Camellia sinensis

Classification:

Kingdom:	Plantae
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Theaceae
Genus:	Camellia
Species:	C. sinensis

Common Names:

in English: Chinese tea, tea, tea plant

in Japan: cha, cha-no-ki, Shina-cha, Taiwan-cha

in China: cha, cha ye, ming, yeh ch’a

in Nepal: chad, chah, chay, chhapa, chhyo, chiya, hoshadawaku, mukuwa

in Burma (Myanmar): leppet

in Cambodia: tae

in Philippines: tsa

in Thailand: cha, miang

in Tibet: rdo-rta

in Vietnam: ch[ef], tr[af]

in Indonesia and Malaysia: teh

in Japan: cha, cha-no-ki, Shina-cha, Taiwan-cha

in India: caha, cay, cha, cha soppu, chaha, chaha soppu, chai, chai siyah, chaipati, chay, chha, chiya,  karupputteyilai, nallateyaku, pachaitteyilai, saatong, singo, syamaparni, teyaaku, teyila, teyilai, teyla, thayilai, thesoppu, theyaku, theyale, theyilai, thingpui, tiyaku

  

Synonym:

Camellia sinensis var. sinensis

Camellia sinensis f. rosea (Makino) Kitam

Camellia sinensis f. parvifolia (Miq.) Sealy

Camellia sinensis f. macrophylla (Siebold ex Miq.) Kitam.

Camellia sinensis var. kucha H.T.Chang & S.S.Wang

Other Accepted Names:

Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze

Camellia sinensis var. assamica (J.W.Mast.) Kitam.

Camellia sinensis var. waldenae (S.Y.Hu) H.T.Chang

Description:

• Shrubs or trees, 1-5(-9) m tall. Young branches grayish yellow, glabrous; current year branchlets purplish red, white pubescent; terminal buds silvery gray sericeous.
• Petiole 4-7 mm, glabrescent, pubescent,;
• leaf blade elliptic, oblong or oblong-elliptic, abaxially pale green, leathery, pubescent, glabrous or adaxially dark green, glabrous and shiny, secondary veins 7-9 on each side of midvein and ± raised on both surfaces, reticulate veins visible on both surfaces, , margin serrate to serrulate, , base cuneate to broadly cuneate, apex bluntly acute to acuminate and with an obtuse tip.
• Flowers axillary, solitary or to 3 in a cluster, 2.5-3.5 cm in diam.
• Pedicel 5-10 mm, recurved, pubescent or glabrous, thickened toward apex; bracteoles 2, caducous, ovate.
• Sepals 5, persistent, broadly ovate to suborbicular, 3-5 mm, outside glabrous or white pubescent, inside white sericeous, margin ciliolate.
• Petals 6-8, white; outer 1-3 petals sepaloid; inner petals obovate to broadly obovate, basally connate, apex rounded.
• Stamens numerous, 0.8-1.3 cm, glabrous; outer filament whorl basally connate for ca. 2 mm.
• Ovary globose, densely white pubescent, tomentose, or subglabrous, 3-loculed; style ca. 1 cm, glabrous or base pubescent, apically 3-lobed.
• Capsule oblate, 2-coccal, or rarely globose, 1- or 2-loculed with 1 seed per locule; pericarp ca. l mm thick.
• Seeds brown subglobose

Pharmacology:

Used in Ayurveda, Unani and Sidha. It has been used as Cardiotonic, Astringent, burns, bruises, insect bites, ophthalmia, swellings, antioxidant, stimulant, for diarrhea, dysentery, diuretic. Leaves infusion for common cold, conjunctivitis. Bitter leaf juice taken for abortion, also applied as hemostatic to injuries and cuts; poultice of leaves applied locally to stop bleeding. Camellia sinensis has been reported as urease inhibitory against urea amidohydrolases, antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans, antiviral activity against a variety of viruses including hepatitis C virus, Herpes Simplex Virus, Influenza Virus A and B, Human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Teabags have been poulticed onto baggy or tired eyes, compressed onto headache, or used to bathe sunburn

