The Miracle of Green Tea

Are there any other foods or drinks that you can think of that have as many health benefits as green tea?  The Chinese have know of the health and medical benefits of green tea for ages, and have used it to treat nearly everything imaginable, including depression, headaches, and even sickness. In the book Green Tea: The Natural Secret to a Healthier Life, by Nadine Taylor, it is stated that green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years.

These days, scientific research in Asia as well as the west provides strong evidence in support of the benefits that have long been associated with drinking green tea. One prime example of this research was in the 1994 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, when they published the results of an epidemiological study that indicated the consumption of green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent! Some University of Purdue researchers have recently concluded that a primary compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. There has also been recent research that indicates that drinking green tea lowers overall cholesterol levels, as well as improving good cholesterol (HDL) and reducing bad cholesterol (LDL).

To put everything into context, here are a few examples of medical conditions that green tea has been reputed to help:

• Cancer (especially cancer of the esophagus)
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• High Cholesterol Levels (especially in the reduction of LDL Cholesterol)
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Infection (internal and external, as well as helping in the recovery process)
• Impaired Immune Function (strengthens the immune system)

What Makes Green Tea So Special

The secret of green tea is that it contains catechin polyphenols, in particular, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a very powerful anti-oxidant. Aside from inhibiting the growth and spread of cancer cells, it has the amazing ability to kill off cancerous cellular tissue without causing any harm to healthy tissue. EGCG is also very effective at lowering LDL (Bad) cholesterol levels, and helps to promote healthy circulation, especially in regards to blood clots. This fact becomes even more amazing when you take note that thrombosis (which is the un-natural or abnormal formation of blood clots) is the number one leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

In recent, links have been made between the effects of drinking green tea, and the “French Pradox.” For decades, researchers, scientists, and doctors have been amazed that the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans, despite the fact they consume considerable amounts of fatty foods. The answer to this puzzle was found to lie within red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that reduces the negative health effects of smoking and having a fatty diet. A 1997 study performed by researchers from the University of Kansas, determined that EGCG is 200% more powerful as resveratrol, which could explain why the rate of heart disease and heart attack among the Japanese is significantly low, even though approximately 75% of Japanese men were smokers.

Why don’t other common Chinese teas have the same health-promoting properties as green tea? Because green tea is processed differently. Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of a Camellia sinensis plant, but the Green Tea leaves are steamed, which preserves the EGCG compound within the leaves, whereas Black and Oolong Tea leaves are fermented, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that aren’t nearly as effective in preventing, fighting, and curing numerous diseases and ailments.

Other Benefits of Green Tea

New evidence has been found to show that green tea can even help dieters. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study in November of 1999 that had taken place at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. The study goes to show that researchers had found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract had burned significantly more calories than those who were given just caffeine, or caffeine and a placebo.

Green tea even helps prevent tooth decay! In the same manner that green tea can help destroy bacteria within the body, it can also destroy the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Now, new dermal preparations containing green tea are appearing on the market, such as deodorants and creams.

Harmful Effects?

Hardly. The only negative side effect linked to green tea to date is increased insomnia, which is due to the content of caffeine. That being said, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee, as there are roughly 30-60mg. of caffeine in an 8oz. cup of green tea, as opposed to over 100mg. in the same amount of coffee.

How Much Green Tea Should You Drink?

There are nearly as many answers to this question as there are researchers that investigate the properties and effects of green tea! Herbs for Health magazine cites a Japanese report that states that men who drank ten cups of green tea per day stayed cancer-free for the years longer than men who drank three cups a day, on average.

Meanwhile, a study from Cleveland’s Western Reserve University concluded that drinking more than 4 cups of green tea per day would help prevent rheumatoid arthritis, and reduce the symptoms experienced by patients who were already suffering from the disease. Japanese scientists at the Saitama Cancer Research Institute discovered that there were much fewer recurrences of breast cancer, and the disease had spread less quickly, in women with a solid history of drinking more than 5 cups of green tea per day.

A University of California study based around the cancer-preventative properties and qualities of green tea has concluded that you could probably attain the desired amount of polyphenols for good health by simply drinking as little as 2 cups of green tea per day. In conflict, a large manufacturer of green tea capsules states that ten cups of green tea each day is necessary to receive the full effect of the health benefits.

How can you draw a conclusion based on all of these different claims? Simple, drink as much as you feel like per day. Given all of the evidence attained in these studies, 5-6 cups of green tea per day should be a good amount. If you are really concerned with the amount, feel free to drink more, up to 10+ cups per day, but the added health benefit is uncertain, and the caffeine content can possibly keep you up a little bit later than you may want.

How to Brew a Cup of Green Tea!

Achieving the absolute perfect cup of green tea can be quite tricky. If the green tea is not handled and prepared properly, some of the polyphenols within the tea may detrimentally change the flavor of the green tea, making it more stout and gassy flavored. It is particularly important not to over-brew or over-boil your green tea. While each supplier and manufacturer of green tea includes their own methods and directions for preparation, here is a general guideline for preparing green tea:

Use one tea bag, which should consist of 2 to 4 grams of green tea, per cup.
Fill a kettle with water, and bring it to a full boil.
After removing the kettle, allow it to stand for 2-3 minutes.
Place the tea bag inside an empty mug, tea cup, or coffee cup, assuring the string is placed over the edge, and outside of the cup.
Slowly pour the heated water from the kettle over the tea bag until the cup is near full.
Allow the tea to steep for 3-5 minutes, you may slowly stir the bag around within the cup if you’d like.
Remove the bag and discard.
Allow the cup of tea to cool for 3 to 5 more minutes, or until the temperature of the tea is comfortable for you to drink.
Enjoy!