Jasminium+Officinale



Jasmine is a plant that appears as a woody shrub or a tall trailing wine (Russ, n.d.). The scientific name for jasmine is //Jasminium Officinale// (Russ, n.d.).
 * Jasmine **[[image:http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/mediafile/200808/06/F200808061906151831388731.jpg width="385" height="337" align="right" caption="Figure 1. Appearence of Jasmine (Peoples Daily Online,2008) "]]

The plant is white in color and often has five to six leaves on its stem (Singh, 2006). During the day the flowers remain closed but as dusk approaches the flowers open up and release their powerful incense (Russ, n.d.) (**Figure 1**). The powerful incense the flower releases can fill any space with a beautiful fragrance (White Flower Farm, n.d.). Jasmines grow well in moist, well drained soil, to a rich crumbly soil containing a fairly equal mixture of sand and silt and a somewhat smaller amount of clay (Singh, 2006). Jasmines cannot grow near weeds or other harmful pests which will prevent the plant from growing healthy (Singh, 2006).
 * Appearance of Jasmine **

Jasmine is mostly found and used in China, but because of its beautiful fragrance jasmine is now found around the world (Pettigrew, 2004). The flower usually does well in tropical and temperate areas (Pettigrew, 2004). The jasmine flowers are native to Africa, Asia and Europe or to the region of Afro-Eurasia (Singh, 2006). They are also commonly found in India (Singh, 2006) (**Figure 2**).
 * Jasmine Around the World **

 **Figure 2. The green highlights represent some of the countries whrere jasmine is found (Planet Tea, n.d.).**

The main product that is made from jasmine is jasmine tea (Wang, n.d.). Jasmine tea is very popular and is mostly loved because of its strong aroma and calming effect on the brain. The jasmine flower blooms at night and it is rich in aroma at that time (Deacon, 2009). The tea leaves are spread out and the jasmine is laid on top giving jasmine tea the fine aromatic and distinctive properties (Wang, n.d.). To infuse the smell of jasmine in the tea the whole plant is used (Agro, n.d.). The tea soaks up the scent so good that the flowers are totally spent afterwards (Deacon, 2009). What is left afterward is referred to as silver needle jasmine. They often turn the silver needle jasmine to dragon pearls or they fully dry the silver needle jasmine and turn it into jasmine flower tea which is incorporated into other teas (Wang, n.d.) (**Video 1**).
 * Product: Jasmine Tea **

media type="youtube" key="zDP7etvX6MI?fs=1" height="385" width="480" **Video 1. This is known as Jasmine flower tea which is produced after the Jasmine flower has been fully spent in the making of jasmine tea (ShingHwa, n.d.).**

The making of Jasmine tea is done almost all around the world, the steps are outlined in **Figure 3** (Pettigrew, 2004). Some things to remember are; harvesting is done by skilled workers to ensure good quality of jasmine tea is made and packaging and selling isn't completed until the tea arrives in the designated country (Deacon, 2009) (**Figure 4**).
 * Making the Product **


 * ** Step 1 ; **** Picking tea leaves ** || ** Step 2; ** Harvesting the jasmine || ** Step 3 ;** Curing process  || ** Step 4 ;** Process repeated  || ** Step 5 ; ** Firing the jasmine  || ** Step 6 ;** Packaging  ||
 * The first step in making jasmine tea is picking young tea leaves in the spring. The young leaves will be used to create a base tea || To make the tea, the jasmine flowers are harvested at the peak of their blooming time. || The flowers are cured with tea leaves acting as a base. As the jasmine flowers begin to dry out, they infuse the tea with their flavor and smell. || Most of the time multiple passes of curing is done to make an extremely strong jasmine tea. || After the curing process is over, the tea is fired to remove the moisture that was absorbed in the tea by the jasmine || The tea is sold to other countries. Once the countries receive the tea it is packaged and sold ||
 * Figure 3. These are the steps on how Jasmine tea is produced (Wang, n.d.).**

