It was Super Bowl night and instead of having chicken wings and beer, I was out looking for tea and sushi as I had promised my teenage daughter. She had her driver’s permit, so I figured that she could get practice driving in center city Philadelphia. I knew that the streets would be empty as everyone would be home or inside watching the football game.
My daughter’s love for sushi runs deep, but as for myself, I only eat the cooked version. We drove and we drove; rather, she drove looking and looking for legitimate Japanese sushi. Finally, I saw a lit -up sign that said “SUSHI” in bright red letters. “Pull over” I said, so she practiced her parallel parking and we joyfully entered the little Japanese restaurant, happy to have found one that was still open.
We were the only people in the restaurant. It was small and quaint and quite empty. The man and his wife were happy to serve us. They poured us tea which was light and aromatic. It smelled like “flowers,” I remarked. The woman told us that it was jasmine tea. I did not need any sweetener in it; the fragrance was delicious and sweetly fragrant. We went home that night very pleased and intensely calm – the sushi was fresh and the jasmine tea was soothing.
The jasmine flowers 
grow in tropical and sub tropical environments. In Florida, it blooms at night. The smell is sweet and like a pleasant perfume. You can see the brilliant white flowers blooming in the dark of night. In fact, the flowers are picked and made into a tea with the green leaves of the plant. The tea is light -colored and tasty. It gives one a sense of peace and tranquility just to smell the aroma of the tea before drinking it.
The Chinese have used the jasmine flowers for more than 700 years as a drink. Reasearch shows that jasmine has many health benefits. The Kyoto University in Japan has published research which shows that the beautifully scented jasmine flower has sedating and relaxing qualities.
In fact, it is one of the healthiest herbs on the planet. It has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties, thereby fighting and preventing the flu and other bacterial infections. It fights free radicals, preventing cancer and slowing down the aging process significantly. It aids the circulatory system, thus blocking strokes, heart attacks and thromboses.
Research also reveals that jasmine fights fat by speeding up the body’s metabolism and decreasing the buildup of fat
Caution: Pregnant women should consume jasmine in small quantities.
cells through substances known as catechins. Gargling with jasmine tea fights gum disease and protects teeth against cavities by blocking the growth of bacteria in the mouth. It has many more health and wellness benefits too numerous to mention in one article.