Sonnentor Organic Ginger Tea

When historians discuss about Marco Polo they need a lot of time. Since the adventurer crossed almost the entire Asian continent in the 13th century. It was not thirst for adventures that drove the son of a merchant into the distance. It was the promise for Oriental prosperities. Marco Polo was 17 years old when he started his journey in 1271 in Venice. Only at 41, he should return to the lagoon city again. Still today Marco Polo's ”Book of the Wonders of the World“ is considered the most valuable and comprehensive source regarding ancient China. Marco Polo’s reports changed the view of Europeans concerning the giant empire in the Far East. The territory of Kublai Khan included China, Mongolia, Persia, Central Asia and much of southern Russia, making it the largest empire in world history. Until the reports of Marco Polo, Catholic Europe was convinced of its superiority. Suddenly there should be another equally highly developed culture besides Christianity. The things described by Marco Polo were that incredible that many contemporaries doubted the truthfulness. The Chinese could reportedly dig out black stones from the earth which then burnt for a long time. Even that paper money was established as a general means of payment was not reasonable. The ultimate pinnacle of mendacity however was the statement that there were cities in China with more than one million inhabitants. For Venice with 100,000 inhabitants and as one of the most colorful and largest cities in Europe this was almost an insult. But there were few clever minds that dealt intensively with those records. Seafarers such as Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama took advantage of Marco Polo’s detailed maps and descriptions of regional characteristics and sued them as the basis for their own discoveries. When Marco Polo arrived in Venice 24 years after his departure he was more than rich. Besides rubies, emeralds and diamonds he also brought different spices with his luggage.

One of the most respected spices in ancient China was ginger. Its high value is based on the records of the legendary prehistoric emperor Shennong, who investigated the healing properties of various plants 5,000 years ago. Shennong divided the medicinal plants into 3 classes: servant herbs, ministerial herbs and king's herbs. Servant herbs were poisonous medicinal plants that had a healing effect in small doses. Ministerial herbs were medicinal plants that, while not toxic, could not be taken indefinitely. The highest class of king's herbs was reserved for medicinal plants, which could be taken indefinitely without side effects over a longer period of time. The task of the king's herbs was the prevention against illnesses. One of the most valuable plants in the king's class was ginger. The ingredients of the hot tuber spice were used by Chinese healers as a universal remedy for a variety of symptoms. Although ginger was also known in early medieval Europe, in the monastery pharmacies the shriveled tuber led an insignificant shadowy existence. Marco Polo was one of the first Europeans who had seen the plant in its original state and could describe its botanical properties in detail. Ginger is still an important part of the Ayurvedic medicine and the traditional Chinese medicine. In both theories they make a difference between fresh and dried ginger. Fresh ginger, according to them, has a warming effect outwards, dried ginger inwards. In Germany it was not until 1997 until the odd tuber was finally registered in the German Pharmacopoeia. There its effects were described in the sections of indigestion and motion sickness.

Sonnentor offers ginger as a pure spiced tea and in combination with delicious herbal blends. Take, for example, the Ginger Energy Tea with coriander, galangal, cardamom and nutmeg. The flavour starts off delicately sweet and then transitions into intensely spicy, pungent notes that grow more powerful with every sip. If you prefer a delicate lemony aroma with spicy undertones, Sonnentor Ginger Lemon Tea is just the thing for you. A fruity, fresh lemon note develops into an intense spiciness. The finish offers the pleasant warmth of ginger with sweet undertones. In winter, Sonnentor Ginger Teas taste particularly good with gingerbread and Christmas biscuits. They are best enjoyed as a refreshing cold drink with a splash of lemon and a few fresh mint leaves to beat the summer heat. Savour the comforting warmth and spicy finish of Sonnentor Ginger Teas and experience the pleasant relief after a hearty meal.