2022 Volume 53 Issue 1 Pages 50-59
Inhalation of the aroma of second flush Darjeeling tea elevated peripheral skin temperature and miosis rate more significantly compared to inhalation of Assam tea and Uva tea aromas, suggesting that Darjeeling tea has a strong sedative effect due to inhibition of sympathetic nerve activity correspondingly making parasympathetic nerve activity dominant. On the supposition that aroma components specific to Darjeeling tea were contributing to the overall sedative effect, analysis of the aroma components was performed and the characteristic aroma compounds, Geraniol, Hotrienol, 2,5-Dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone, 2-Phenylethyl alcohol were identified and selected. When each of these four aroma compounds was inhaled at equivalent concentrations while drinking tea, only Hotrienol showed a significant increase in miosis rate. Further, we studied the dose-dependency and found there was a significant increase in miosis rate with a low Hotrienol concentration of not more than 5ppm. Peripheral skin temperature also increased after inhalation of Hotrienol. Collectively, these findings indicate that Hotrienol is the most important compound contributing to the sedative effect of second flush Darjeeling tea aroma.
