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