Green Tea Benefits

Green Tea Benefits & Remedies page - link navigation:

(These links take you farther down the page to these specific categories.)

Green Tea and the Conditions it Treats

Buying Guide & Tips

To get the best Green Tea benefits, look for Organic Green Tea. The pesticides and herbicides that are used in regular commercial teas are very harmful to your body and will be in your tea when you steep it.

A lot of local grocery stores will carry an inexpensive organic Green Tea. If you decide to use a pill form of Green Tea, make sure that its also organic, and follow the dosage instructions carefully as the supplements are much stronger than the tea you drink.

In the right hand column, there's a link to the tea I drink. It's inexpensive and of average quality - I just drink quite a bit of it, so the higher quality Matcha Green Tea isn't something I've tried yet. But I hear it's amazing! I'll update this page when I try some and let you know what I think.

My Own Experience...

I stopped drinking coffee years ago and went completely caffeine free for about a year. Then I heard about Green Tea benefits and decided to give it a shot.

Besides water, it's the only thing I drink now. I love it! The caffeine effects are so different than coffee or even black tea. There's a gradual increase in energy that sticks around for a lot longer than coffee does, and my thinking is much clearer.

The energy increase is smooth rather than jittery or hyperactive - I don't talk a mile a minute but I do get a lot done.

I don't have to avoid a caffeine crash by drinking more because there is no crash to avoid. I generally stop drinking it by 2 PM and I'm good for the rest of the day.

For a quick way to make Green Tea in large batches, I just use a coffee pot by putting 4 to 6 tea bags in the carafe and simply brewing the water through. If you turn off the burner as soon as it's done brewing, you won't burn the tea.

If you like it strong, leave the tea bags in longer to steep, or you can take them out right away for a lighter tea.

Dosage:

All remedies listed below have the same dosage instructions. To fully experience the benefits of Green Tea, simply make sure that your tea is organic and minimally processed whether you drink it or take it in pill form.

It is best not to drink more than 6 to 10 cups of Green Tea per day. Drinking 2 to 3 cups is sufficient for the average person to gain Green Tea benefits.

If you are taking a Green Tea supplement (in pill form) simply follow the label dosage instructions, as each manufacturer's product will be different depending on how they've processed their product.

The way to brew Green Tea will depend a little on how you like the taste. The longer you let it steep, the stronger and more "bitter" it will taste.

It is said that after you bring the water to a boil, let it cool for about 3 minutes before pouring it over the tea leaves or tea bag. This avoids the possibility of burning the tea and ruining any health benefits that may be derived from it.

Conditions This Remedy Treats:

(Clicking on the name of underlined conditions below will take you to the page that discusses the causes and other remedies for that particular condition.)

Alzheimer's Disease

Green Tea benefits the brain in many ways. One way is that a compound found in Green Tea acts as an iron chelation by attaching itself to iron molecules in the brain and removing them so that they are no longer creating free radicals.

Another active compound found in Green Tea called epicatechin, reduces the formation of a protein called amyloid-beta. Deposits in the brain made from amyloid-beta are one of the defining characteristics of Alzheimer's.
See Common Dosage

Blood Clots

One Green Tea benefit is its ability to thin out the blood and helps prevent blood clots from forming in your body.
See Common Dosage

Blood Pressure (High)

Green Tea benefits your blood pressure if consumed daily. Studies have shown that it regulates blood pressure by lowering it when it is typically too high, preventing hypertension.

In a study done on rats that were bred to have high blood pressure and to develop strokes, the rats that were fed the equivalent of a person drinking a little more than 4 cups of Green Tea per day had a significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to the control rats who drank only plain water.
See Common Dosage

Cancer

One study has shown that Green Tea reduced the incidence of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by 60%.

Other studies have discovered that a compound found in Green Tea actually inhibits the growth of all types of cancer cells.

In many other cancers, it has been found that the compounds in Green Tea not only slow the growth of the cancer cells, but also aid your liver in being able to detoxify the body of the free radicals that cause cancer.
See Common Dosage

Cholesterol

Studies have shown that one of the many Green Tea benefits is that it lowers overall cholesterol levels, increases HDL (good) cholesterol and decreases LDL (bad) cholesterol.
See Common Dosage

Colds & Flu

Studies have shown that the primary compound in Green Tea that makes it so healthy, (called epigallocatechin-3-gallate or EGCG) dramatically slows down the influenza virus from multipying in your body. It also suppresses the formation of viral RNA by altering the viral membrane.
See Common Dosage

Death

OK, we're not talking about bringing people back to life here, but I did want to include a study that was published in the September, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

In this study that began in 1994, 40,530 adults in northeastern Japan, ages 40 to 79 were followed for 11 years. In that area of Japan, Green Tea is a daily beverage for 80% of the population, half of which drink at least 3 cups per day.

