Its a staple on menus， from boutique teahouses to Starbucks： green tea. But the brew， which is experiencing a resurgence of popularity， once fell out of favor in the West.

从精品茶馆到星巴克，绿茶都是菜单上的基本选项。不过这种强势回归的冲泡饮品曾经并不怎么受西方人待见。

Green tea is believed to have originated in China millennia ago， where it was recognized for its health benefits. And scientists continue to discover new uses for the beverage. Some studies suggest it can help reduce cholesterol， fight against cavities and perhaps even protect against cancer.

相传绿茶几千年前发源于中国，在中国它被称为健康食品。科学家也不断地发现它的新功效。有研究显示，绿茶能降低胆固醇、预防蛀牙，甚至还有可能抗癌。

Bolstered by the health food craze， green tea sales are currently soaring. The Tea Association of the USA reports that green tea sales jumped more than 60 percent in the last decade. And in Canada， government data shows that profits for green tea imports more than quadrupled.

在健康食品风潮的助推下，现在绿茶的销量也一路走高。美国茶叶协会报道称，过去十年间，绿茶的销量增长了60%。加拿大政府的数据显示该国绿茶进口盈利增长至四倍多。

Nowadays， green tea seems to be everywhere. In shops， you can buy green tea leaves prepared in a myriad of ways： fried， aged， powdered or steamed.

现在，绿茶随处可见。你可以在商店买到各种工艺加工的茶叶：烘炒的、陈化的、粉末化的或蒸煮的。

The irony is， despite green teas healthy reputation， the drink was once condemned as dangerous. Where did this non-sense come from？ Blame the Victorians， of course.

讽刺的是，尽管绿茶以健康闻名，它曾经却被误认为是危险食品。这种谬论从何而来？罪魁祸首当然是维多利亚时代。

The Victorians lived in a period of English history around Queen Victorias reign， in the 19th century. Thats when some of the silliest theories about green tea arose.

维多利亚时代指19世纪英国历史上维多利亚女王统治的时期。有关绿茶最愚蠢的谣言也发源于此。

One 1882 book described bizarre experiments to illustrate the perils of green tea. Apply a dose of green tea below a frogs abdomen， and you could cause paralysis in its hind legs， the book claimed. And injecting the beverage into a dog would cause it to lose control of its bladder， legs and tail.

1882年的一本书描述了一个证明绿茶有毒的奇葩实验。该书称，将一定剂量的绿茶涂抹在青蛙的腹部会导致它的后肢瘫痪。给一只狗体内注入绿茶会造成它膀胱、四肢和尾巴失控。

The book went so far as to allege that green tea could kill someone， if it were applied to the sciatic nerve.

该书还耸人听闻地宣称如果坐骨神经感染了绿茶，人就会死。

At the time， a green tea panic was sweeping England. Even Charlotte Bronte， an English literary icon， refused to touch the drink， fearing its diabolical effects would have on her nerves.

当时的绿茶恐惧席卷了整个英国。连英国文学巨匠夏洛蒂·勃朗特都不敢触摸它，因为担心它致命的效果会影响自己的神经系统。

Some of the fear was well founded， though. English consumers preferred brighter leaves， over dull olive-colored ones. As a result， tea vendors would artificially dye their products， using anything at their disposal—including poisons like “Prussian blue” cyanide.

不过有些担心也并非毫无依据。和橄榄色的深绿相比，英国消费者更偏爱颜色鲜艳的茶叶。结果就是茶商用一些他们可以获得的化学制剂，包括有毒的“普鲁士蓝”氰化物，给茶叶人工染色。

Even today， mixing green tea with chemicals remains a problem. British Medical Journal once published an article about a 16-year-old teenager who contracted a virus after drinking contaminated green tea.

时至今日，绿茶中混合的化学物质仍然是个问题。《英国医学杂志》曾刊登过一篇文章，讲的是一个16岁青少年在喝了被污染的绿茶后感染病毒的事情。

But those rare instances arent stopping Westerners from raising their pinky fingers in salute to green tea and all its nutritional virtues.

不过这些罕见的事例并没有降低西方人对绿茶及其营养价值的狂热崇拜。