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.
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*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.
I always get the question about caffeine in green tea. Also along with that question, I get questions if its okay for pregnant women to drink green tea, so I have gathered these two questions to this single blog post.
Actually caffeine is very low compared to coffee, it’s about 1/3rd of coffee and slightly less than black tea. Within Japanese green tea caffeine varies, high end Japanese teas (Matcha, High-end Sencha, and Gyokuro) are said to have higher caffeine. On the other hand, Genmaicha and Houjicha teas are said to have lower caffeine than green tea.
The jury still is out on this issue. Some amount of caffeine from any caffeine-containing beverage consumed by a pregnant woman would transfer to the fetus, who do not have the ability to break down the caffeine. For this reason, some say that caffeine has negative effect on an unborn child. On the other hand, some scholars say that this would happen only with a large amount of tea. In Japan, most obstetricians and gynecologist say that one or two cups of green tea a day should not cause any issues in a pregnant woman. Some tea stores in Japan even recommend green tea to pregnant women because of the iron included in green tea. If you are pregnant and plan to drink green tea, we always recommend that you consult with your doctor first.
Thank you for reading:)
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Yosuke Aso
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