Green Tea: A Tea Full Of Health Benefits

Green tea comes from the same plant as black and oolong tea come from. All three come from the Camellia Sinensis plant. Green tea however, is produced by a different method than black or oolong tea. In green tea the leaves are dried not fermented. It goes through minimum oxidation during processing. Drying is a shorter process than fermenting. It gives the tea a lighter flavor than the other two types of tea.

In Asia fresh green tea leaves from the Camellia Sinensis plant are steamed to drink as green tea. There are different qualities and classifications of green tea. Depending on the province and process it undergoes green tea is classified as grades of quality. This is true of Chinese and Japanese grown green teas. Green tea is also grown in other parts of Asia like Ceylon. Green tea can be taken as a tea, or made into an extract or even put into capsules as a powder.

Historically green tea was processed and cultivated for use in China and India for over 5000 years. These were the first two countries known to use green tea first. Green tea has been used in Asian traditional medicine for centuries. India, China, Japan and Thailand have used green tea medicinally for everything you can think of. It was and still is used for ailments and illnesses. Such examples of Green tea use in Asia ranges from control bleeding, wound healing, body temperature regulation to blood sugar and digestion.

Due to its popularity many medical studies have been conducted world wide in relation to green tea. In May 2006 an article was released from Yale University School of Medicine on 100 studies done looking at the benefits of green tea. The study included the fact that 1.2 liters of green tea Asians on average consume provides high levels of polyphenols and other antioxidants. These properties indicate that they may help promote good cardiovascular health, which explains why despite more Asians smoke on a daily basis and have less heart disease. There was another article written by American Medical Association, which concluded a lower mortality rate for cardiovascular disease for those who consumed green tea daily. Another article written in the American Journal on Clinical Nutrition concluded that those that consumed a higher amount of green tea experienced lower levels of cognitive impairment. The studies are too numerous to go through in this little article. These examples I use are just to show how many in the scientific community here in the United States are leaning to the use of green tea based on the clinical findings.

What makes green tea so beneficial health wise is that it is rich in catechin polyphenols particularly EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate). EGCG is a powerful antioxidant. It is known to kill cancer cells without harming healthy tissue and inhibits the formation of blood clots as well as lowering LDL cholesterol. It has also been noted successful in weight loss.

Green tea can be purchased anywhere these days. You can go into your local grocery store and get green tea bags or drinks. I myself love FUSE green tea, which is a cold green tea beverage. I try and drink as much as I can on a regular basis.

Chinese Medicine