An Introduction to the Benefits of Green Tea

An Introduction to the Benefits of Green Tea

A Newbie's Guide to Green Tea Plants

Green tea plants produce an amazing beverage that has a lot of nutrients. That beverage is tea. This article will cover where green tea plants come from, some historical insights about green tea plants, their antioxidant profile, and the health benefits that green tea provides.

Tea comes in many forms, including white tea, green tea, oolong tea, and black tea. All of these teas come from the same plant, but differ in their maturity when harvested as well as in the ways that they are processed.

Black tea is produced from leaves that have been oxidized. Oolong tea has been allowed to briefly oxidize, while white tea comes from immature leaf buds that have simply been dried. Green tea is produced from mature leaves that have been dried but not allowed to oxidize.

All types of tea contain roughly the same nutrients, but green tea is viewed highly for its antioxidant properties. It has powerhouse nutrients that are getting a lot of press because of their health benefits. This excitement is relatively recent in the Western world.

However, green tea has been used throughout history to treat many ailments, including asthma, cholera, arteriosclerosis, congestion, depression, diarrhea, allergies, typhus, and migraines. In China, it is also used to treat leukemia, nephritis and hepatitis. Currently, it is under study in the West to see if it may be able to help prevent osteoporosis. It may also help with weight loss and can also help prevent dental decay because it helps discourage plaque formation.

What makes green tea so effective as a medicine and nutritional supplement in general is its high polyphenol content. Recent research in fact confirms that these powerful nutrients fight cancer and other major diseases. Polyphenols are a family of nutrients high in antioxidants.

A Newbie's Guide to Green Tea Plants

Antioxidants help prevent free radical damage. One of the polyphenols that has proven most helpful is epigallocatechin gallate, perhaps better known as ECGC. ECGC is a powerful antioxidant, as much as 20 times stronger than vitamin E. It protects brain fats, which are susceptible to oxidative stress. ECGC neutralizes free radicals, which contribute to aging and disease.

Green tea's antioxidants appear to lower the rate of esophageal cancer, gastric cancers, and mouth cancers. It may even be of benefit to smokers; researchers have found that smokers who consumed green tea had a 45% lower risk of cancer than those who did not drink tea.

For example, Japanese citizens smoke at some of the highest rates in the world, but also have some of the lowest rates of lung cancer. Green tea appears to discourage tumor growth because it helps DNA reproduce accurately instead of in mutated form.

Green tea's other health benefits include lowering blood pressure and helping increase blood flow to the brain. It may also help reduce artery disease caused by a blood platelet aggregation. Green tea helps prevent the blood from forming clots, which in turn can lead to stroke. Green tea lowers blood pressure because of its theanine content and helps break down cholesterol, which is then excreted in body wastes. It also helps to keep blood sugar levels even.

Although green tea plants have the highest polyphenol content, there are supplements available that have health benefits, too. For best results, some studies say that you should drink up to 4 cups or 32 ounces of green tea per day. And although it's best not to smoke or otherwise do deliberately unhealthy things, green tea will help prevent disease even if your lifestyle is not the healthiest. Whether taken in capsules or as a beverage, green tea plants provide a nutritional powerhouses that can't be beat.

An Introduction to the Benefits of Green Tea