The Health Benefits Of Drinking Green Tea
The origin of tea can be traced back to over 4000 years
ago in China. According to Chinese legend the emporer Shen
Nong, a scholar and medical expert discovered tea in 2737
B.C. One day while he was boiling water under a tea tree, a
leaf from the tree dropped into the water and Shen Nung
decided to try the brew. The drink was found to be not only
invigorating but also to be a rather powerful medication.
The emporer immediatedly placed Green tea on his list of
medicinal herbs.
The three main types of tea are green tea, oolong tea and
black tea. All come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis.
Herbal and fruit teas come from plants and fruits and are
not tea in the strictest sense of the word. The difference
between green, oolong and black tea is due to the method by
which the tea is produced. With black tea the Camellia
sinensis leaves, after they are plucked are left out long
enough for them to fully oxidize before being dried. In
the case of oolong tea the leaves are only partially
oxidized and dried, but in the production of green tea the
leaves are steamed, rolled and dried before the oxidization
process can begin. Thus with Green tea a more significant
part of the nutritional and enzyme content of the leaf is
left intact.
The benefits of Green tea to one's health has been
increasingly demonstrated by modern scientific research.
Many of these health benefits come from the fact that tea
contains high levels of antioxidants called polyphenols or
flavonoids. These compounds are most prevalent in green and
white teas, but are also present in varying degrees in
Oolongs and black teas. Green tea flavonoids show
antioxidant activity. Antioxidants impair the ability of
free radical cells to harm the molecules that make up our
bodies. We all know that fruit and vegetables are good
sources of antioxidants but recent scientific research have
shown that one or two cups of green tea has the same
'radical scavenging capacity' as five portions of fruit and
vegetables. Of course we should all eat plenty of fruit and
vegetables every day but why not top up our antioxidant
intake by also drinking green tea every day!
Green tea offers many health benefits. Recent medical
studies suggest green tea to be of benefit in many areas
including the following:
-Boost the immune system
-Reducing levels of cholesterol
-Reduces high blood pressure
-Lowering of blood sugar
-Digestive and respiratory health - tea is antibacterial
-Oral hygiene - help to prevent tooth decay.
-Acne and other skin conditions.
-Arthritis - displays anti-inflammatory properties.
Another potentially huge benefit of green tea could as an
aid to weight loss. In fact this area is already attracting
huge attention. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
recently published the results of research conducted over a
period of 6 weeks in which a group of healthy men were
given green tea extract whilst the other men in the study
were not given the extract. Calorific useage was measured
on a daily basis and the results concluded that the men
taking the green tea extract burned more calories than the
men not given the extract. Other studies show very similar
results. More research needs to be conducted in this area
but the signs so far are encouraging. Anyone for green
tea?!!
About the Author: Lorraine Bevere is the webmaster of FOG Tea, Inc. which is a premier source of information about tea. For more information, go to: http://fogtea.com
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