Sorry, but I am a bit critical, tea not being herbal? what other type is there? - all teas are made from plants.

As I do not own the book referred to I cannot check the specifics but I do know that "real" tea contain a lot of tannins, which are antiseptic not analgesic. Since the specifics about the tea isn't mentioned, don't go about dripping tea into your eyes.

Tipi tea however, (not "real" tea) made from Petiveria alliacea, Magnolia family, has proven, in clinical trials to be an analgesic (taken orally).

It is perhaps the terminology that might be confusing:
-the commercial herb generally refers to plants used for culinary purposes.
-the horticultural herb refers to "herbaceous," which describes -the appearance of the plant (i.e., a non-woody, vascular plant).
-the taxonomic herb generally refers to the aboveground parts or the aerial parts (i.e., the flower, leaf, and stem).
-the herbal medicine herb refers to plants used in various forms or preparations, valued for their therapeutic benefits

There are two main varieties of the "real" tea plant in the Camellia family: Camellia sinensis and Camellia assamica. It is the specific variety of tea plant and the way the leaves are processed after harvesting that determine the type of tea that is created, of which there are only four.