Thursday, January 04, 2018

The benefits of Japanese green tea

By Peter Hanami



Green Tea is a part of daily Japanese life. It is a popular drink that is consumed hot in winter or cold in summer. Green Tea has some amazing qualities!



History


The Chinese Emperor Shen Nong first discovered green tea about 4700 years ago,
who as legend says discovered it by accident?

“He was boiling a pot of water when some leaves from the tea bush strayed into his pot”.

Source: Zittlau, Jorg (1999) Green Tea – for health and vitality, Sterling Publishing Co, New York. USA,  p13



Why Japanese Green Tea is different


“There are three kinds of tea made from the tea plant: green tea, oolong and black tea..Green which is more lightly processed than the other varieties, is favoured in Japan”.

Source: Packer, Lester and Colman, Carol (2002) The Antioxidant Miracle, John Wiley and Sons, New York, USA. , page 181



Japanese green tea


Green tea comes from two major sources, China and Japan. In each country the tea is processed differently, therefore changing the nature of the tea and its benefits to the drinker.


“In Japan, immediately after picking the leaves they are steamed. This stops the activity of the fermenting enzyme and the leaves stay green. When you brew Japanese tea the color is somewhere between lemon and yellow green”. 

Source: Zittlau, Jorg (1999) Green Tea – for health and vitality, Sterling Publishing Co, New York. USA , Page 10


 Physical Components


Green tea when analysed chemically contains the following:

“Polyphenols, Catechins, Falvanols, Caffeine, Complex sugars (Glycosides), Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Carotene, Saponia, Flouride, Zinc, Selenium and Magnesia”,

Source: Udall, Kate Gilbert (1998) Green Tea, Fight Cancer, lower cholesterol, live longer, Woodland Publishing, Utah, USA page 7



Benefits


1. “Tea contains only half the caffeine of brewed coffee”

Source: Packer, Lester and Colman, Carol (2002) The Antioxidant Miracle, John Wiley and Sons, New York, USA. , page 182


2. The health benefits of tea include, “acting as a strong antioxidant, protecting against cancer, lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, working as antibacterial and antiviral agent and reducing blood sugar”


3 “Green Tea may be the most valuable substance you can take to protect your health”

Source: Udall, Kate Gilbert (1998) Green Tea, Fight Cancer, lower cholesterol, live longer, Woodland Publishing, Utah, USA page6



Recent research


“Green tea is one of the most promising of the cancer fighting foods”

Source: Mitscher, Lester and Dolby, Victoria (1998) The green tea book: China’s fountain of youth, Avery Publishing Group,
Garden City Park, NY, USA.p53


“Cancer has been steadily gaining ground during the past few decades. In Japan,
however the numbers are much lower. The main reason for that difference is Green Tea”.

Source: Zittlau, Jorg (1999) Green Tea – for health and vitality, Sterling Publishing Co, New York. USA , Page 53


"Supplementing the diet with antioxidants, such as green tea’s polyphenols, lessens the likelihood of wrinkles”

Source: Mitscher, Lester and Dolby, Victoria (1998) The green tea book: China’s fountain of youth, Avery Publishing Group, Garden City Park, NY, USA. P128





Useful links related to Japanese Green Tea 

Ito En Teas' Tea (Oi Ocha) Japanese Green Tea, 16.9-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 12

Green Tea: Fight Cancer, Lower Cholesterol, Live Longer

The Antioxidant Miracle: Put Lipoic Acid, Pycnogenol, and Vitamins E and C to Work for You



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