Jasmine tea is believed to be very beneficial to our health (Agro, n.d.). Jasmine Tea is believed to have anti-cancer benefits as well as antioxidants (Pettigrew, 2004). It is also notable that jasmine tea has been found to lower heart rates. Jasmine tea has been found to lower cholesterol level which is especially beneficial to people who have diabetes and other related diseases (The tea site, n.d.). There have been studies done, and one of them has been done at the Kansas State University, the study shows that jasmine has the ability to interfere with the growth of bacteria, which is normally found in food borne illnesses such as salmonella (U.S Department of Agriculture, 2010). Jasmine tea has replaced oolong tea as oolong tea contains many side effects.
 * <span style="color: #025502; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Beneficial Impacts **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Humans have benefited very greatly in drinking Jasmine tea, because jasmine has so many health benefits, it is now considered as a “wonder drug”. In today’s modern world many people find that to calm or relax themselves they usually prepare a cup of jasmine tea and enjoy the fine aroma that the tea releases (Pettigrew, 2004).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jasmine is used for many purposes that are very beneficial to society. Jasmine is used for medical proposes such as; it is considered to be a suitable and natural cure for jaundice and other diseases (The tea site, n.d.). The flower buds of jasmine help in the treatment of ulcers, boils, skin diseases and eye disorders (Agro, n.d.). Jasmine is also used to make scented oil; the oil is very useful for calming and relaxing purposes. The scented flowers are also used to make perfumes, and other cosmetic products (Agro, n.d.) (**Figure 5**). Jasmine is not very beneficial to animals as the effects of ingesting the flower is discussed in the harmful impacts. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Figure 5. There are many cosmetic products that are made from jasmine such as the ones above** **(<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Admin, (n.d.). **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Drinking jasmine tea is not known to cause any long term effects on the body or brain, but it is known to cause insomnia due to the small amount of caffeine in the tea (Choi Time, n.d.). Insomnia is the failure to fall asleep or to stay asleep long enough to feel rested. The alternative to this problem is to drink jasmine tea 2-3 times a week instead of drinking it every day (Choi Time, n.d.). A<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">nimals who ingest the flower part of the plant may feel gratrointestinal discomfort and may result in nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If your pet has ingested jasmine flower and the symptoms are severe or long lasting, consult a veterinarian. Take a sample of the plant in question to the veterinarian's office with your pet. This will help the veterinarian to identify the plant and provide the correct treatment for your pet (Wang, n.d.).
 * <span style="color: #025502; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Harmful Impacts **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Before the making of jasmine tea can begin tea leaves are harvested to act as a base of jasmine tea (Wang, n.d.). The main harmful impact of obtaining the tea leaves is habitat conservation (World Wildlife Fund, n.d.). Most of the habitat that is used for cultivation is near rugged and isolated areas, which tend to be the highest in biodiversity (World Wildlife Fund, n.d.). The chemicals that are applied to the tea plantations harm the surrounding enviornment (Britannica, (2010). In a 2002 interview with the global fund commodities, they plan to convert 100 hectors of land to three regions of tea fields (U.S Department of Agriculture, 2010). Another problem in the production of jasmine tea is the chemicals used to protect the plant from pests and weeds. The chemicals have a harmful and deadly effect on the soil biodiversity, the use of the chemicals also pollutes nearby river waters (Pettigrew, 2004). Due to the popularity of jasmine tea in recent yeras more of it is being exported to other countries (U.S Department of Agriculture, 2010). The transportation used to export jasmine tea can also harm the enviornment in terms of the amount of pollution being released into the air (**Table 1**).


 * Table 1 – China tea trade (‘000 tonnes) (ASEAN, 2010)**
 * Year |||||||||| EXPORTS ||  ||
 * || Black tea || Green tea || Oolong tea || ** Jasmine Tea ** || Total || IMPORTS ||
 * 1992 || 64.5 || 86.3 || - || - || 175.5 || 10.4 ||
 * 1993 || 85.9 || 88.4 || - || - || 201.4 || 14.3 ||
 * 1994 || 64.8 || 82.7 || - || - || 179.7 || 13.0 ||
 * 1995 || 68 || 66.9 || - || - || 166.6 || 10.4 ||
 * 1996 || 81 || 55.9 || - || - || 169.7 || 9.0 ||
 * ** 1997 ** || 87.1 || 78.8 || 18.2 || ** 18.4 ** || **<span style="color: #170ee1; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">202.5 ** || **<span style="color: #170ee1; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">8.6 ** ||
 * ** 1998 ** || 69.6 || 115.1 || 17.1 || ** 15.6 ** || **<span style="color: #0810e2; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">217.4 ** || **<span style="color: #0810e2; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">10.0 ** ||
 * ** 1999 ** || 33.6 || 127.2 || 20.1 || ** 18.7 ** || ** 199.6 ** || ** 12.8 ** ||
 * ** 2000 ** || 29.4 || 159.6 || 21.1 || ** 17.4 ** || ** 227.7 ** || ** 14.7 ** ||
 * ** 2001 ** || 40.9 || 168.8 || 21.7 || ** 18.3 ** || ** 249.7 ** || ** 10.0 ** ||
 * ** 2002 1/ ** || 40.8 || 175.6 || 21.2 || ** 14.7 ** || ** 252.3* ** || ** 10.4 ** ||

