More about Green Tea

Sep 28
2010
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Herbal extracts are among the world’s best studied nutrients and have been researched for years in leading European universities and hospitals. Some have been in clinical use in Europe for decades, with millions of documented cases.

Almost all of what we know as modern day medicine has been derived either directly or indirectly from folk medicine, which relies on herbal treatments. Even today, as much as 80% of the world (four billion people) use herbal supplements as part of their primary health care. Many of the drugs that are commonly used today are herbal in origin. In fact, the Office of Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of Health reports that about one-fourth of the prescription drugs dispensed in the United States have at least one active ingredient derived from plant material.

Green tea polyphenols are members of flavonoids. Catechins found in green tea have been shown to provide a number of health-promoting benefits:

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What is Green Tea Extract?

Apr 16
2010
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Green tea extract is derived from leaves of camellia sinensis, the plant from which green, black and oolong teas are made. Green tea extract is associated with several health benefits, many supported by preliminary scientific research. These benefits include potential cancer-fighting properties, and a strong antioxidant effect that protects the body from the damaging effect of free radicals. The scientific community notes, however, that continued research is necessary.

Green tea has been used for medicinal purposes in India and China for nearly 5,000 years. It is made by lightly steaming leaves of the plant before allowing them to dry. This process retains active properties of the plant. Oolong tea is made by allowing the leaves to ferment slightly before drying, and black tea is made by allowing the leaves to ferment longer. Fermentation breaks down the active ingredients, making green tea or green tea extract the tea of choice.

Green tea extract, like many herbs, is standardized in the production phase to guarantee that a certain percentage of the active ingredients remain present in the final capsulized form. The active ingredients in green tea extract are polyphenols in the form of flavonoids like catechins and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Polyphenols, flavonoids, catechins and EGCG are powerful antioxidants that appear to interfere with and reduce the spread of certain types of cancer cells. The antioxidant activity of EGCG in green tea extract is purportedly up to 100 times more powerful than that of vitamin C or E.

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