There won’t be another food that has health benefits that equals green tea. The Chinese have used the medical benefits of green tea ever since ancient times, for treating everything from headaches to depression. The book Green Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life states that green tea has been in use as a medication for about 4,000 years in China.
Scientific research states that drinking green tea decreases the risk of esophageal cancer by almost sixty percent. Actually green tea restrains the growth of cancerous cells and lowers cholesterol levels, as well as improves the ratio of good (HDL) to bad (LDL) cholesterol levels.
Drinking green tea helps several medical conditions some of which include:
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular disease
- High cholesterol levels
- Impaired immune function
- Infection
What is so special about green tea?
The undisclosed fact of green tea lies in its rich in catechin polyphenols, mainly EGCG i.e. epigallocatechin gallate. EGCG is a potent anti-oxidant that inhibits cancer cells’ the growth at the same time kills cancer cells without causing any harm to the healthy tissue. It also effectively lowers LDL cholesterol levels and reduces the anomalous development of blood clots. Blood clot is one of the leading causes of strokes and heart attacks. EGCG is two times as powerful as resveratrol, which lowers the rate of heart disease in Japanese men although about 75 % of them are smokers.
Why no other Chinese teas possess same health benefits?
Black, Oolong and Green teas all are made from Camellia sinensis plant’s leaves. What sets green tea apart is its way of processing. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents oxidization of the EGCG compound. On the contrary, black and oolong tea leaves are prepared from fermented leaves, in which the EGCG is converted into other compounds that are not helpful in fighting and preventing various diseases.
Additional Benefits:
Green tea also helps dieters. A research study states that a combination of coffee and green tea extract burns more calories as compared to only caffeine.
Green tea help to prevent tooth decay. Also its bacteria-destroying abilities prevent food poisoning and kill the bacteria causing dental plaque.
Harmful Effects of Green Tea:
Till date, there is only one negative side effect reported from green tea consumption, which is insomnia. This is because green tea contains caffeine. Nevertheless, this Chinese tea includes less caffeine as compared to coffee.
