102 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
£ August 26, 1871. 
HIMALAYA TEA. 
BY T. ZOELLER. 
The May number of the Annalen cler Chemie unci 
JPharmacie contains the result of an interesting in¬ 
vestigation on Himalaya Tea, by Tli. Zoeller, which 
is of considerable value. 
The author begins by stating that the opinion that 
the different sorts of tea are derived from various 
species of the tea-plant had been refuted by Siebold, 
and more completely still by Fortune’s inquiries. 
Black and green tea are both derived from Tliea 
sinensis, and the many varieties of tea in the trade 
are not products of different plants, but merely re¬ 
sults of differences in climate, soil, cultivation, and 
in the preparation of the leaves, but, above all, of 
age. Although the tea-plant itself is hardy enough 
to bear considerable fluctuations in temperature, 
still, the quality of the leaves greatly depends upon 
the soil, cultivation, and, as stated just now, upon the 
age, while their preparation has no effect upon the 
quality, but only alters the outward form. Zoeller 
had previously shown that with beecli-leaves the 
composition of the ash constantly changes with the 
age or development in the leaves, inasmuch as the 
amount of potash and phosphoric acid gradually de¬ 
creases with progressing age, while lime and silica 
constantly increase in quantity. Taking this ob¬ 
servation as his basis, Zoeller concludes that if the 
quality of tea is in the inverse ratio to the age of the 
leaves, the analysis of the ashes of it must enable 
us to determine the age, and consequently the qua¬ 
lity. A high percentage of potash and phosphoric 
acid with little lime would indicate a young tea, or a 
superior quality; while, on the other hand, much lime 
and little potash would be the characteristics of an 
inferior quality. The author succeeded in obtaining 
some samples of Himalaya tea, collected when very 
young, and the analysis quite bore out his anticipa¬ 
tion. These leaves had been gathered very early, 
the lanceolate form was not quite developed, they 
were of a fine black colour, and produced with hot 
water the most delicate aroma. 
The analysis gave 4 95 per cent, of water, and 5'G3 
per cent, of ashes, containing much potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid, and little lime; boiling water extracted 
36 20 per cent., of which 4'94 per cent, was tlieine. 
To separate the alkaloid, the cells of the leaves were 
completely broken up by maceration with concen¬ 
trated sulphuric acid; the acid was then neutralized 
by moist hydrated oxide of lead, and the mass re¬ 
peatedly extracted with alcohol; the alcoholic extract 
was treated with animal charcoal, and after filtra¬ 
tion slowly evaporated, when most of the theine 
separated in sliming silky needles. 
Further evaporation did not yield any more crys¬ 
tals, because the sugar, formed by the action of 
sulphuric acid upon cellulose interfered, and made 
the solution too syrupy; the rest of the theme was 
therefore separated by ether. The alcoholic extract 
on standing over-niglit deposited crystals, which 
Liebig took for theobromine; although the minute¬ 
ness of the quantity prevented exact determination, 
the observation is important, as the presence of 
theobromine in tea had not before been shown. 
The nitrogen in the tea leaves amounted to 5'38 
per cent. 
The complete analysis of the different constituents 
showed the following results, viz.:— 
Ash of 
Ash of 
Ash of leaves 
tea leaves, aqueous 
after 
extract. 
extraction. * 
Potash. 
. 39-22 
55'15 
7-34 
Soda. 
. 0‘G5 
0-G8 
0-G9 
Manganese . . . 
. G-47 
3T3 
11-45 
Lime. 
. 4-24 
0-95 
10-7G 
Oxide of Iron . . . 
. 4-38 
1-73 
953 
Oxide of Manganese 
. 103 
0-43 
1-97 
Chlorine .... 
. 0-87 
0-57 
traces 
Phosphoric Acid . . 
. 1455 
7-89 
25-41 
Sulphuric Acid . . 
. traces 
traces 
traces 
Silica. 
. 4-35 
2-92 
7"57 
Carbonic Acid, etc. . 
. 24-30 
20-30 
25-28 
100-00 
100-00 
100-00 
Percentage of 
Air-dry 
Dry 
Exhausted 
Nitrogen, 
leaves. 
extract. 
and dried 
leaves. 
Nitrogen .... 
5-38 p.c. 
10‘09 p.c. 3’48 p.c. 
Ash. 
5 03 „ 
ll'TG „ 
3-OG „ 
100 parts of ashes of the leaves are composed of 
30-82 parts of ashes of the exhausted leaves, and 
69T8 parts of ashes of the extract. 
The results lead to the conclusion that Himalaya 
tea is quite equal to the best Chinese tea, but it must 
remain undecided whether the presence of theobro¬ 
mine is accidental, or constitutes a distinction; the 
results also bear out the experience of tea-planters, 
that the youngest leaves of the tea plant give the 
best quality. 
In the determination of the age of the leaves by 
analysis of the ashes the amount of potash must 
always be compared with that of phosphoric acid 
and hme, because the older plants often show a high 
percentage of potash if grown on soil rich in potash 
salt, but the amount of lime and phosphoric acid 
invariably decreases according to the age. 
Remarkable and characteristic of the ashes of tea 
is the large quantity of iron and manganese. The 
effect of iron in the infusion of tea upon the vital 
functions has been noticed by Liebig in liis ‘ Che¬ 
mical Letters,’ and the importance of iron in vege¬ 
tal life is well known, whereas that of manganese 
has not yet been ascertained. 
In making infusions of various samples, they show 
a difference, inasmuch as the best tea was most 
readily exhausted. The component parts of the 
ashes are dissolved in different proportions ; chlorine 
almost entirely, potash very considerably, lime, mag¬ 
nesia and phosphoric acid but slightly. The different 
solubility affords a ready means to distinguish ex¬ 
hausted leaves from not exhausted ones; and this 
may be of practical importance, as exhausted tea is 
often made up and brought again into the trade. 
The ashes of exhausted leaves contain but little 
potash, but much of the above-named insoluble 
substances. 
In reference to the action of tea upon the human 
system, the author again points to the richness in 
potash, the importance of which in nutrition has 
been demonstrated by Kemmerich’s experiments. 
But as the infusion of tea contains but little phos¬ 
phoric acid, the alkali is enabled to convert the acid 
phosphates of our food into less acid ones, i. e. into 
those which act as solvents of insoluble] albumen, 
and which form part of the normal conditions of 
blood. 
Hot water dissolves 3-5G per cent, of nitrogen; 
tea contains 4"94 per cent, of theine, equal to 173 
