Any tea that greatly improves concentration?

[SplitHeavens]

and maybe relax you as well?

[Oni]

Matcha.

[Dreamer]

Hmmmmm, yeah, what Oni said!

[Intuit]

Shade grown green teas from Japan. Aged shengs (pu'erh teas).

[geeber1]

I find that most any tea, whether it's black, oolong, or green, helps clear the "fuzziness" in my mind. I thought this might be somewhat psychological, but a couple weeks ago I went tea-less for a few days, and really noticed a difference. I think there is a chemical element (not caffeine) in all tea (not sure of the name) that has been proven to increase alertness. I'm sure that there are other people here who can give you the scientific information.

I just love tea and would probably drink it regardless of the health benefits, but they are certainly a plus!

[SplitHeavens]

I'm new to this tea business thing and it's pretty cool so far, I just hate cleaning the infuser. >_>

Where can I go about getting matcha or pu'erh teas?

And matcha seems to be powder?

[Chip]

... might surprise some of you when I say this, but Jasmine Pearls (good ones) always relaxed me.

Yeah, matcha, but it can also have the opposite effect depending upon many factors, including "dosage."

[entropyembrace]

I dont think there is any magic potion of concentration and that the best thing to do is to take care of what your body needs...don't try to ignore it listen and give it what it wants...food, sleep, water, tea..whatever your body is saying it needs...then it will be easier to concentrate.

[twinofmunin]

I dont think there is any magic potion of concentration and that the best thing to do is to take care of what your body needs...don't try to ignore it listen and give it what it wants...food, sleep, water, tea..whatever your body is saying it needs...then it will be easier to concentrate.

Second!

Definitely this. Spent all week sleep-deprived and stressed, then slept a goodly amount on Thursday night, had a decent breakfast, and spent all of Friday extremely buckled-down and focused.

That said, I do find matcha both calming and a little bit sharpening. The calming may just be the fact that I try to calm down and do my personal, less-fancy version of the ritual and therefore have a few moments of zen-style (I know very little about zen, so I'm using the term loosely) calm and focus. The sharpening may also be placebo effect, but hey, whatever works...

Matcha is powder; you may want to go read up on it on teachat and elsewhere. Matcha preparation is almost certainly more involved than what you're used to.

[fortunato]

I dont think there is any magic potion of concentration and that the best thing to do is to take care of what your body needs...don't try to ignore it listen and give it what it wants...food, sleep, water, tea..whatever your body is saying it needs...then it will be easier to concentrate.

+1

[Intuit]

Yes, yes, of course proper sleep hygiene (10pm-6am, 7 days/week, no cheating on weekends) and good diet, stress management will help concentration and induce a generally calm demeanor.

But that wasn't the question.

Teas grown at high altitude, in relatively poor/mineral rich (volcanic) soils produce abundant nitrogen amino acids that have central nervous system (CNS) activity when ingested and along with sulfur amino acids also form important antioxidants.

Tea plants that are grown under stressful conditions produce compounds that help you regulate stress response, too.

Nitrogen amino acids, like glutamine and its hydrolysis produce (stomach acid), glutamate, are important secondary energy sources for the CNS. In higher life forms, glutamate is also a excitatory (stimulant) neurotransmitter. Teas also form xanthine compounds like caffeine, another well known CNS stimulant.

The action of these stimulating agents is countered by two other amino-acid like compounds produced in all tea plants: GABA and theanine.

These are the calming factors you asked about. Their concentration varies with tea plant genetics, with growing conditions and with leaf processing.

The strongest doses are found in sparingly oxidized white and green teas, particularly shade grown Japanese green cultivars. The Japanese are very big on stress management for two reasons: the islands are highly oxidizing (actively volcanic and polluted) environments and they are amongst the most densely populated lands on Earth. Consequently, the Japanese perfected synthesis of theanine and GABA; they are found as additives in food and drink.

[silverneedles]

and as Chip would also be wondering:
while all that might be relevant descriptive chemistry/physiology,

which properly designed studies following ingestion of those teas with high amounts of XYZ show that concentration is improved while maintaining relaxation??

and where did you get that the Japanese are big on stress mgmt because of an oxidative environment ?

i'd like to see the source that says JP adds theanine and GABA to their foods to combat their stressful environment and society...

[depravitea]

Not adding booze helps me when it comes to concentration.

[Mrs. Chip]

Not adding booze helps me when it comes to concentration.

I'm so helter skelter all the time, I have never noticed any tea helping with relaxation or concentration!

[aKnightWhoSaysNi]

Strongly believe that the tea you are drinking will help you concentrate and it will come true!!