Camellia thea

Garcia-Moran, S., F. Saez-Royuela, E. Gento, A. Lopez Morante, and L. Arias. 2004. Acute hepatitis associated with Camellia thea and Orthosiphon stamineus ingestion. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 27(9) 559-560. 

Camellia (Thea) sinensis (tea) and Cqffea arabica (coffee) plants. Caffeine was formed rapidly by extracts of green coffee berries, but little by more mature ones, and not at all by seedlings. Biosynthesis of caffein proceeds from 7-methylxanthosine in the presence of an active purine nucleoside phosphorylase or 7-methyl-A -nucleoside hydrolase. Methionine and 5-adenosylmethionine serve as precursors for the methyl groups of purine alkaloids. These act in the presence of methyltransferases on 7-methylxanthine (38) and theobromine (31) to produce caffeine. A pathway for the origin of these compounds in coffee and tea plants has been proposed (Suzuki et al., 1992 Waller and Dermer, 1981) (Fig. 37.10). 

One legend of the discovery of tea—from the Orient, as you might expect— attributes the discovery to Daruma, the founder of Zen. Legend has it that he inadvertently fell asleep one day during his customary meditations. To be assured that this indiscretion would not recur, he cut off both eyelids. Where they fell to the ground, a new plant took root that had the power to keep a person awake. Although some experts assert that the medical use of tea was reported as early as 2737 BC in the pharmacopeia of Shen Nung, an emperor of China, the first indisputable reference is from the Chinese dictionary of Kuo P o, which appeared in AD 350. The nonmedical, or popular, use of tea appears to have spread slowly. Not until about AD 700 was tea widely cultivated in China. Tea is native to upper Indochina and upper India, so it must have been cultivated in these places before its introduction to China. Linnaeus named the tea shrub Thea sinensis-, however, tea is more properly a relative of the camellia, and botanists have renamed the shrub Camellia thea. 

Camellia bohea Griff. C. sinensis (L.) Kuntze C. theifera Griff. C. viridis Link. Cha (Tea) See Thea sinensis ... 

Camellia sinensis. See Camellia sinensis oil Camellia sinensis extract Camellia sinensis extract CAS 84650-60-2 EINECS/ELINCS 283-519-7 Synonyms Camellia sinensis Camellia sinensis leaves extract Green tea extract Tea extract Tea leaves extract Thea sinensis extract Dehnition Extract of the leaves of Camellia sinensis... 

Tea extract. See Tea (Thea sinensis) extract Camellia sinensis extract TEA-hydrochloride... 

Actiphyte of Japanese Green Tea Cone. Camellia oleifera extract Camellia sinensis extract Green Tea Extract 2/031598 InCyte Green Tea Tea (Thea sinensis) extract 84650-63-5... 

Tea seed oil Thea sasanqua, Camellia sasanqua, Theaceae)... 

Tea leaves (Camellia or Thea sinensis, Theaceae) contain cyanidin 3-glucoside (34) and other anthocyanins. Phenolic materials make up as much as 30% of the dry weight of fresh tea leaves (Pierpoint, 1986 Sanderson, 1972). The five major catechins in green tea are (-f-)-catechin (64) (Fig. 

Konishi, S., T. Matsuda, and E. Takahashi Synthesis of theanine and L-glutamic acid y-methylamide in Thea sinensis, Camellia sasanqua, and Oryza sativa. V. Metabolism and regulation of theanine and related compounds. Nippon Dojo-Hiryogaku Zasshi 40, 107 (1969) (in Japanese). (English summary in Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 15, 242 (1969).)... 

Source Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze (syn. C. thea Link C. theifera Griif. Thea sinensis L. T. bohea L. T. viridis L.) and its varieties (Family Theaceae). 

---