In ancient Japan, green tea was considered a medicine due to its known health benefits at the time. It was also something Buddhism monks used during their meditation for its calming effects. Modern science has confirmed these Japanese beliefs in green tea. Many scholars around the world have studied the health benefits of green tea and found the following:
Green tea has many amazing nutrients and substances and the following will be some of the major substances/compounds:
1. Catechin. This substance is type of polyphenol that is said to have powerful antioxidant effect. It has four type of Catechin: EC, EGC, ECG, and EGCG. The EGCGs are considered the most powerful antioxidant within the four types.
2. Vitamins. Green tea is especially abundant in Vitamin C. If you take the green tea in powder type, three servings will be equivalent to one apple. Also the organic compound beta-carotene (vitamin A precursor) is also abundant close to one serving of orange juice.
3. Theanine. It is an unique amino acid that is said to have potential ability to reduce mental and physical stress and provides a calm alertness.
There are many scholars around the world who are experimenting the health benefits of green tea. Some of these benefits are still being debated, so if you plan to use for medical purpose please consult your physician.
1. Prevents Cancer. The powerful antioxidant substance, the EGCGs, are said to prevent the development of cancer cells. There are many experiment that shows that the people who takes green tea has a low possibility of getting cancer.
2. Lowers Blood Sugar, Blood Pressure, and Cholesterol. There is an enzyme that triggers the high blood pressure called the enzyme renin. Catechin has the effect to prevent this enzyme renin to raise the blood pressure. It will also lower bad cholesterol, which makes the ratio of good and bad cholesterol more favorable for the health.
3. Boosts Metabolism. Catechin also is said to have the effect to boost metabolism and reduce the absorption of fat.
4. Relaxation. The combination of theanine and caffeine has the effect to give alert calmness.
5. Natural Deodorizer. The Catechin is said to provide antibacterial effect and eliminates odor. In Japan, used tea leaves are recommended to use as a natural air refresher.
6. Aids Fight for Dementia. Catechin protects from nerves system which leads to aids for dementia.
7. Tooth Decay. The antibacterial effect will protects from cavities and other dental issues.
8. Skin Care. The antioxidant effect from Catechin and vitamin C will protect you from aging skin. In Japan, some beauty magazines recommend to drink green tea for its skin care benefits and health benefits.
>>See Green Tea Powder Products
>>See Green Tea Loose Leaf Products
>>See Japanese Tea Pot Kyusu
*DISCLAIMER. We are not recommending green tea as a cure or remedy for any health ailments. Please consult your physician for any medical problems you may be experiencing. We seek to source current and accurate information for your general knowledge. If you know of any additional informative resources, please contact us.
As we have introduced in our last blog post about caffeine in green tea, green tea caffeine is said to be one third of coffee. Green tea caffeine is said to provide the bitter flavor. This caffeine in green tea will depend on when it was picked. Younger spring green teas are said to contain more caffeine, so high end Japanese green teas such as matcha and gyokuro will contain more caffeine.
Japanese green tea is about 1/3rd of caffeine compared to coffee and slightly less than black tea as shown below.
*Source: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology(JAPAN) “STANDARD TABLES OF FOOD COMPOSITION IN JAPAN”
The very well known premium tea leaves, Gyokuro, will have the most amount with 160 mg. Next will be the matcha green tea containing 30 mg relatively very low. Sencha and Houjicha will have 20 mg and genmaicha will have the least caffeine with 10mg.
| Type of Japanese Green Tea | Amount of Caffeine (in 100g) |
| Gyokuro | 160mg |
| Matcha | 30mg |
| Sencha | 20mg |
| Houjicha | 20mg |
| Genmaicha | 10mg |
*Source: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of JAPAN
The amount of caffeine that will be in your tea will depend on how you brew the tea, so please use the chart above for reference. As for Japanese green tea, it will be better to brew it at a shorter time to avoid many caffeine to be extracted. The longer you brew basically the more you get the caffeine.
If there are any questions please feel free to ask anytime.
Thank you!
Subscribe to our newsletter and always be the first to hear about what is happening.
© 2023 ShiZen Tea.
Designed by Out of the Sandbox. Website hosting by Shopify
Yosuke Aso
Author