A treatise on foreign teas: Abstracted from an ingenious work, lately published, entitled An essay on the nervesSmith, Hugh
Science
A treatise on foreign teas: Abstracted from an ingenious work, lately published, entitled An essay on the nerves
Smith, Hugh
Tea -- Health aspects; Tea -- Health aspects -- China; Tea -- Health aspects -- India
delirious imagination, groundless fears, and an exquisite sense of his
sufferings--A gradually sinking into a nervous atrophy or
consumption--A perpetual alarm of approaching death--Sometimes
cheerful, and sometimes melancholy--Without present enjoyment or future
expectation of any thing but increasing misery and debility.--If these
symptoms are inconsiderately suffered to continue, they soon terminate
in palsy, hip, madness, epilepsy, apoplexy, or in some mortal disease,
as the black jaundice, dropsy, consumption, &c.
Having ascertained, from this enquiry, the injurious properties of
India tea, it may naturally be expected that I should propose some
article that might prove more beneficial. With this requisition I shall
most readily comply, although I may expose myself to the invidious
censure of having directed all my efforts to establish the celebrity of
whatever article I may recommend. But being convinced, that, by
publishing the virtue of a tea that I have investigated from physical
analysis and particular observation, I may essentially serve the
public, I am content to suffer the obloquy, provided it is productive
of a general benefit. Having, as before observed, examined, with the
greatest attention, the nature of most articles that have been offered
as morning and afternoon beverage, there are two which claim most
particularly the preference of all others that are sold under the
denomination of Tea: these are, 1st, that which was discovered by that
eminent botanist Sir Hans Sloane; and the other, by a botanist and
physician equally celebrated, Dr. Solander. I therefore, without
considering in what manner the interest of the proprietors of these
teas may be individually affected, propose two articles, in order to
shew that my partiality or opinion of the virtues of the one could not
prejudice me so far as to prevent my allowing due praise to any other
possessing qualities deserving approbation. I am happy to state that,
from my analysis of that invented by Sir Hans Sloane, called British
Tea, I found it possesses most singular virtues for relieving many
nervous complaints; but, from the same trials and experiments made on
that invented by Dr. Solander, I have been convinced that, although the
qualities of the former are exceedingly salutary, they are not so
general in their restoration and nutritious effects as the latter.
Being thus convinced of the extraordinary properties of Dr. Solander's
Tea, I have been induced to state, in a Treatise upon their Nature,
Preparation, and Effects, reasons founded on chemical analysis,
physical efficiency, and experimental observation, in support of their
most eminent virtues. After every trial I have made of coffee,
chocolate[1], and most other preparations that have been, and are at
present, offered to the public as a substitute for tea, none seem to
claim the preference so eminently as that invented by Dr. Solander.
From their analysis, I find their virtues are of the most corrective
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