The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1899-12-29
Poison In Tea.

From the way scientists are discover
ing poison in everything we eat or drink
il might be surmised that mankind is
doomed, A writer in Good Health gives
some pointers to tea drinkers that are
not very comforting, as follows;
The fact that when person drinks
strong tea and coffee the sense OF hunger
is allayed has given rise 10 the idea that
tea and coffee are foods. They diminish
the appetite for food simply by dimin-
ishing the ability to digest 1t. they are
not foods because o person cannot live
upon them. Carefully conducted ex,
periments show that the use ot tea ana
coffee has a pornicious effect upon dl-
gestion because OF the injurious SUD
stances they contain. II you take 4
strong cup Of tea and stir It with an iron
spoon, il soon becomes black TINS Is
because OF the combination OF the tannin
of the tea with iron, combination that
makes ink.
Leather is made from soaking hides in
a decoetion of oak bark, which contains
tannin. The fannie acid combines with
the connective tissue OF the hides or
skins, and thus produces leather, 80
when man eats o piece OF DeeisteaK
and drinks a strong cup OF tea the tan
mic acid Of the tea combines with the
connective tissue Of the steak, and 1t Is
converted into leather, II one were 70
soak his beefsteak in q strong cup OF tea
| for half M hour, he would find II as I'M
possible to chew it as To chew sole
leather.
Some writer's say that while tea hin.
ders the digestion of tho albuminolds, II
encourages that OF starch, The common
use Of tea and toast may have led many
people to hold this opinion. Certainly
It is very generally considered happy
combination. But it is very unhappy
one, for the starch Of tho breed is rem
| dered indigestible by the tRnnin Of tho
tea. which paralyzes the salivary glands
thus hindering the production OF saliva
The saliva digests the starch; without
saliva starch could not digest, and tea
even in small quantities. paralyzes L
some extent the salivary glands.
Not only is it true that tea and coffee
contain no nourishment and serlousl!
interfere with digestion, but it Is tru'
also that they contain poisonous matter
One proof Of this is that they will Kill
\ animals. Dstil tea or coffee by placini
it in dry retort, and q poison IN II !
crystalized in the form Of needles; TINS
poison can be separated from tea o
coffee by various means. The amour
of poisonous matter (theine) oontalne'
in tea is about six per cent, the theln
o. tea and the caffeine OF coffee bein
the same thing. One-eighth OF graz
; of caffeine or theme will kill frog; fiv
grains will kill rabbit and seven and
: half grains will kill cat. There
: more than an ounce Of poison in poun
of tea, enough to kill seventy rabbits 0
: fifty cats. There is another poison ]
! tea besides theme and tanntni 1t cor
! tains an aromatic property, an essentif
5 oil. and this produces the excitement
: the nerves, which is the result OF drinI
ing tea. The Chinese women, hay
little cups about as big as th'mbl'
and they sip from these several times
| day. but their tea is so weak that i
: were served to you, you would say thel
S was no tea about it, That sort OF tea
comparatively harmless there is M
enough poison in it to produce any ha
s effect.
A The use of tea and coffee is recognize
S as one OF the causes Of the multiplyir
e of nervous diseases among the men ar
women of America might give. yc
e several instances Of persons who hay
/ rid themselves Of sick headache ar
q dyspepsia simply by abandoning 7
: use of tea and coffee. We must Co
:. clude, then, that tea drinking is a go
Of tippling, although the results are n
so quickly shown as those OF aicoh
!, tipping.