When the scientists compared those who drank 5 cups of Green Tea per day with those who drank less than 1 cup per day, they found that those who drank more had a significantly lower risk of death from all causes and especially from Cardiovascular Disease.

The study also concluded that women received greater Green Tea benefits from drinking it daily than men did.
See Common Dosage

Diabetes

Many animal studies have shown that a couple of important Green Tea benefits are that it increases your body's ability to tolerate glucose and increase insulin sensitivity if you have Type 2 Diabetes.

There are other studies that show that drinking Green Tea regularly will help prevent Type 2 Diabetes.
See Common Dosage

Gum Disease

Green Tea benefits your gums and teeth as well. By drinking Green Tea regularly, you can prevent the bacteria that cause gum disease (P. gingivalis) from producing the toxins that damage your gums and teeth.
See Common Dosage

Heart Disease

Japanese studies have shown that whether a person drinks Green Tea daily can be an individual predictor of whether or not that person will develop Coronary Artery Disease (which can also be referred to simply as "heart disease").

One can conclude from this that a key Green Tea benefit is that it will help protect you from heart disease if consumed regularly.
See Common Dosage

Liver Disease

One of the benefits of Green Tea is that it helps protect your Liver from the destructive effects of alcohol and drugs by protecting liver cells from the damaging free radicals caused by alcohol and toxin (or drug) metabolism in you body.
See Common Dosage

Osteoporosis

Another Green Tea benefit is that it helps prevent Osteoporosis by protecting osteoblasts (the cells that build bone in your body) from free radicals and by inhibiting the formation of osteoclasts (the cells that break down your bones).
See Common Dosage

Weight Loss

Green Tea benefits for Weight Loss are well studied. In one study, rats given a diet of powder that contained 2% Green Tea for 16 weeks had a decrease of 76.8% of visceral fat (the kind that surrounds your abdominal and intestinal areas) compared to the control group.

The Green Tea also decreased triglycerides (the chemical form of most fats that are in your body).
See Common Dosage

General Properties:

Green Tea is a tea made from the leaves of the species Camellia Sinensis and is processed with minimal oxidation. To understand what that means, let's take a quick look at how tea is processed in general.

All tea leaves are from the same species of plant, whether it's green tea, white tea, black tea or any other color tea.

What makes each tea different in flavor, color, or even its healing properties is the way it's processed. Part of the processing of the tea you drink includes something called oxidation where the tea leaves are left in a climate controlled room in order to turn progressively darker the longer they stay in that room.

This happens as the chlorophyll from the leaves is broken down by the natural enzymes already in the leaves and its tannins are released. The longer a tea is oxidized, the darker it becomes.

Green Tea receives the least amount of oxidation than any other tea, retaining a lot of its chlorophyll and having less tannins. For a more thorough explanation of the processing of tea, check out this Wikipedia article.

Different qualities of Green Tea vary widely and are due to how, when and where the plant was grown, harvested, and processed, much like wine. The prices vary as much as the quality.

Green Tea contains caffeine unless it has been decaffeinated. The amount of caffeine depends mostly on how long you steep it and whether you re-use the leaves.

On a first steeping of at least five minutes the cup of tea has about 32 mg of caffeine, the second steeping will only give you about 12 mg and it just goes down from there. (An average cup of coffee has from 80 to 175 mg of caffeine and an average dark colored cola has about 35 mg per serving.)

The difference between drinking caffeine in coffee or soda and drinking caffeine from Green Tea is that first, it's a different kind of caffeine than that from other sources.

Second, the tannins in the tea work alongside the caffeine to prevent that "caffeine shock" (and subsequently the crash later) that's experienced with coffee and soda.

And thirdly, there is a compound only found in tea and some mushrooms that's called L-theanine. L-theanine is a healthy amino acid that directly stimulates alpha waves in the brain, bringing you a heightened awareness and calming effect without the drowsiness that can go along with it.

Green Tea is also very high in antioxidants called polyphenols. These help boost your immune system and assist your body in fighting off free radicals which can cause cancer in the body.

