So-called "jasmine tea" is a type of drink whose base is usually green tea, to which jasmine flowers are added to enrich the aroma. Jasmine tea is an important part of the diet of one of the longest-living populations in the world. But the benefits of jasmine tea are not only due to the antioxidant effects of the tea plant, since jasmine flowers also provide their own medicinal properties. In the book Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, authors Héctor García and Francesc Miralles note that residents of a healthy, high-life expectancy community in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan , are big drinkers of Sanpin-cha, a special blend of green tea and jasmine. "Okinawa people drink more Sanpin-cha - a blend of green tea and jasmine flowers - than any other kind of tea," they write, suggesting that this blend may play a role in maintaining health and of the mental agility of Okinawans into old age. This could be because, like the tea plant, jasmine flowers contain antioxidants, which may protect cells from age-related damage. Jasmine itself has been linked to improved physical well-being and is said to reduce the impact of stress. This is why some researchers have experimented with compounds derived from this plant in the search for better therapies. For example, Professor Eliezer Flescher - from Tel Aviv University in Israel - noticed that jasmonate, which is a compound obtained from jasmonic acid, present in jasmine, induces the death of cervical cancer cells. of the uterus. And if you like drinking jasmine tea simply because you like the smell, there's a good reason for that. A study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology explains that the smell of jasmine tea is calming, able to calm the nerves and help regulate mood.