Green tea became well known in China during the period of
the Tang dynasty (AD 618–907) and was quickly prized
as a promoter of health and vitality. There's good
evidence, however, that its many benefits had already been
known to the elite for thousands of years by then. In
fact legend tells of a stray camellia blossom, drifting on
the breeze one day in 2737 BC, which found its way into the
Emperor Shen Nung's steaming drinking water and quickly
infused it with all the characteristic refreshment and
invigoration we associate with green tea.
So renowned did the benefits of green tea become that
detailed rules of etiquette for its correct consumption
emerged, culminating in the publication of Lu Yu's "The
Classic Art of Tea". This famous poet and Buddhist priest
laid down strict procedures for the preparation and serving
of the perfect cup of tea. The water had to come from a
gently flowing stream and be combined with leaves in a fine
porcelain cup. And the resulting brew of green tea was
ideally to be drunk next to a lily pond in the company of a
beautiful woman.
Not surprisingly, given this kind of marketing, the
popularity of green tea spread rapidly throughout China in
the centuries following the publication of Lu Yu's work.
"Rather three days without food than a day without tea"
became the saying, as news reached the remotest corners of
the vast empire. Books and poems were composed in green
tea's honour; Emperors gave particularly prized samples as
gifts, and the teahouse became a familiar feature of
countless cities, towns and villages.
So just what are the health benefits of drinking green tea?
The Chinese knew it from earliest times as an aid to good
digestion when consumed after a meal, stimulating the
absorption of nutrients from food; and it's since also
become known as a powerful anti-oxidant and detoxifying
agent which can speed the flushing of toxins from the body.
But there's far more to green tea than this.
Most importantly, leaves for green tea are steamed rather
than fermented, preserving the vital Epigallocatechin
Gallate (EGCG) compound. EGCG is just one of a number of
catechin polyphenols found in tea, but research suggests
that it's a particularly powerful anti-oxidant, the
presence of which makes green tea anything up to ten times
more powerful than the more common fermented (black) teas.
In fact, today's Western science is increasingly confirming
the health benefits long claimed for the consumption of
green tea. And as amazing as it may seem, EGCG and related
compounds in green tea appear directly to target the most
common killer diseases often attributed to western
affluence and diet. Some research, for example, has
credited EGCG with the ability to reduce total levels of
cholesterol whilst at the same time improving the ratio of
"good" (HDL) cholesterol to "bad" (LDL) cholesterol;
thereby helping to protect against both heart attacks and
strokes - still two of the most frequent premature killers
in the Western world.
Some exciting Swiss research published by the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition in November 1999 also
suggests that green tea may help with the increasing
problem of obesity by prompting the body to burn fat at a
significantly increased rate.
But perhaps most excitingly, there's now evidence that
green tea may even help in tackling cancer. For example, in
1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published
the results of a study indicating that drinking green tea
reduced the risk of oesophageal cancer in Chinese people by
almost sixty percent. And University of Purdue researchers
recently concluded that as few as four or five cups of
green tea a day may provide enough EGCG to help retard the
growth of tumours – and this without apparent damage
to surrounding healthy tissue.
Now if after reading all of the above you're just raring to
add green tea to your daily dietary regime I wouldn't blame
you at all. In fact I'd actively encourage you. But it's
only fair to give you the whole picture. And that means
pointing out that the consumption of large amounts of green
tea could risk adding some caffeine to your normal intake.
Let me put this in perspective though. A standard six to
eight ounce cup of green tea will contain between 30 and 60
milligrams of caffeine. A similar size cup of coffee will
likely contain more than 100 milligrams. So just replace a
couple of cups of your normal coffee intake with your
recommended four to five cups of green tea and your
caffeine intake's going to stay level. But if you want to
eliminate caffeine entirely then caffeine-free green teas
are now becoming readily available.
So you can enjoy all the benefits cited above without any
of the possible side-effects of caffeine, and with ever
increasing interest in the health promoting properties of
green tea, new benefits are coming to light all the time.
Already for example, the anti-oxidant (ie
anti–ageing) qualities of the tea are being applied
to the manufacture of skin care products.
These applications may still seem a little far-fetched to
you right now, but in terms of your internal organism
there's no longer any doubt that green tea is truly one of
nature's great gifts - a very inexpensive but extremely
valuable health booster.
----------------------------------------------------
Steve Smith is a freelance copywriter specialising in
direct marketing and with a particular interest in health
products.
Find out more at
http://www.sisyphuspublicationsonline.com/LiquidNutrition/In
formation.htm
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