BOTANICAL NAME: Camellia sinensis
PARTS USED AND HABITAT: All teas (green, black and oolong) are derived from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. The difference is in how the plucked leaves are prepared. Green tea, unlike black and oolong tea, is not fermented, so the active constituents remain unaltered in the herb. The leaves of the tea plant are used both as a social and medicinal beverage. The plant does not originate in the wild. It was originally cultivated in China and is grown as a tea plant today in India, China, Sri Lanka, Japan, Indonesia, Kenya, Turkey, Pakistan, Malawi and Argentina.