Essay on Tea Plant Description
I. Outline of Tea Plant Description
1. Introduction:
- Introduction of the tea plant.
2. Body:
a. Name, Origin, Distribution:
- Also known as tea, scientifically named Camellia sinensis Theaceae, belonging to the Tea family.
- Originated from Asian countries, with many studies indicating that tea originated from Yunnan province in China.
b. Botanical Characteristics:
- Tea is a shrub, growing wild, belonging to the small woody plant species, perennial, with long roots that penetrate deeply into the soil, with a lifespan of 30 - 40 years.
- Height is controlled to below 2m for easy harvesting, however, if not pruned and trained, the plant can grow up to 10m tall.
- Tea leaves are dark green, thick, with both sides smooth, clear leaf veins, and serrated edges. Young leaves and buds are light emerald green.
- Tea flowers are white, with seven to eight thin petals, with many yellow stamens inside, emitting a gentle fragrance.
- Tea fruit is a capsule, with 3 main chambers containing hard, brown or black tea seeds depending on the maturity of the fruit.
- Classification: Chinese small leaf tea, Chinese big leaf tea, Shan tea, and Indian tea, among which Chinese big leaf tea is the most commonly grown in our country.
- The main chemical components in tea leaves with pharmacological effects include tannins and alkaloids such as caffeine, theophylline, theobromine,... and enzymes related to human body metabolism such as EGCG,...
c. Harvesting:
- There are three crops: Spring crop (March - April), Summer-Autumn crop (May - October), and Winter crop (November - December).
- Fresh tea buds after harvesting must be stored in a cool, shaded place, without compression or withering. During harvesting and transportation, it must be ensured that the tea remains clean, free from impurities, and the tea must be processed within 10 hours from harvesting.
d. Uses:
- It is a familiar beverage in the culinary culture of Asians from ancient times.
- Alkaloids in tea help sharpen the mind, refresh, stimulate mental activity, promote alertness, relaxation, and diuresis.
- Tannins in tea help control diarrhea and dysentery.
- Some enzymes in fresh tea leaves have antioxidant effects, counteracting free radicals, and combating aging caused by age, ...
- Positive effects on cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and Parkinson's.
- In traditional medicine, tea is cool in nature, bitter in taste, effective in cooling and detoxifying, treating dysentery, acne, poor spirit, and some bacterial infections on the skin, ...
- In the economy, tea is one of the valuable agricultural products for export, contributing significantly to the country's growth every year.
3. Conclusion:
- Express personal feelings.
II. Sample Essay Elucidating Tea Plants
Vietnam's economy is notable for its diverse and rich agricultural sector, including long-standing industrial crops such as coffee, pepper, cashews, rubber, cocoa, ... and tea is also one of the leading crops in the country's agriculture. With its health benefits, tea is one of the popular beverages, especially among the people in the North - the cradle of a thousand-year cultural tradition. When guests come to visit, how can one be without a hot tea pot, with a taste that starts bitter and ends sweet, expressing the host's hospitality.
Tea, also known as tea, scientifically named Camellia sinensis Theaceae, belongs to the Tea family. It originates from Asian countries, with many studies indicating that tea originated from Yunnan province, China, and then was widely propagated in many places around the world due to its adaptability and strong resistance to wild growth. This species thrives in tropical and subtropical climates, where there is high humidity and warm weather. In Vietnam, tea has been cultivated extensively in large plantations since 1992 under the administration of the French colonialists. Nowadays, this plant is grown extensively in the central and northern provinces of our country such as Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, Nghe An... among which the largest area is concentrated in Quang Nam and Phu Tho provinces. Besides, tea is also grown in the southern provinces, mainly for household consumption, not for production purposes.
In terms of botanical characteristics, tea is a shrub, growing wild, belonging to the species of small woody plants, perennial, with long roots that penetrate deeply into the soil, with a lifespan of 30 - 40 years. The height is controlled to be under 2m for easy harvesting, however, if not pruned and topped, the plant can reach a height of up to 10m. The tea leaves are dark green, thick, with smooth surfaces on both sides, clear veins, and serrated edges. Young leaves and buds are light green, which is the main part for harvesting to produce various types of finished dry tea. Tea flowers are white, consisting of seven to eight thin petals, with many yellow stamens inside, emitting a gentle fragrance. Tea fruit is a capsule, with 3 main capsules containing hard brown or black tea seeds depending on the maturity of the fruit. Nowadays, the most common tea consists of four main species including: Small-leaved Chinese tea, Large-leaved Chinese tea, Shan tea, and Indian tea, among which Large-leaved Chinese tea is the most popularly grown in our country. The main chemical components in tea leaves with pharmacological effects include tannins and alkaloids such as caffeine, theophylline, theobromine,... and enzymes related to human body metabolism such as EGCG,... Regarding the harvest season, in our country, tea is mainly harvested in three crops: spring crop (March - April), summer-autumn crop (May - October), and winter crop (November - December). Farmers harvest tea manually by hand-picking fresh tea buds for several weeks, until all are harvested. After harvesting, the fresh tea buds must be kept in a cool, shaded place, without compression or withering. Throughout the harvesting process, transportation must ensure that the tea remains clean, free from impurities, debris, and tea must be processed within 10 hours from harvesting.
Regarding the use of the plant, tea is a common plant known for its main use as a familiar beverage in the culinary culture of Asian people from ancient times, with the function of freshening the mouth, eliminating odors of leftover food in the mouth after each meal, showing elegance, and even becoming an art of appreciation called tea culture. Nowadays, through many scientific studies, it is discovered that tea has many health benefits for humans. Alkaloids in tea have the effect of sharpening the mind, refreshing, stimulating mental activity, promoting alertness, relaxation, and diuresis. Tannins in tea are a type of substance that helps control diarrhea and dysentery, however, it should not be overused as it can lead to constipation, poor iron absorption, and calcium. Some enzymes in fresh tea leaves have antioxidant effects, counteracting free radicals, combating aging caused by age, and also have effective anti-cancer effects, as well as increasing the lifespan of those who regularly use tea as their daily drink. Besides, tea water also has positive effects on cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and Parkinson's. In traditional medicine, tea is cool in nature, bitter in taste, effective in cooling and detoxifying, treating dysentery, acne, poor spirit, some bacterial infections on the skin, ...
In the economy, tea is one of the valuable agricultural products for export, the main profession of a large part of the people in the provinces of the Central and Northern regions, contributing significantly to the country's growth every year. However, due to the lack of systematic investment and modern production methods, the tea output is still low, and the quality only reaches about 60 - 70% compared to other countries in the region.
Tea is a familiar plant to most of us, not only bringing high economic value but also being a beverage with many health benefits. Hopefully, in the future, our country can improve both the output and quality to become one of the world's leading tea exporters. At the same time, it also becomes a popular drink, and young people gradually understand the value and significance of this plant for health.
The article provides a brief understanding of tea - a familiar plant in the lives of East Asians. To learn more about other plants, please refer to the articles Elucidating the Banyan Tree, Elucidating the Phoenix Tree, Elucidating the Bamboo Tree, Elucidating the Cherry Blossom Tree.