The Health Benefits of Drinking Chinese Green Tea
Drinking herbal tea has been recognized as a part of healthful lifestyle and one tea in particular, Chinese Green Tea, has many notable special benefits.
Image via Wikipedia
Tea drinkers in the west traditionally have drank black tea which seems to not have the amazing health properties of Chinese Green Tea. Specifically, tea made solely from the perennial evergreen shrub “Camellia sinesus” plant. Many different sources of Green Tea exist ranging from Japan, the Middle East and Asia but their various Green Tea products can vary in properties due to conditions related to how it is grown, the harvesting time and even the way it is processed. Different forms include pekoe (”cut”) and gunpowder (”rolled.”) Green, Oolong and Black tea are are derived from the same plant but thee various methods and specifically the methods used for Green Tea all contribute to it’s heralded health properties.
Any of these can have a deleterious effect upon the final product. Processing Green Tea requires a special gentle steaming which preserves the naturally-occurring anti-oxidant properties. Other teas such as Oolong and Black Tea undergo a more complete oxidation, a process which greatly reduces their medical benefit.
Tea as an Ancient Remedy and Medicine in China
The Chinese have been using herbal tea for health for at least 5000 years and western medicine is beginning to acknowledge and establish that they may have been correct in these beliefs. The level of acceptance ranges per symptom between ‘good scientific evidence’ to ‘unclear/unproven’ but with a strong apocryphal belief coming from those whom use it and report success.
Image via Wikipedia
The Journal of the National Cancer Institutes published in 1994 a report that found drinkers of Green Tea had a 60% reduced risk of esophageal cancer. A compound in the tea is responsible for this, and the University of Purdue tested green tea and it was discovered to inhibit the growth of certain types of cancer cells. Also discovered was that those whom regularly drank green tea have an improved ratio of good to bad cholesterol levels (increased good to decreased bad cholesterol.) This can benefit the heart and circulatory system overall.
Depression and degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease may be slowed or eased from the ingestion of Green Tea. Others ailments that Green Tea is purported to help improve include genital warts, anxiety and animal studies suggest that there is a photo-protection element to Green Tea; it gives protection against the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.
Green Tea has even been shown to fight colds and flu. Read the article here at NaturalNews.com. The site continues by stating that a Japanese study showed “…that the virus which causes the flu can become non-infectious by having 5 seconds of contact with green tea.”
Some of the other cited historical benefits of drinking green tea include relief from a type of arthritis, reduced incidence of infection & improved immune system response, as well as improved cardiovascular health probably due in part to the aforementioned cholesterol changes.
Green Tea Saves Teeth from Decay
Image via Wikipedia
It has also been suggested that drinking green tea can help prevent tooth decay (dental caries.) Apparently Green Tea contains chemicals or ingredients that can kill the plague-causing bacteria in the mouth.
Some health food stores are even selling preparations of skin creams and salves that contain green tea compounds which include HBA (Health & Beauty Aids) products like deodorants and moisturizing creams for the hands, face and feet.
With all these things working in the favor of green and the only down side might be that green tea contains caffeine (albeit considerately less than a cup of coffee,) everyone should consider adding a steaming cup or two of Chinese Green Tea to their daily routine or better yet, substituting it for the usual coffee or carbonated beverage.
