Mountain tea and its benefits

Mountain tea is the most popular and probably the most favorite herb available in Greece. Also, it is known as "Longevity Tea", and it has a wonderful flavor and aroma especially when served with honey and lemon. Its primary active ingredients from studies have been shown to be phenolic acids with no caffeine at all.

Numerous studies have been suggested that polyphenolic components are responsible for many beneficial properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, diuretic, anticoagulant, antimicrobial and even anti-tumor activity.

Alongside its traditional use, mountain tea and the preparation of its aerial parts are used for centuries now for digestive, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperglycemic and antimicrobial properties. The main activity of the plants is used against gastritis, mucous membrane inflammation, as well as its local application to wounds and burns.

A study by the Institute of Chemistry from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje (2013) investigated the metabolism of polyphenols in humans from Sideritis scardica decoction (Mountain Olympus Tea) using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI/MS).

For this purpose ten healthy volunteers participated in the study divided in two phases. In first phase, the volunteers followed a polyphenol restricted diet, while in the second phase they drank mountain tea after a non polyphenol restricted diet. In both cases urine samples collected for analysis of metabolites of phenolic compounds and flavonoids. The total content of phenolic compounds was found to be 1450 mg in 8 gr. of dried aerial part of mountain tea and the total flavonoids content represented around 38% of total phenolic compounds which indicates that Sideritis scardica is rich in flavonoids.

A total of 60 phenol metabolites and more were detected in urine samples collected 24 hours after tea consumption (300 ml) of which more than 30 were flavonoid metabolites. The quantification of urine metabolites in tea were determined from hydroxycinnamic acids, apigenin, hypolaetin, and isoscutellarein metabolites by mass spectrometry (MS). After tea was consumed (24 hours) the total metabolite content in urine was in the range from 32.73 to 184.9 µmol, which represents 1.46 - 8.24% of the total phenolic content present in the 300 ml of the ingested mountain tea. Studies focused on the bioavailability of the above phenols indicate that their oral intake is rapidly absorbed in the stomach or the small intestine.

Flavonoid metabolites were the most abundant group of polyphenol metabolites in the sample with the percentage ranging from 87 to 94% even though they constitute 20% of total phenolic content Sideritis scardica mountain tea decoction. The major metabolites detected in both phases of the experiment were glucuronides and they present from 85 to 95% of total metabolite content by urinary excretion.

The above metabolites (glucuronides) have been found to have structural properties capable of optimal degradation of flavonoids by the intestinal microflora.

In conclusion, the urinary excretion percentage of the phenolic compounds from mountain tea (Sideritis scardica) was found to be 4.57% from the total absorbed polyphenols in the body.

That\'s why mountain tea is gaining more and more interest from the medical community by proving that science and tradition are inextricably linked.