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More tea is consumed around the world than any beverage except water.
In prehistoric China tea was probably used as a relish and as a medicine. Tea was first brewed as a medicine around 2700 B.C. in the western mountains of China. Tea was likely seen as healthy in part because it was made with boiled water, which is safer to drink in an area of contaminated water. Tea was also popular for stimulation. A Chinese document first suggested tea as a substitute for wine after AD 200.