The Legendary Origins of Tea

The story of tea begins in ancient China over 5,000 years ago. According to legend, Shen Nung - an early emperor - was a skilled ruler, creative scientist and patron of the arts. His far-sighted edicts required, among other things, that all drinking water be boiled as a hygienic precaution. One summer day while visiting a distant region of his realm, he and the court stopped to rest. In accordance with his ruling, the servants began to boil water for the court to drink. Dried leaves from a nearby bush fell into the boiling water and a brown liquid was infused into the water. As a scientist, the Emperor was interested in the new liquid, drank some, and found it very refreshing and cleansing to the body's systems. And so, according to legend, tea was created. (This myth maintains such a practical narrative, that many mythologists believe it may relate closely to the actual events, now lost in ancient history.) In view of the Emperor's findings, tea was used as a medicinal beverage for thousands of years before becoming used as a social and refreshment beverage.