Saturday, July 10, 2010

O.K. This is not a recipe, but, it is good info:


What is Green Tea?
What it is and what it can do for you.

So what’s the big deal about green tea? Have you ever heard of one single item with so many health benefits? It seems that everyday we hear more and more about the benefits of drinking green tea, ointments made with green tea, green tea supplements, and the list goes on and on and on. Here are some facts about this little miracle food you may not know.

Green tea is made from the same plant as any other tea, the Camellia sinensis plant. The difference is in way the tea is processed and the part of the plant used. Green tea is made using the green leaves of the plant.

Green tea contains something called EGCG, which is found in the extracts from the green tea leaves. EGCG was discovered by the Mayo Clinic for it’s vast range of health benefits. This extract is used to prevent and treat many different kinds of cancers including breast, stomach and skin cancer. A number of laboratory studies have shown that green tea has anti-tumor effects. The Mayo Clinic report, in the journal Cancer Letters, identified the plant substance, EGCG in green tea as a potent killer of prostate cancer cells.

It is also known to improve mental alertness because it contains caffeine, relieve many stomach ailments, including Chron’s Disease, aid in weight loss by boosting the metabolism, it has been especially effective in men who burned as much as twice as many calories utilizing the same workout as they did without the tea. It can help lower cholesterol and prevent skin damage from the sun and a green tea bag can be applied to the skin that has been sunburned for a soothing effect. It can even help prevent tooth decay or a tea bag can be placed on the gums after a tooth has been pulled to help reduce inflammation and stop the bleeding.

Green tea can be brewed as a tea or can be taken in the form of capsules, which can be purchased at your local drug store or department store. There are also ointments that are effective on genital warts.

It appears that green tea is more effective in preventing illnesses, such as cancer, in women than in men, although the reason why isn’t quite clear.

So, there it is, green tea really is a potent little herb. Grab a cup and enjoy!


Sources: The Mayo Clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2010-rst/5833.html

www.nccam.nih.gov/health/greentea/index.htm

www.healing.about.com/cs/herbaltherapy/a/greentea.htm

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