Silver Leaf Tea Blog

There are many tales about how the Camellia sinensis bush was discovered and used to make the drink we all know as “tea.” Most of these myths and tales are very interesting myths and tales but they have no historical basis. For example, in Buddhism it is commonly told that the founder of the Zen School of Buddhism was meditating in front of a large structured wall for nearly nine full years and he had mistakenly fell asleep. When he awoke and realized he had fallen asleep he felt morally and spiritually weak and in his anger he cut off his eyelids. His eyelids distinctly dropped into the ground, took root as if they were made for planting, and grew into full and luxurious Camellia sinensis plants. He then took the tea and made a beverage of it.



The most commonly told myth about the discovery of tea is a Chinese legend. This is the most probable of the many legends and myths out there surrounding the discovery of tea. The Chinese legend myth explains that the Emperor of China and famed inventor of Chinese medicine and Chinese agriculture, Shennong, was purifying his water by boiling it. This was his purification process and ancient custom. This particular time he was purifying his water the wind was blowing ferociously and it blew tea leaves from a nearby Camellia sinensis bush into his now boiling water. He noticed the water had a new aroma and that it had changed color. The esteemed Emperor of China was always testing new things and tested the newly discovered tea and was refreshed and thoroughly enjoyed the newfound tea. In his many tests Emperor Shennong had found that Camellia sinensis (tea) reveresed many toxic potions and mixtures and that Camellia sinensis (tea) was a universal medicine with thousands of applications.



While we may never completely know how Camellia sinensis (tea) was discovered, we should be happy that it was and enjoy the many variations of Camellia sinensis (tea) and the thousands of benefits of the Camellia sinensis (tea) we so richly enjoy today!