Green Tea - part 3: The final chapter (for now)

Japanese Sencha green tea

There are quite a few claims going around about supposed side/adverse effects of drinking too much green tea.

Several websites on the Internet claim that tea is dangerously high in fluoride -- the level of fluoride in tea is supposedly much greater than the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) set for safe fluoride content of drinking water. This is technically true: the typical cup of tea (both green and black) contains over one milligram of fluoride, which is well over the recommended amount for fluoridated drinking water. However, the kind of fluoride found naturally in tea leaves is entirely different from the toxic chemically-produced sodium fluoride. when fluorine/fluoride is absorbed from the soil surrounding a tea plant, it is stabilized and rendered no longer dangerous. This information can, of course, all be confusing for someone worried about fluoride poisoning from their tea.

Green Tea - Part Deux

Chinese Gunpowder green tea

Because green tea is very alkaline its natural that it makes a great antacid. It can be very helpful in preventing hyperacidity of the stomach. In addition to this, people who regularly drink green tea are less likely to suffer from arteriosclerosis. The tea helps to keep the blood thin and to prevent coronary diseases, strokes, and even heart attacks. Furthermore, research performed at the University of Osaka, Japan, has proven a tentative link between drinking green tea and death of the pathogens responsible for both cholera and tooth decay. It also has been shown to kill harmful salmonella bacteria before they can even enter the drinker's stomach. The tea contains another beneficial substance called "EGCG" , which has been found to slow down cancerous tumor growth. Research from the Botikin Hospital in Moscow, Russia has suggested that green tea may even be more useful for treating bacterial infection than penicillin-based antibiotics, without the potential harmful side effects.

Green Tea - Part One

green tea

For over thirty years, western researchers have been aware that solid tumor cancers occur is far, far less often in countries where a large portion of the population drinks green tea regularly. As such, cultures with a long tradition of tea preparation and drinking have much to contribute to global health, western health, and probably even your health. But this only applies to green tea -- regular black tea, which is fairly popular everywhere, is lacking in the concentration of beneficial compounds. Green tea comes from the tea plant: Thea sinensis or Thea asoncica, which is not to be confused with herbal teas like peppermint, chamomile or fennel. Herbal teas can also have some beneficial effects, but these are different from real tea.