In Ancient China and Japan, there were many rituals surrounding tea, and it was used also used for medicinal purposes. These tea ceremonies contain a great deal of symbolism, and are treated as ways to promote harmony and discipline. China, Japan, Korea, and even Britain have tea ceremonies. The geishas in Japan became famous for their performances during the tea ceremony. These tea rituals were very carefully constructed, and require a great deal of discipline to participate. Tea still plays an important role in their culture and other similar rituals can be seen in other parts of the world, such as the Victorian-era "high tea." Horned Holly, along with many other plants has been used to may tea in these ancient cultures. What can we learn a great deal about ancient Asian cultures by looking at the importance of tea.
Your task is to assume the role of an ancient Chinese doctor. You are in search of plants that are said to have some healing power in the form of tea. You can choose any plant you wish, but you must know what illness it is said to cure. You must look up a plant that is native to China, because you need to be able to access it when needed. Your final product will include a one page report on the plant you have chosen, where it can be found, what illness it is said to cure, as well as a picture of the plant, as well as other medicinal uses of the plant. What plants are used for medicinal purposes, and have they become widely used in other parts of the world?
Your process will include conducting library or internet research to locate your plant. I have provided several starting points to locate the names of plants for you to research further.
Websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbal_tea
http://www.liveandfeel.com/medicinalplants.html
Your report must contain the following:
1. Your name and the title of your report
2. A picture of the plant you selected to research.
3. All the sources you used to locate information on your plant.
4. Information on where the plant can be found, what illness it is said to cure, as well as other medicinal uses of the plant, and information on how the plant is used today, if at all.
You will be evaluated based on your report, the organization and content. There will be an evaluation rubric that categorizes your work form unsatisfactory to satisfactory and excellent work. Each of these categories will highlight what a paper of this standard will look like.
In Conclusion, you can see that many of these teas are no longer used, but many of them have become more widely used even in America. Medicinal tea has been a very important part of ancient Asian cultures, and the medicinal uses of these teas can teach us a great deal about their culture as well as our own.
