Natural Products in Food, Spices, and Beverages - Natural Products Chemistry: Sources, Separations, and Structures - page 151

OH

OH

H

O

OH

OH

O

H

OH

OH

O

OH

OH

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)
Epigallocatechin (EGC)
Epicatechin (EC)
Epicatechin gallate (ECG)
Catechin (C)
Gallocatechin (GC)

FIGURE 13.9 Chemical structures of the green tea polyphenols, collectively known as the

catechins.

HISTORICAL NOTE

First eaten in cheese-like balls until mankind discovered fire and created pots
to boil water, tea has now achieved a status as the second most popular drink in
the world. No one really knows when the leaves of Camellia sinensis were first
used to make tea. A legend dating to 3000 bc tells that the mythical Chinese
emperor and his followers had stopped to rest under a small tree before con-
tinuing with their journey. The emperor was warming a pot of water on a fire
when a leaf from the tree fell into the water. The emperor drank it and was said
to have immediately recognized the health benefits of the plant. Archeological
evidence actually predates this legend and suggests that tea was first consumed
during the early Paleolithic period (about 5000 years ago).
Trade between China and the West allowed for the spread of tea. Portugal
was the first country to set up trade with Asian countries, but other European
countries soon followed. In 1600, Queen Elizabeth granted a charter to what
became the British East India Company for the sole purpose of promoting
trade with Asia. Tea was first brought to London in 1657 as a medicinal herb
and was originally found only in the apothecaries. By the end of the 17th cen-
tury, both black and green teas were being shipped to England from China in
great quantities. The British were passionate about the idea of growing tea
in India and by the middle of the 19th century more than a half million acres
of tea were planted in India.