Phytochemicals

Gibberellin A1, Gibberellin A3, Gibberellin A12, Gibberellin A15, Gibberellin A19, Gibberellin A20, Gibberellin A38, Gibberellin A51, Gibberellin A53, (-)-Jasmonic acid, Methyl jasmonate,  Dihydroquercetin, (+)-Catechin, (-)-Epicatechin, (+)-Epicatechin,  epi-Gallocatechin 3-O-gallate, Naringenin, Theasinensin A, Isovitexin, Vitexin, cis-Jasmone, Indole, Caffein, Theobromine, Theophylline, 3-O-Galloylquinic acid, 3-O-Caffeoylquinic acid, Epigallocatechin-(4beta->8)-epicatechin-3-O-gallate, Prodelphinidin B4, Procyanidin B4, (E)-Citral, Barringtogenol C, Theasaponin, Kaempferol, Pollenitin, Trifolin, Astragalin, Camelliaside C, Nicotiflorin, Kaempferol 3-(3Rha-glucosylrutinoside), Camelliaside A, Camelliaside B, Herbacetin 7-methyl ether 3-glucoside, Hirsutrin, Quercetin 3-(3R-glucosylrutinoside), Myricetin 3-O-galactoside, Isomyricitrin, Meloside A, 6,8-Di-C-beta-D-arabinopyranosylapigenin, Vicenin 3, Isoschaftoside, Tricetinidin, Idaein, Empetrin, (+)-Dihydrokaempferol, Leucocyanidin, Epiafzelechin, (+)-Gallocatechin, (-)-Epigallocatechin, Epiafzelechin 3-O-gallate, (-)-Epicatechin 3-O-gallate, Epicatechin 3-O-(3-O-methylgallate), Epicatechin 3,5-di-O-gallate, Epigallocatechin 3,5,-di-O-gallate, Epigallocatechin 3,4',-di-O-gallate, Epigallocatechin 3,3',-di-O-gallate, Epigallocatechin 3-O-p-coumarate, Desgalloyl theasinensin F,  Theasinensin B, Theasinensin C, Theasinensin F, Desgalloyl theaflavonin, Theaflavonin, Assamicain A, Assamicain C, 8-C Ascorbyl epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate, Procyanidin B3, Procyanidin B2,

Catechin-(4alpha->8)-epigallocatechin, Procyanidin C1, Gallocatechin-(4alpha->8)-epicatechin, Epicatechin-(4beta->8)-epicatechin-3-O-glucoside, 3-O-Galloylepiafzelechin-(4beta->6)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, 3-O Galloylepicatechin-(4beta->6)-epicatechin-3-O-gallate, Catechin-(4alpha->8)-epicatechin-3-O-gallate, Epicatechin-(4beta->8)-epicatechin-3-O-gallate, 3-O Galloylepicatechin-(4beta->8)-epicatechin-3-O-gallate, 3-O Galloylepicatechin-(4beta->6)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, Catechin-(4alpha->8) epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, 3-O-Galloylepicatechin-(4beta->8) epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, 3-O-Galloylepigallocatechin-(4beta->6)-epicatechin-3-O-gallate, 3-O-Galloylepigallocatechin-(4beta->8)-epicatechin-3-O-gallate, 3-O-Galloylepigallocatechin-(4beta->6)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, Gallocatechin-(4alpha->8)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, Epigallocatechin-(4beta->8)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, 3-O-Galloylepigallocatechin-(4beta->8)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, Epigallocatechin-(2beta->7,4beta->8)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, Theogallinin, Theaflavin, Theaflavin 3-O-gallate, Theaflavin 3'-O-gallate, Theaflavin 3,3'-di-O-gallate, Theaflagallin, Epitheaflagallin 3-O-gallate, Oolongtheanin, Oolonghomobisflavan A, Oolonghomobisflavan B, Delphinidin 3-O-beta-D-(6-O-(E)-p-coumaryl)galactopyranoside, trans-p-Feruloyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, Theadibenzotropolone A, Kaempferol 3-rhamnosyl-(1->3)-rhamnosyl-(1->6)-glucoside, Kaempferol 3-rhamnosyl-(1->3)(4'''-acetylrhamnosyl)(1->6)-glucoside, Xanthine, 1-(R)-Phenylethyl beta-D-glucopyranoside, 1-(S)-Methylbutyl-beta-D glucopyranoside, alpha-Terpineol, Assamsaponin A, Assamsaponin B, Assamsaponin C, Assamsaponin D, Assamsaponin E, Assamsaponin F, Assamsaponin G, Assamsaponin H, Assamsaponin I, Benzyl beta-D-glucopyranoside, Camelliasaponin B1, Camelliasaponin C1, Chakaflavonoside A, Chakanoside I, Chakasaponin I, Chakasaponin II, Chakasaponin III, Chakasaponin V, Chakasaponin VI, Floratheasaponin A, Floratheasaponin B, Floratheasaponin C, Floratheasaponin D, Floratheasaponin E, Floratheasaponin F, Floratheasaponin G, Floratheasaponin H, Floratheasaponin I, Icariside B5, L-Theanine, Salicylaldehyde, Theasaponin A1, Theasaponin A2, Theasaponin A3, Theasaponin A4, Theasaponin A5, Theasaponin B1 Theasaponin B1, Theasaponin C1, Theasaponin E1, Theasaponin E2, Theasaponin E3, Theasaponin E4, Theasaponin E5, Theasaponin E6, Theasaponin E7, Theasaponin E8, Theasaponin E9, Theasaponin F1, Theasaponin F2, Theasaponin F3, Theasaponin G1, Theasaponin H1, trans-p-Coumaroyl beta-D-glucopyranoside, Isotheasaponin B1, Isotheasaponin B2, TR-Saponin A, TR-Saponin B, TR-Saponin C, Neotheaflavin 3-O-gallate, Theaflavate B, 3-Keto-beta-ionone, Isotheaflavin, Methyl phenyl carbinol.