120 
THALAM I FLORAS. 
Chinese give it the name of Yutien; it scarcely colours water, 
and it is only used on occasions of ceremony. 
There are two processes described as employed by the 
Chinese in preparing the Tea for market. According to the 
first, a few pounds of the leaves are put into a heated pan, and 
shifted by the hands of the operator as quickly as possible. As 
soon as the heat becomes too great, they are thrown out, and 
a few at a time are rolled between the palms of the hands, 
while assistants are fanning in order to cool them more quickly. 
This process is repeated several times till the leaves become 
quite dry. On every repetition the heat of the pan is diminished. 
The second method describes the leaves as plunged into boiling 
water for half a minute : after they are partially dry, they are 
rolled with the fingers, and thrown on heated plates, where they 
are kept constantly stirred with the hand till the desiccation is 
completed, and occasionally taken off and rubbed between the 
fingers in the heated state. The process, according to either 
method, is rapidly performed, so that, in China, a man usually 
manufactures 600 lbs. a week, for six months. 
According to Kaempfer, the Japanese employ the flowers of 
Olea fraghans, fragrant olive, now commonly cultivated in 
our gardens, to give a higher flavour to then- Teas. 
The infusion of Tea has long been a favourite beverage. Its 
effects are soothing and exhilarating, and it has a decided effect 
in facilitating digestion. When taken in excess and in a strong 
infusion, it produces a state of nervous excitement, attended with 
accelerated circulation, insomnolency, convulsions, and other bad 
consequences. It is remarked in China, that persons addicted 
to its excessive use, are debilitated, of a leaden complexion, 
with the teeth black, and subject to diabetes. 
A strong infusion of green tea is sometimes employed as an 
injection in leucorrhoea, and as a lotion in mild ophthalmia. The 
Chinese employ the inferior descriptions of tea in dyeing black ; 
and to revive the colour of Nankin. 
The analysis of the leaves gives, extractive, mucilage, a good 
deal of resin, gallic acid, and tannin. According to experiments 
made in the Royal Institution of London, green Tea is more 
astringent than black, and contains more soluble matter. It is 
a vulgar error to suppose that the former contains copper, as 
none can be detected on analysis, and the plates on which the 
leaves are dried, are either of earth or iron. 
For a very good account and figure of the Tea plant, the 
reader is refered to Sir W. Hooker’s Botanic Magazine. The 
only fault in the representation is that the leaves ought to have 
been of a much deeper green. 
