The Benefits of Green Tea

If you need something to soothe you or give you a little pick-me-up, forget about coffee and energy drinks. What you need is green tea. It may sound silly but a cupful of this ancient brew has a bounty of healthy ingredients that'll keep your mind, body and soul happy.

The Chinese definitely got something right when they discovered green tea. In 2737 B.C., Chinese Emperor Shen-Nunb was boiling a kettle of water underneath a terrace. Leaves from a nearby bush, which happened to be tealeaves, blew off and into the hot water. The emperor tasted his brew and the special liquid concoction quickly spread throughout China and the Far East. Around 1600, Dutch traders bought tea to the Western world, while the British took up a similar trade but with black tea being their drink of choice. Since then, the Western world drinks black tea while the Chinese and Japanese in the East drink green tea, according to Bellybytes.com.

What's the difference between green tea and regular tea, you may ask? It's simple: the only difference is how the two are prepared. Unlike other teas, green tea is not fermented, which allows it to contain its full potent properties. When tealeaves are fermented (breaking down organic substances into simpler substances) their natural potent ingredients are destroyed. That's why green tea is so unique in its healing properties.

Recent studies in nutrition have found the benefits of green tea to be a breakthrough in healthcare and skin care. The main benefits include, but are not limited to:

Lowering cholesterol

Slowing down arthritis

Preventing cancer cell growth

Assisting in weight loss

Helps build bone strength, warding off osteoporosis

Concerning cancer, green tea has been found in medical studies to be a key factor in controlling and preventing breast and prostate cancer, according to Health.learninginfo.org. In the cases of breast cancer, green tea contains chemicals that bind estrogen, keeping the hormone from stimulating other breast cancer cells. According to doctors, drinking five or more small cups of green tea a day make your chances for surviving breast cancer greater. If your cancer is discovered at an early stage, the effects of regularly drinking green tea will prohibit the cancer from spreading to lymph nodes. Medical studies show that men with a pre-cancerous condition of prostate cancer who regularly drank green tea, where able to better ward off the cancer as opposed to the men who didn't drink green tea, and ended up developing cancer, according to Health.learninginfo.org.

So what makes green tea so successful at healing the body? Powerful antioxidants are the key. Green tea's most active ingredients are known as flavanols, polyphenols and the most powerful Epigallocatechin gallate (or EGCG for short). EGCG is so potent because it contains between 25-100 times the antioxidant power of vitamin C and A. One cup of green tea has more antioxidants than a serving of broccoli, spinach, carrots or strawberries, according to Health.learninginfo.org. So with green tea going into your system, you can bet that your skin will be rejuvenated as well.

As if that isn't enough to blow your mind, green tea can help aide in weight loss. Regularly drinking green tea after a meal helps your metabolism move faster, burning more calories, helps with the loss of excess water weight and allows less amounts of cholesterol in your bloodstream.

Before you go out and buy a year's supply, just know that while green tea may have less caffeine than black tea and one-third as much as coffee, drinking way too much can result in loss of sleep and a "wired" feeling during the day. Pace yourself with your green tea consumption so that it fits with your lifestyle. Drink smaller doses during the day and avoid drinking green tea at all before bed. If you experience an upset stomach, which is common, switch to decaffeinated tea and make sure to have a meal with each drink. Cheers!

Source: www.skincare-news.com