Benefits of Green Tea
Health benefits of green tea are perhaps touted more than any other herb. The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression.
"Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one." (Ancient Chinese Proverb)
Scientific research shows that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells.
Among the health benefits of green tea is its ability to fight:
- Cancer
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- High cholesterol levels
- Cardiovascular disease
- Infection
- Impaired immune function
Why It Works
Green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a powerful anti-oxidant. Besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills them without harming healthy tissue.
It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots (thrombosis), the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.
Now links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the "French Paradox." Researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans.
The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet.
The Powerful Punch of EGCG
In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.
Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized.
By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.
Other Benefits of Green Tea
Scientific research shows that green tea can even help dieters. In a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.
How can green tea help prevent tooth decay? Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque.
Herbs for Health magazine cites a Japanese report which says that men who drank ten cups of green tea per day stayed cancer-free for three years longer than men who drank less than three cups a day (there are approximately 240 - 320 mg of polyphenols in three cups of green tea).
Meanwhile, a study by Cleveland's Western Reserve University concluded that drinking four or more cups of green tea per day could help prevent rheumatoid arthritis, or reduce symptoms in individuals already suffering from the disease.
Scientists at the Saitama Cancer Research Institute discovered that there were fewer recurrences of breast cancer, and the disease spread less quickly, in women with a history of drinking five cups or more of green tea daily.
Any Negative Side Effects?
The only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.
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