I am no expert on the good or bad effects of teas, but I have heard that green teas have an antioxidant quality. Of course, it is a well known fact that antioxidants are good, but I do believe that is not the whole story. I am old enough to have watched the medical community discover the terrible affects of smoking and chewing tobacco. I can see the wholesale devastation that is caused in our society by the use of alcohol and other chemical substance abuse. I do know that coffee and tea are filled with caffeine and that caffeine is addictive. I have seen many who are addicted to these drinks. I am satisfied that there is more to be discovered about these substances and trust that the Lord knows already, as he did over 150 years ago when he gave us the Word of Wisdom warning against using these substances.

What is boils down to is faith. Are we going to quibble with the revelations of the Lord through his prophets to our possible own detriment. There are many who cannot fathom that temple worthy LDS pay tithes (one tenth) or their income annually to the building of the Lord's Kingdom. To me it boils down to faith. Are we willing to sacrifice earthly things for eternal things. That is the real question.

Here is a paragraph on tea as written by an MD.

Tea "Black tea" and "green tea" are both from the plant camellia sinensis. Black tea leaves have been allowed to oxidize. The oxidized state of a molecule is the free radical state. This causes an increased risk of cancer and other degenerative diseases. Studies show increased risk of cancer in the gall bladder and endometrium, and four times the risk in the rectum, from black tea. Green tea, made from a lightly steamed leaf, contains antioxidant polyphenols, with reports of decreased cancer risk in the gastrointestinal tract (stomach, small intestine, pancreas, and colon), as well as in the lungs, and in estrogen-related cancers, such as breast cancer. However, it contains 50-100 mg of caffeine, a substance we know to be harmful. We have been told in the Word of Wisdom to avoid hot drinks, and those have been defined as coffee and tea. Ice tea is black or green tea over ice. M E R I D I A N M A G A Z I N E Getting Healthy: Remedies or Maladies? By Stan M. Gardner, M.D. HYPERLINK "http://www.meridianmagazine.com/healthyoutlook/040317healthyprint.html"http://www.meridianmagazine.com/healthyoutlook/040317healthyprint.html

Some may reason that decaffinated green tea is a healthy drink, but decaffinated does not mean all of the caffeine is removed and Lord knows, there are likely other harmful things about it that have not been discovered. I will error on the side of faith or trust in the Lord. It has worked for me so far.

Sincerely,

Donny Osmond


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