Green Tea Health Benefits

What's So Great About Green Tea?

Green tea is a potent source of healing antioxidants--the same beneficial compounds found in fruits and vegetables, and even in red wine. The leaf also boasts the presence of a superstar antioxidant called EGCG (epigallocatechin-gallate) as well as other notable healing substances, including fluoride, catechins, and tannins.

Ongoing research suggests that thanks to its numerous and varied antioxidant compounds, sipping green tea regularly may help to prevent various types of cancer, guard against heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels and reducing blood pressure, promote longevity, stave off tooth decay (the tea contains the cavity fighter, fluoride), help heal gum infections, and provide a number of other benefits.

Green Tea Helps Beat Superbugs, Study Suggests

Green tea can help beat superbugs according to Egyptian scientists speaking March, 31, 2008 at the Society for General Microbiology's 162nd meeting.

The pharmacy researchers have shown that drinking green tea helps the action of important antibiotics in their fight against resistant superbugs, making them up to three times more effective.

Green tea is a very common beverage in Egypt, and it is quite likely that patients will drink green tea while taking antibiotics. The medical researchers wanted to find out if green tea would interfere with the action of the antibiotics, have no effect, or increase the medicines' effects.

On the other hand, many practitioners feel strongly that colonics can support healthy digestive function, aid the body in the discharge of stored toxins, and promote greater overall health.  A healthy bowel moves one to three times a day.  Colonics and enemas can frequently help reverse a condition of chronic constipation.  (On the other hand, this can also lead to an "addictive" dependency on colonics or enemas to maintain bowel movement regularity.) Reported in ScienceDaily (Apr. 1, 2008) —

Green Tea Boosts Production Of Detox Enzymes, Rendering Cancerous Chemicals Harmless

ScienceDaily (Aug. 12, 2007) — Concentrated chemicals derived from green tea dramatically boosted production of a group of key detoxification enzymes in people with low levels of these beneficial proteins, according to researchers at Arizona Cancer Center.

These findings, published in the August issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, suggest that a green tea concentrate might help some people strengthen their metabolic defense against toxins capable of causing cancer.

In a study of 42 people, the concentrate -- composed of chemicals known as green tea catechins in amounts equal to that found in 8-16 cups of green tea -- boosted production of the enzymes, which belong to the glutathione S-transferase (GST) family, by as much as 80 percent in some participants.

GST enzymes are believed to be crucial to the body's defense against cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins, according to the study's lead investigator, H.-H. Sherry Chow, Ph.D., a research associate professor at the University of Arizona. They modify the cancer-causing molecules that would otherwise damage cellular DNA, thus rendering them inert.

"They actually convert known carcinogens to non-toxic chemicals, and studies have shown a correlation between deficient expression of these enzymes and increased risk of developing some cancers," Chow said.

"Expression of this enzyme varies dramatically in people due to genetic variation and environmental factors," Chow added. "Green tea catechins somehow increase gene expression of these enzymes, which can be an advantage to people with low levels to start with."

Green tea has long been of interest to researchers given studies that have shown populations in which it is often consumed, such as the Chinese and Japanese, generally have lower rates of cancer. To find out if green tea can protect against cancer, the NCI has sponsored a number of rigorous scientific studies testing capsules of the extract, Polyphenon E, that have been prepared in Japan to meet exact specifications. These pills contain epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a catechin known for its potent antioxidant activity, and are currently being tested against a variety of cancers in clinical trials.

Loose-Leaf Green Tea Compared to Store Bought Green Tea
by David Hayden

To be fair, you can buy loose-leaf green tea at the grocery store. The question was mainly how the quality / price of green tea bought online compares to the green tea you can purchase at the grocery store?

This is a fair question, since green tea at the grocery store is much more convenient, because you can just buy it with your normal groceries. Certainly there would have to be a good reason to go out of your way and buy it online as opposed to picking it up at the local grocery store.

It has been my experience that the green tea at the grocery store is much, much lower in quality, particularly if you are buying some of the bulk green tea to save a little money. I always look through the green tea section at the grocery store just to see what they are selling, and not only is much of it stored improperly (How to Store Tea), but it is mainly dust and low quality, late harvested, very low on the tea bush broken leaves :) I wish I were exaggerating, but unfortunately I am not. Some of the particles I find in these low quality, bulk bags don't even appear to be from the tea plant let alone tea leaves.

Some of the nationally recognized green tea products are a bit better in quality than the bulk tea mentioned above, but you pay way, way too much for the quantity of green tea you actually get. You are literally paying around $10 for 1.5 ounces of green tea. You can pay the same amount for 1/4 lb of green tea online that is of better quality. Do you want to pay for a fancy box / label with very little green tea at the grocery store, or do you want to drink high quality, healthy green tea at a lower price?

Whether you choose to buy green tea from us or not ( China Green Tea / Japan Green Tea ), you owe it to yourself to buy it online so you can get both better quality and the most for your money. You want better quality green tea, because this is where you get the health benefits of green tea. Unfortunately, not everyone online sells the best quality, but it is bound to be better quality and of better value than you can find at the local grocery store.  


Storing Green Tea for Maximum Freshness and Quality

When you purchase green tea, you need to make sure you properly store the green tea so that it is stored in an opaque, airtight container in a cool, dry place. Green tea needs to be out of the light and definitely kept out of the humidity and away from smells that can permeate the green tea leaves.

Here is a list of best practices for storing green tea. Following good green tea storage practices will keep your tea fresher for longer periods of time:

• Store green tea in an airtight container. Metal, ceramic, and even wooden containers with tight-fitting lids are ideal.
  
  
• Store green tea in a cool, dark place away from light and heat.
  
  
• Store only green tea in your containers to avoid other substances altering the flavor of your tea.
  
  
• Have separate containers for black, green, and herbal teas.
  
  
• Scented teas should also be stored separately.
  
  
• Buy green tea in small quantities so that you can store it properly and use it up before it gets old and loses flavor. Most experts recommend using green tea within 6 months for best taste.
  

Some believe that a well-preserved tea can last for up to a year before quality suffers. Green tea loses quality faster than black tea. Don't forget that freshness also depends on how well the tea has been stored from plantation to dealers to retailers.