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Green Tea Leaf
Botanical Name: Camellia
sinensis
Common Name: Green
tea
Parts Used: Young
leaves and leaf buds
System
Effected: Liver,
heart, cancer fighting
Properties: Stimulant,
diuretic, astringent
Used For: Green tea contains extremely powerful
antioxidants, a range of catechins in particular, which protect against
health problems such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. It also
contains varying amounts of caffeine bound to tannins; the caffeine
content depends on where the tea is grown. For some types of tea, the
caffeine content is comparable to that of coffee. However, even the green
teas with the highest caffeine content are much gentler on the body and
the adrenals than coffee, the reason being that the caffeine is bound to
the tannins in the tea, which ensures a somewhat slower rush of caffeine
into the blood. The result is a much gentler and more sustained energy
boost, compared to coffee and black tea. Also, you won't experience the
energy downs you get from coffee, when the rush of caffeine suddenly stops
as abruptly as it started. So for those having trouble getting through the
day without coffee, which stresses the body's biochemistry, green tea is
not merely an alternative, but an improvement. It can do what you want
from coffee, but it has none of the negative effects.
Green tea also
seems to increase fat oxidation to a level greater than what can be
explained by its caffeine content alone. So green tea might also be good
for weight loss when combined with a proper diet. The tannins in green tea
have a beneficial effect on the GI flora; they inhibit the growth of
pathogenic bacteria in the GI tract. One Japanese study showed
antibacterial and even bactericidal effect against some types of
pathogenic bacteria, which might attack the GI tract1.
Green
tea might also be a possible agent for maintaining remission in patients
with an inflammatory bowel disease2,
because of its powerful antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Quite a
few people have a horrible experience the first time they drink green tea
and thus shun it from then on. For them, it is yet another affirmation
that healthy and tasty are incompatible opposites when it comes to food
and drink.
      Copyright © 1998 Tealand.
All rights reserved.
Revised:
May 11, 2008.
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