Proponents of green tea note that its medicinal benefits have been described for more than 1,000 years. The Kissa Yojoki, or Book of Tea, written by Zen priest Eisai in 1191, describes how drinking green tea can have a positive effect on all five vital organs, especially the heart.
The book discusses the medicinal qualities of tea, including relieving the effects of alcohol, acting as a stimulant, curing blemishes, quenching thirst, eliminating indigestion, curing beriberi disease, preventing fatigue, and improving brain and urinary function.
The first part also explains the shapes of tea plants, tea flowers, and tea leaves and covers how to grow tea plants and process tea leaves. In the second part, the book discusses the specific dosage and method required for individual physical ailments.
A 2006 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that elderly Japanese who drank more than 2 cups of green tea a day were 50 percent less likely to have cognitive impairment than those who drank less or consumed other tested drinks. The large amount of catechins found in green tea is believed to be the reason.
In May 2006, researchers from Yale University School of Medicine took their minds on the issue with a review article that looked at more than 100 studies on the health benefits of green tea. They pointed to what they called an “Asian paradox,” which refers to lower rates of heart disease and cancer in Asia despite high smoking rates. They theorized that the 1.2 liters of green tea that many Asians consume each day provides high levels of polyphenols and other antioxidants. These compounds may work in a number of ways to improve cardiovascular health, including preventing blood platelets from sticking together and improving cholesterol levels, said the researchers, whose study appeared in the May issue of the Journal of the American College. of Surgeons. Specifically, green tea can prevent oxidation of LDL (the “bad” kind) cholesterol, which, in turn, can reduce plaque build-up in the arteries, the researchers wrote.
Green tea has also been claimed to reduce stress and produce alpha waves. This is believed to be due to the high levels of antioxidants and the presence of l-theanine, which is a glutamate analog present in green tea that can cross the blood-brain barrier and reduce the excitotoxicity of glutamate during stress and ischemia.
Have you heard of people who are determined to lose weight with green tea? Several studies conducted on this topic show that green tea helps a lot to reduce fat in your body. It increases the speed of your body’s metabolism and thus helps burn excess calories. The substance present in green tea called Catechins activates fat burning and allows you to lose weight with green tea.
