A popular legend about the discovery of tea as a beverage dates back to about 2700 BC in China. According to the story, Emperor Shen Nung was drinking a cup of boiled water. The Emperor, concerned about hygiene, always insisted that water be boiled before he drank it. A tree nearby shed some leaves into his cup which turned the water a deep shade of brown. The emperor was curious about the color and decided to drink the water. Shen Nung was an advocator of herbal medicine, so this wasn't the first time he had tasted something made from a plant. After drinking the "tea" Shen Nung felt all the aches and strain in his body go away.
The plant that tea comes from is called Camellia Sinesis and it is found in India, China, and Southeast Asia. However, little is known about the use of tea anywhere outside China until sometime in the sixth century, when legends tell of the discovery of tea in other parts of earth.
In one fable about how knowledge of tea traveled, an Indian prince named Prince Bhodidharma went to China so that he could preach about Buddhism. An advocator of meditation, the Prince vowed to meditate, without sleeping, for nine years (seven, in another version). After meditating for 5 years he started to feel exhausted, so he picked leaves from a tree to chew on. Because the tree was a tea tree the leaves game him renewed vigour and he was able to continue meditating. Prince Bhodidiharma's continued to drink tea to remain alert during his meditations and as a result he is considered the foundation of Zen Buddhism.
