Green Tea

The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression.
Today, scientific research is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea. In 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of oesophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. Researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.
Green tea is reputed to be helpful for: cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease, infection, impaired immune function.
Green tea's active constituents are catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. Green tea has also been effective in inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that the formation of abnormal blood clots is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.
For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. Researchers determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.
Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.
Green tea can even help dieters. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.
Just as green tea's bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on the market.
To date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee. Green tea also contains L-theanine, which counteracts the effects of caffeine to some extent.