GREEN TEA---EMERGING AS A SUPER-HEALTH-FOOD

Various kinds of tea are drunk all over the world! In China and Japan, tea, especially “Green Tea” has been used as their daily drink for thousands of years. In India, we drink mostly ‘black tea’, whereas many herbal teas are becoming quite common in Europe and the West, and in fact, all over the world. The global consumption of tea is about 3 billion kilos annually, with India alone accounting for about 30% of it.
Indeed, tea is considered a superfood -- whether it is black, green, white, or oolong tea. All those tea types come from the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis. The leaves are simply processed differently. Green tea leaves are not fermented; they are withered and steamed. Black tea and oolong tea leaves undergo crushing and fermenting processes.

However, it is ‘Green Tea’ which seems to be having maximum health benefits!
All teas from the Camellia plant are rich in polyphenols, i.e. antioxidants that detoxify cell-damaging free radicals in the body. Tea has about eight to 10 times more Polyphenols than found in fruits and vegetables. Polyphenols are powerful antioxidants, collectively known as ‘Catechins’. Catechins, a type of disease-fighting flavonoid and antioxidant, is the key to tea's health benefits and the longer you steep the tea, the more flavonoids you'll get in your brew.
The antioxidant composition of the main catechin--- EGCG, is believed to be 100 times more potent than Vit. C & 25 times better than Vit. E.
Its wide-ranging, health-giving properties are now being researched thoroughly and seem to extend from cancer-fighting properties to anti-ageing ones, and from decreasing the risks of many cardio-vascular diseases to busting stress and helping reduce weight!

Tea should be brewed and served in non-metallic pots (i.e. in ceramic, china, glass etc.), and made by placing the leaves in the pot, pouring boiling hot water over them and letting them infuse in it. (In fact, for Green tea, it is better to use water which is just under boiling temperature). Let the leaves infuse for about 3-5 minutes atleast, which is the time required for the antoxidants
Black tea: is a fully fermented/ oxidized tea and loses quite a bit of the powerful antioxidants otherwise preserved in Green tea. It makes a reddish brew and is the most common kind consumed in India and England.
Oolong tea: is ‘semi-fermented’, and makes a light brown, straw-coloured brew. It has much of the antioxidants, but not all. Oolong and Jasmine tea etc. fall under this category.
Green tea: The Chinese have known about the health benefits of Green tea for thousands of years and have used it as medicine for over 4000 years, for any number of conditions ranging from A to Z!

brewed for use, (by pouring just under-boiling water on the leaves in a non-metallic pot), it makes a very light straw-coloured brew with a very delicate flavour.
There's compelling evidence that tea reduces the risk of heart disease, and possibly even helps prevent cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
Green tea for sharper minds: A Japanese study (published in ‘The American Journal of Clinical Medicine’) has shown that elders who drink enough Green tea regularly have much sharper minds than those who drink none or very little of it.
Those who drank at least 2 cups or more of Green tea daily were 54% less likely, and those who had 4-6 cups in a week were 38% less likely to have positive cognitive impairment scores on tests than those who drank less than 3 cups weekly.
Tea for hypertension: Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the most common form of heart disease and affects about 20% of the adult population in many countries. The condition is associated with stroke, heart failure, and kidney dysfunction and is a major risk factor for heart-related death.
Drinking as little as a half-cup of green or oolong tea per day may lower the risk of high blood pressure by nearly 50%, according to a study of Chinese tea drinkers.
Green tea against Cardio-vascular diseases & diabetes: Its antioxidants decrease the risk of clots, high blood pressure, blood sugar, and bad cholesterol (by improving the LDL-HDL cholesterol ratio), thereby protecting the heart against many cardio-vascular diseases. It also slows down the building up of plaque inside the arteries and an amino-acid in it helps reduce blood-pressure.
Green tea for cancer prevention:Use ‘Tea’ against the ‘Big C’.  A new study (published in ‘Clinical Cancer Research’), shows promising results in its ability to curb cancer of the bladder. Other studies suggest that the catechin EGCG of the tea could play an important role in the prevention of or reducing the risks of other types of cancer, such as those of the skin, stomach, prostate, ovarian, colon, lungs and others. Green tea extract seems to inhibit the growth & proliferation of cancer cells and researchers are finding that Green tea has the ability to target cancer cells while leaving the healthy cells alone.
Healthy teeth is one of the beneficial effects of drinking Green tea as it destroys unhealthy oral bacteria, fights cavities and checks dental decay. It inhibits the formation of dental plaque and may be used as a mouthwash at night by children and adults alike.