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jasmine is one of the most valued plants in the world. The flower is usually found in tropical and temperate areas. Some of the countries it is found in include; China<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, India<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, Japan<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, Taiwan etc…. (Pettigrew, 2004). The fragrant scent it produces is used in many products and it is know valued as a medical curer for many diseases. The main product that the plant produces is jasmine tea (Wang, n.d.). Jasmine tea is very beneficial to society as it helps cure many problems (Britannica, (2010). Some of the problems include; it has an anti-cancer benefit, it reduces the level of cholesterol, and helps eliminate bacteria that have been digested with food (Pettigrew, 2004). With many benefits of jasmine tea there are also certain drawbacks in terms of how the tea is made. Producing jasmine tea requires a lot of land which in turn reduces biodiversity (World Wildlife Fund, n.d.). The chemicals that are used to protect the plants from pests and weeds also affect the soil biodiversity (World Wildlife Fund, n.d.). The production of jasmine tea may have many harmful effects on the environment but the tea is an herbal remedy that is now known as a wonder drug. Jasmine is a beautiful plant and ultimately good or bad it has benefited humans in a great deal of ways (**Figure 7**).
 * <span style="color: #025502; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Conclusion **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #0c0d0d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Figure 7. Jasmine is a gorgeous plant that is very beneficial to humans ( Bakati, (n.d.). **


 * <span style="color: #099bce; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">References **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1) Choi Time, . (n.d.). //Jasmine tea from choi time//. Retrieved from [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2) Deacon, Elizabeth. (2009, November 2). //Jasmine tea//. Retrieved December 01, 2010, from [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//3)// Eco Inda//.// (2008). //Jasmine plant//. Retrieved December 04, 2010, from [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//4)// Russ, Karen. (2008). //Jasmine//. Retrieved December 04, 2010, from [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5)<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The tea detective//.// (2009). //Jasmine-a sweet scent for the taste buds//. Retrieved December 04, 2010, from [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//6)// The Tea Site//.//(2009). //Jasmine tea//. Retrieved December 04, 2010, from [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">7) World Wildlife Fund, . (n.d.). //Agriculture and enviorment: tea//. Retrieved December 01, 2010 from [] 8) Wang, Yolanda. (n.d.). //Jasmine teas//. Retrieved December 01, 2010, from [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1) Pettigrew, J.P. (2004). //The tea companion//. United States: Quintet Phublishing Limited. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2) Singh, A.K. (2006). //Flower crops:cultivation and management//. India: New India Publishing.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Web sites Used; **
 * Books Used **

1) Encyclopædia Britannica.(2010). J//asmine//. Retrieved December 07, 2010, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: [|http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/301499/**jasmine**]
 * <span style="color: #0f1010; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Encyclopedia Used: **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1) Admin. (n.d.). //Pure beauty//. Retrieved December 01, 2010, from [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2) Flower Picturers. (n.d.). //Pictures of jasmine flowers.// Retrieved December 02, 2010, from [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3) Green Herbs. (2006, December 19). //6 boxes of jasmine tea//. Retrieved December 01, 2010, from [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4) Peoples Daily Online. (2008, August 06). //Jasmine flower chosen as theme song for medal ceremonies//. Retrieved December 05, 2010 from [] 5) Bakati. (n.d.). //Jasmine flower//. Retrieved from [] 6) ASEAN. (2010, October 30). //Assessing the impact of the asean-india fta//. Retrieved December 12, 2010 from []. 7) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">PlanetTea.(n.d.). World of tea. Retrieved December 10, 2010 from []=
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Pictures Used: **

1) ShingHwa, (Producer). (n.d.). //Beautiful jasmine flower tea//. [Web]. Retrieved December 10, 2010 from []
 * Video Used: **