Medicinal Benefits Of Green Tea
Though a product of the same bush, typical English teas are not steamed, so they are dark in color and are referred to as "black" tea. Recent research has confirmed what Eastern healers have known for centuries. Green tea's unique traditional processing is partly responsible for its extraordinary healing properties.
Scientists working in the United States and Japan have found that drinking several cups of green tea each day can have a profound effect on your health. In the last few decades several hundred articles have appeared in professional medical journals and lay publications reporting the medicinal benefits of green tea. Some of the benefits of green tea reported by scientists include the following:
o Reduces the risk of heart disease and strokes
o Reduces the risk of several types of cancer
o Helps regulate blood sugar
o Prevents or lowers high blood pressure
o Boosts the immune system
o Facilitates weight loss
o Helps prevent ulcers
o Slows the aging process
o Fights viral colds and flu
o Prevents gum disease, cavities, and bad breath
o Can help prevent osteoporosis
Scientists have even discovered that applying green tea to the skin can help cure and prevent some forms of skin cancer and other skin disorders, protect the skin from long and short-term damage from the sun's ultraviolet rays, and act as an antibacterial agent when applied to skin infections. Many of the broad health benefits of green tea are derived from its rich supply of plant nutraceuticals called polyphenols, of which epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the most powerful. Polyphenols are one of nature's most powerful antioxidants. Fermented black teas lose much of their health promoting properties during processing. Research at Rutgers University has confirmed that green tea has six times the antioxidant capability of black fermented teas.
