by Catherine Nickerson

Created on: May 15, 2008

My seventeen-year-old son has not come home from work, he hasn't called and his girlfriend is looking for him, too. My husband is outside the Green Zone, somewhere. Kona, our emotional Pitbull with tiger strips and big eyes, stares up at me as if I can magically make them appear and I simply choose not to to torment her simple existence. The only warmth and solace I feel radiates from my stomach to all of the far-reaching cells of my body with every sip of my green tea. Can green tea save lives? It saves mine every three to four days.

According to an article on the website psychologytoday.com written by Anne Becker in 2003, the polyphenols that give green tea its harsh taste "can boost availability of the important brain substance dopamine," which is, "a signaling substance in brain circuits that are crucial to creating positive mood states." Any parent with a teenage child needs to drink green several times a day, but throw in a spouse in a war zone and she or he should receive a free monthly supply of green tea.

Tannins are another substance found in green tea. According to the same article, tannins "may prevent the brain damage that occurs after strokes and other brain injuries." So, every time the news reports of another roadside bomb and it is several hours before I here anything about the life or death of my husband, the brain damage I am suffering is being repaired by these wonderful little tannin things. This makes me feel better. Kinda like nature understands that war happens and loved ones get left behind, so nature gives us tea.

There is also this nifty amino acid called theanine "found almost exclusively in tea," says Taylor Petruccelli in an article publish on November 14, 2007 (http://intro2psych.wordpress.com/2007/11/14/the-new -study-survival-tool-tea). This wonder acid "provoked strong neural alpha waves," and these are the waves of restfulness you feel when sipping tea. I look at my dog sometimes and wish I could rest like she does and sometimes these closest I get to it is sipping my green tea.

Green tea saves my husband's life because he knows that I am ok and that when I am not ok, a few cups of tea and a hot bath always helps me reach closer to okness. If I am ok, he can concentrate on his job of not blowing up. Green tea saves my son's life because he knows (or thinks) that I trust him because the ritual of making a hot cup of green tea and then the time on our back porch savoring the warmth with Kona in my lap means I am not calling the police, hospitals, and all of his friends in a panic. There is no doubt in my mind- green tea saves my life every three to four days.

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