use of this liquor. 

 From Dr. Smith's experiments it appears that green tea has the 

 effect of destroying the sensibility of the nerves and the irritability 

 of the muscles ; and from the experiments of Dr. Lettsom it ap- 

 pears that green tea gives out on distillation an odorous water, 



which is powerfully narcotic, but in a more recent state, as in 

 China, it is still more powerfully narcotic, therefore the Chinese 

 never use it until it is one year old or more, till its volatile parts 

 are still further dissipated. It would, therefore, appear that 

 what are considered the finer teas, contain more of this narcotic 

 principle than what are considered the coarser kinds, especially 

 the green teas, as the more odorous teas in this country often 

 shew their sedative powers in weakening the nerves of the 

 stomach, and indeed of the whole system. Its effects, however, 

 seem to be very different in different persons, and hence the 

 contradictory accounts that are reported of these effects. 



The substitutes for teas used by the Chinese may be mentioned. 

 A species of moss common to the mountains or Shantung, an in- 

 fusion of ferns of different sorts, and Dr. Abel thinks that the 

 leaves of the common Camellia and oil Camellia may be added, 

 and Kaempfer asserts that in Japan, a species of Camellia, as 

 well as O lea fragrans, is used to give tea a high flavour. By 

 far the strongest tea Dr. Abel tasted in China was that called 

 Yutien, used only on occasions of ceremony. It scarcely colour- 

 ed the water, and on examination it was found to consist of buds 

 and half-expanded leaves. As more select sorts of tea, the 

 flowers of Camellia Sasdnqua appear to be collected ; the buds 

 also appear to be gathered in some cases. 



Common or Green Tea. Fl. Sept. Dec. Clt. 1768. Shrub 

 3 to 6 feet. 



2 T. BOHE' A (Lin. spec. 743.) leaves elliptical-oblong, obtuse, 

 crenated, twice as long as broad ; flowers of 5 sepals, and 5 

 petals, axillary, twin or tern. Tj . G. Native of China and Japan. 

 Blackw. herb. t. 352. Letts, mon. ed. 1. with a figure. Lois, 

 herb. amat. t. 255. Lodd. bot. cab. 226. T. Chinensis /3 Bohea, 

 Sims, hot. t. 998. D. C. prod. 1. p. 530. Leaves dark-green, 

 coriaceous. Flowers spreading, white. This is falsely called 

 Bohea tea, as we find the Bohea teas of the shops, as well as 

 other kinds, both green and black, to be the leaves of the former 

 species. Kaempf. amoen. t. 606. 



Bohea Tea. Fl. Nov. Feb. Clt. 1780. Shrub 2 to 6 feet. 



3 T. COCHINCHINE'NSIS (Lour. coch. 338.) leaves lanceolate; 

 flowers of 3-5-sepals and 5 petals, solitary, terminal ; fruit 

 3-lobed, usually 1 -seeded, opening at the apex. Tj G. Native 

 in the north of Cochin-china, where it is also cultivated. Flowers 

 white. This species is used by the inhabitants of Cochin-china 

 medicinally, especially in hot weather, as a sudorific and refri- 

 gerent in decoction. 



Cochin-china Tea. Shrub 8 feet. 



4 T. OLEOSA (Lour. coch. 339.) leaves lanceolate ; flowers 

 of 6-sepals and 6-petals ; peduncles 3-flowered, axillary ; fruit 

 indehiscent. fj . G. Native of China about Canton. Flowers 

 white. An oil is obtained from the seed of this shrub, which 

 the inhabitants of China use both for the table, and to burn in 

 lamps. The fruit is more of a berry than a capsule. It is pro- 

 bably Camellia oleifera of Abel. 



Oily Tea. Shrub 8 feet. 



Cult. For the cultivation and propagation see Camellia. The 

 species only require to be protected from severe frost. 



ORDER XXXVIII. OLACI'NEjE (plants agreeing with Olax 

 in important characters). Mirb. bull, philom. 1813. no. 75. p. 

 377. D. C. prod. 1. p. 531. 



Calyx of 1 sepal (f. 100. a.), somewhat toothed, at length 

 usually enlarged and baccate (f. 1 00. A.), perhaps it is an involu- 

 crum. Petals (sepals ?) 4-6, hypogynous, rather coriaceous, valvate 

 in aestivation, sometimes free, sometimes all or some of them con- 

 nected by pairs (f. 100. i.), and therefore appear semibifid (f. 

 4 E 2 



