By Wong Mei Ling

It is not known when tea was first used for its medicinal value but the earliest records were traced back to the Han dynasty (206BC-220AD).

Today, there are about 1,500 varieties of tea according to the United Kingdom Tea Council. Only the leaves from the camellia sinensis species of plants are considered tea.

There are six main grades of Chinese tea - white, green, yellow, oolong, red and black.

Based on the level of fermentation, each has different health benefits.

Read on to find out more about the different properties of tea.

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