Possible Side Effects:

The only side effects from drinking Green Tea would be the possible insomnia that comes from drinking caffeine too late in the day or (like anything else) drinking too much of it. Stick to the dosage instructions above to avoid any possible side effects.

Drug Interactions:

Atropine: Atropine is used to treat heart function and in combination with other drugs it's also used to treat diarrhea, excessive saliva production, and to dilate eyes for eye exams. The tannins in Green Tea (or any herb that has tannins) will reduce the absorption and bioavailability of this drug.

Cardec DM: Cardec DM is used to treat symptoms associated with the common cold and Hay Fever. The tannins in Green Tea (or any herb that has tannins) will reduce the absorption and bioavailability of this drug.

Codeine: Common names for Codeine are: Codeine Conton, Galcodine Pediatric, and Galcodine. - Some common drugs that contain Codeine are: Anything that says "with Codeine", Florinal, and Robitussin AC. -- This drug is a pain reliever made from opium and is also used as a cough suppressant. The tannins in Green Tea (or any herb that has tannins) will reduce the absorption and bioavailability of this drug.

Ephedrine and Pseudoephedrine: Common names for these drugs are: Balminil Decongestant, Boots Child Sugar-Free Decongestant Syrup, Boots Decongestant Tablets, Bronalin Decongestant Elixir, CAM, Drixoral N.D., Eltor 120, Galpseud, Novafed, Pretz-D, Pseudofrin, Sudafed, Vick's Vatrinol. - Common medications that contain Ephedrine or Pseudoephedrine are: Alka-Seltzer Plus, Allegra-D, Chlor-Trimeton 12 hour, Claritin-D, Nyquil, Nyquil Hot Therapy Powder, Primatene Dual Action, Theraflu, Tylenol Allergy Sinus, Tylenol Cold, Tylenol Flu Night Time Maximum Strength Powder, Tylenol Multi-Symptom Hot Medication, Tylenol Sinus. -- The tannins in Green Tea (or any herb that has tannins) will reduce the absorption and bioavailability of this drug.

Lomotil/Lonox: This is a combination drug that contains Atropine and is used as an anti-diarrheal. The tannins in Green Tea (or any herb that has tannins) will reduce the absorption and bioavailability of this drug.

Theophylline/Aminophylline: Common names for these two drugs are: Amnivent 225 SR, Apo-Theo LA, Lasma, Norphylline SR, Novo-Theophyl SR, Nuelin, Nuelin SA, Phylloconton, Slo-Bid, Slo-Phyllin, Theo-24, Theo-Bid, Theo-Dur, Theo-SR, Theocron, Theolair, Theophylline Ethylenediamine, Truphylline, Uni-Dur, Uniphylline Continuous, and Uniphyl. - Some common drugs that contain Codeine are: Primatene Dual Action. -- This drug is used to open up the bronchial tubes to allow better breathing for those who have Asthma. The tannins in Green Tea (or any herb that has tannins) will reduce the absorption and bioavailability of this drug.

Warfarin: Common names for Warfarin are: Coumadin, Marevan, and Warfilone. This drug is used as a blood thinner to help prevent blood clots. There is one documented case of a man who took Warfarin to thin out his blood but who also drank one half to one gallon of Green Tea per day. Based on lab tests, it was thought that the tea might be interfering with Warfarin because his blood became thick again. When he stopped drinking the tea, his blood returned to normal. Check with your health practitioner if you choose to drink Green Tea and you take Warfarin.

Did You Know…?

Green Tea and black tea (all teas that are not herbal tea) are from the same exact plant species. What makes them distinct is the way they are processed. Check out the General Properties section for a brief explanation.

Green Tea supplements can be dangerous if you take too much. Read labels carefully and make sure you are taking a quality supplement to gain the Green Tea benefits you are looking for.

Green Tea Benefits have been well known in Asia for at least 4000 years, but it wasn't used as a daily beverage until about 600 years ago. Before that, it was only used as a medicinal.

One of the surprising Green Tea benefits is that it re-hydrates the body as effectively as water in spite of its caffeine content.

Another Green Tea benefit is its ability to increase physical endurance if consumed regularly. It's a great addition to your exercise regimen.

Black pepper will actually increase the bioavailability and absorption of the main health enhancing compound in Green Tea called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).

Tea plants are originally from Asia and can reach a height of 30 feet if not pruned. On tea plantations, the tea plants are pruned and kept at shrub height to stimulate new growth.