Green Tea for those beautiful days in everyday life!

Chinese medicine for thousands of years has believed and practiced in drinking green tea as a sip of good health each day. As the Chinese proverb goes: 'Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one', a cup of tea gives such enormous benefit to the health that we cant afford to ignore it. Chinese knew the secret of green tea and hence it is a part of their lifestyle for many years. 

Green tea is well known in China, Japan, South Korea and other Middle East countries. It is nothing but tea made solely by the leaves of  Camellia sinensis with minimal oxidation during processing. There are different varieties of green tea depending upon the differences in growing conditions, processing time and harvesting time. As a result you can find varieties of flavor and different grades of pale green color in a cup of green tea. 

Recently many scientific studies have tried to elucidate the health benefits of green tea. 

Green tea brightens up your spirit with its increased ability to heighten the cognition. It relieves stress and rejuvenates the body cells to bring you fresh energy to sustain yourself.  Not only its stress relieving property it also has been found to be effective in as many body ailments as you can think of! Here is a list of beneficial effects of green tea consumption which I could collect: 

1. Green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. It is rich in anti-oxidants polyphenols especially epigallactocatechin gallate (EGCG). Apart from killing cancer cells it also has an effect in lowering Low Density Lipoprotien Cholesterol and increases the ration of HDL to LDL.

2. Green tea helps in protecting the heart by lowering the LDL cholesterol and by reducing the risks of heart diseases. 

3. Green tea fights against tooth decay too. Regular consumption of green tea reduces the activity of a bacterial enzyme gyrase and this could be attributed to its role in maintaining oral hygiene. 

4. Keeping a check on weight is easier with consumption of green tea. Green tea drinkers have an average of 17% more rate of fat oxidation compared to non drinkers according to a study conducted by the Israel Institute of Technology. It not only increases fat oxidation at moderately intensive exercise but also increases insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in young healthy adults.

5. Green tea extract EGCG helps older adults and geriatric patients by helping to restore damaged neurons in the brain. It also helps protecting the neurons from dying. This has shown a greater possible benefit in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

6. Breast cancer which afflicts young women across the globe can be well kept at bay by regular consumption of green tea. The month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it not too late to start our day with green tea.

7. Green tea keeps your Eyes healthy too. The catechins in green tea are absorbed into our retina and lense and helps in reduced oxidative stress keeping our eyes away from eye diseases like glaucoma.

8. Its rich antioxidant properties helps build a stronger immune system which can keep infections at bay and also helps fight against inflammation like rheumatoid arthritis.

9. Green tea is also rich in minerals likechromium, magnesium, selenium, zinc and certain phytochemical compounds. It contains carotenoids, acsorbic acid and tocopherols which all add to its wonderful properties.


10. Green tea works wonders on your skin too. Studies on humans and animals have shown that topical application of green tea reduces skin damage caused due to sun exposure. If used along with sun screen lotion it greatly helps in reducing the free radicals and inflammation caused due to sun burn. Because of its great anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties it helps fight against the signs of aging. It has also shown to be effective against acne on long term topical use combined with consumption of green tea.

Till date no harmful effects of green tea is documented. You can consume as many cups of green tea as you want without any fear and enjoy its soothing effect which brightens your cognitive ability for every day challenges of life.