tea [Chin, ch’a] , 1. a beverage prepared from the leaves and leaf buds of Thea sinensis, an evergreen shrub. A member of the camellia family, the plant is grown mainly in Asia. Its pharmacologically active components include caffeine, theobromine, theophylline, and tannin. 2. maté tea, a caffeine beverage prepared from the leaves of Ilex paraguayensis, a shrub grown in South America.3. See cannabis.
