Green tea is a great source of pleasure and health to humans. Drinking green tea is like tasting nature. It is fresh, clean and delicate in taste.  With just two or three cups a day you will feel a difference in your body and mind. The drink has been popular for over 5000 years in the East, especially in China. Green tea is primarily composed of antioxidants flavonoids, especially catechins (pronounced kat-a-kins) and flavonols. It is also composed of theanine, caffeine, fluoride and other organic compounds. Green tea is then left to work with the other effective ingredients in the product. That way the antioxidant action and the benefit it brings the best possible chance to get you buzzing and healthy.

Green tea is closer to nature than drinking black tea. There is a lovely saying that goes: “drink a bowl of green tea, make you close with nature and peace”. Green tea is popular in the East, where it has been used medicinally for more than 5,000 years. Green tea is made by picking the leaves and drying them immediately. Black tea is made by letting the leaves sit (ferment/oxidise) before drying. Green tea is custom-made to protect health and delay aging. They are made from buds and young leaves, which are steamed or fired to inactivate polyphenol oxidase, and then dried. Green tea is rich in polyphenolic compounds, with catechins as its major component. Studies have shown that catechins possess diverse pharmacological properties that include anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-arteriosclerotic and anti-bacterial effects.

Green tea is also thought to boost cardiovascular health by lowering cholesterol levels and reducing the tendency of blood platelets to stick together. Green tea can prevent cardiac disorders. It may work as a weight-loss agent by increasing fat metabolism and regulating blood sugar and insulin levels. Epidemiologically, it has been suggested that green tea consumption prevents type 2 diabetes.

Green tea is not fermented and contains more catechins than black tea or oolong tea. Although clinical evidence is still limited, the circumstantial data from several recent studies suggest that green tea polyphenols may promote health and reduce disease occurrence, and possibly protect against Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Green Tea is well-established as a potent source of healing antioxidants called polyphenols, 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 catechins , and tannins. Polyphenols give the plant its color.

Green tea is rich in fluoride and so can reduce the risk of tooth decay. It is also useful for insect bites and to stem bleeding. Green tea contains antioxidants that help fight cancer and even slow the aging process. Vitamin C, found in some teas, helps fight illnesses and colds. The powerful antioxidants in Green tea inhibit the growth of cancer and protect externally against DNA damage induced by ultraviolet light.

Drinking tea, especially green tea, has been found to be good for maintaining bone strength, and reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Scientists at the National Cheng Kung University Hospital in Tainan, Taiwan, found that habitual tea drinking over several years preserves bone density in both men and women.

Black tea ( Hong Cha ) is fully oxidized. After picking and withering, the leaves are bruised to the required degree by machines that roll the leaf to and fro. Black tea is the tea you will be most familiar with, this is the everyday variety of tea which you drink with milk or lemon. Generally you can get black tea in many varieties such as, English breakfast and Earl grey.

Studies have shown that people who drink five cups a day are 16 per cent less likely to develop heart disease. If you are a dedicated tea drinker, you might want to consider decaffeinated versions. Studies in test tubes show that the ingredients of green tea inhibit tumor growth and cause the death of cancer cells. In animal experiments, green tea impedes the development of chemically induced cancers. Studies have suggested that the combination of green tea and EGCG may also be beneficial by providing protection against certain types of cancers, including breast cancer.

Caffeine in itself, especially in moderation, is not a problem, but it can be when it’s combined with other factors such as already increased stress levels. Caffeine is present at an average level of 3% along with very small amounts of the other common methylxanthines, theobromine and theophylline. The amino acid theanine (5-N-ethylglutamine) is also unique to Green tea.

Green tea is a widely consumed beverage that is also considered a very safe as it is made with boiling, sterile water. Green tea is no longer only being served as a hot beverage, it is also served as a cold bottled beverages. Green tea is good for other things, though, so keep drinking it.