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.


As you're probably starting to see here, green tea is capable of all kinds of beneficial things. It has over 100 compounds within it that have been found to be useful for treating a number of conditions, it prevents the cell mutations that can lead to tumors and cancer, it reduces the amount of fats carried in the blood, it balances cholesterol levels, it helps to reduce unhealthily high blood pressure, it increases the pumping efficiency of the heart (through the previously mentioned improvements), it increases the level of brain functions, it even increases you metabolism, has been linked to improving vision, it supports increased production of saliva -- which helps with digestion, it increases the rate of hair growth, helps you to reduce overall bodyfat and weight, it stimulates the entire digestive system and even helps to clear out obstructions in the urinary tract.

In a study at the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC) in which the preventative properties of green tea were tested, it was found that regular green tea consumption decreased rate of breast cancer in women by 30 percent -- if they had consumed more than half a cup per day for the past six months, at least. If they reported drinking more tea than that, they were at a further marginally lower risk of developing breast cancer. However, women who regularly drank black tea didn't see a reduction in their risk for breast cancer. This study shows that you don't need to drink lots and lots of green tea to see health benefits -- just a small amount is capable of a whole host of improvements.

The most highly rated and highly regarded variety of green tea comes from Japan, in the Shizuoka region; it is grown organically and has no chemical additives or treatments performed during its growth or processing. The people living in this region of Japan have relatively lower rates of cancer than the rest of the population of Japan, which already boasts one the the lowest rates of natural cancers in the world (Presumably due to the high rate of green tea consumption). A reliable brand of tea from this region is called Sencha, sold by the Kurimoto Trading Company. Tested to contain over 125 beneficial compounds, this variety one of the most beneficial types of green tea obtainable. Other reputable brands from here are named Ocha or Bancha - you should be able to find one of these brands at your local health food store or even grocery. If not, there are several well known (Teavana, Adagio) tea sellers who will have this kind of green tea available.

Note: The medicinal qualities of green tea are subject to the way you prepare it -- using too hot of water will damage the beneficial compounds as well as produce a worse tasting cup of tea. Use 1.5 teaspoons of green tea to make 2 cups of tea. To prepare, bring the water to a boil and turn the heat off. Wait until the water has stopped bubbling before pouring it over the tea leaves in a teapot. After only 60 seconds, you must pour the tea through a sieve or otherwise remove the leaves. You may think leaving the leaves in will extract more beneficial nutrients, but this is not the case; if left in the leaves will actually begin to reabsorb the beneficial nutrients while making the tea taste terrible. Nothing's worse than oversteeped tea.