The Benefits of Green Tea

It seems everywhere you look, nowadays; there is something about green tea and its beneficial usages for improving health. The use of green tea, for medicinal purposes, can be traced back almost 4,000 years to ancient times in places like China, India, and Tibet. These cultures were noted for using plants and herbs to treat ailments, and found the healing properties in green tea. It gave much relief in the treatment of headaches, digestive tract problems, and even depression.

Today, there is research being conducted on the benefits of green tea, with a yielding of evidence weighing in on the positive side for the actual health benefits related to green tea. The medicinal properties range from an anticancer promoter to raising the level of antioxidant in the blood. While research is still being conducted, what is already known about the healthful benefits of green tea has helped to identify medical conditions that do experience relief from drinking green tea. These medical conditions include lowering the risk factor for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, lowering cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, weight loss, infection prevention, and improving the function of the immune system. Now, green tea may not be the cure, but its properties have shown an ability to control, facilitate, lessen, and maintain certain ailments.

Again, we have to keep in mind that in ancient times and cultures you did not go to the doctor and have them write you out a prescription to take and be filled at "CVS" or other local pharmacy. No, you went to the local herbalist, or apothecary, and many times these skilled and knowledgeable people knew more than the doctor. They know what plants and other naturally grown agents did indeed have medicinal properties. They did not need some corporation to manufacturer them, but rather went out and picked and gathered and observed the effects. In fact, these members of ancient and old communities were respected for their wisdom. Tea remedies have indeed been around for a long time.

So, what makes green tea so special? The answer can be found by pointing to the catechin polyphenols, more specifically to the epigallocatechin gallate (commonly abbreviated: EGCG). Epigallocatechin gallate is a well known and powerful anti-oxidant, and is what gives green tea its beneficial properties, causing it to be an instrumental product for treating and controlling medical conditions. Remember the studies that were done on red wine's polyphenol content known as resveratrol, and its ability to lessen the damages from smoking and consuming a fatty diet? Well, green tea's epigallocatechi gallate is said to be twice as powerful as resveratrol. When green tea is processed, it is steamed, and the steaming does not allow for the EGCG to become oxidized, unlike other teas that are processed through fermenting; and it is this difference that keeps the EGCG potent and medicinally useful.

Also thus far, the only negative side effect from green tea consumption has been reported cases of insomnia. However, it is important to not that this is due to the caffeine contained in green tea, but caffeine contained in green tea is lower then that of coffee.

So if ancient cultures found the beneficial properties in green tea to be positive and useful and studies today indicate the powerful and indeed present benefits, why not at least give it a try? Now, of course that does not mean you should ignore what your doctor says and commit to a green tea regimen, it means that maybe it would not hurt to add green tea to your daily dietary routine. If nothing more, you may at least benefit from the often soothing and calming effects delivered by tea consumption.