Green Tea Antioxidant Extracts

Green Tea: the Antioxidant of Antioxidants

Tea has been taken by humans since prehistory, and the popularity of green tea has been boosted by the realisation that it combats free radicals enabling it to fight viruses, slow aging, and, generally, have a beneficial effect on health.

Archaeological evidence suggests that tea leaves steeped in boiling water were consumed as many as 500,000 years ago. Botanical evidence indicates that India and China were among the first countries to cultivate tea.

antioxidants in herbsGreen tea contains polyphenols which protect against certain cancers, and are also potent antioxidants. These antioxidants have been shown to be highly beneficial to the heart by helping prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

There are four primary polyphenols in green tea, often collectively referred to as catechins. They are powerful antioxidants, and have been shown in recent studies to fight viruses, slow aging, and have a beneficial effect on health.

Much of the initial evidence that green tea is anti-carcinogenic is based on epidemiological studies which show lower rates of many types of cancer among populations such as Japan and China that drink green tea as part of a daily cultural habit.

Clinical tests have demonstrated that the catechins in green tea destroy free radicals which are highly reactive molecules and fragments of molecules that can damage the body at the cellular level leaving it susceptible to cancer, heart disease, and many other degenerative diseases More recently, controlled studies on green tea extract have yielded impressive results, identifying the polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) as the responsible component. EGCG is able to force certain cancer cells into a situation in which they must die or be killed in a process called ”apoptosis”. Further evidence shows that EGCG has an inhibitory effect on the enzyme, urokinase, which is required for tumor formation, thus preventing the formation of tumors.

It has been shown that (EGCG), an antioxidant found in green tea, is at least 100 more times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times more effective than vitamin E at protecting cells and DNA from damage believed to be linked to cancer, heart disease and other serious illnesses. This antioxidant has twice the benefits of resveratrol, found in red wine.

The only possible negative side effect from green tea is possible insomnia because it contains some caffeine. Its caffeine content is, however, much lower than coffee.

Green tea antioxidant in food

Green Tea – Health Benefits of Drinking Green Tea

green-tea1 Apart from being a beverage, green tea has many health benefits. Read on:. Beats cancer. Green tea is rich in polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants.   Read more…

The Many Benefits of Green Tea Extract

What accounts for the health benefits of green tea extract? Over 1800 scientific studies have found that the active constituents in green tea are powerful antioxidants. These are called polyphenols (catechins) and flavonols.  Read more…

Green tea catechins linked to weight loss: Study

Antioxidant compounds in green tea could help promote exercise-induced abdominal fat loss, according to a new study from the American Society of Nutrition.   Read more…

Antioxidants and Health: Green Tea Benefits for Skin

10000 oxidative hits to every cell in our body each day is reason enough to consider antioxidants as an important factor in achieving optimum health. Herbal green tea, acai berry, goji berry, pomegranate, green tea.  Read more…

Green Tea Weight Loss Plan: Savvy Health and Fitness

Green tea has the added benefit of containing powerful antioxidants that may be beneficial to your health in many ways There are only two ways to lose weight: one way is by eating less (consuming fewer calories).  Read more…

The Benefits of Green Tea

Drinking green tea made several discoveries regarding health benefits. Aside from green tea becoming an antioxidant, it is also claimed that it can help with cancer prevention, heart protection, arthritis prevention.   Read more…

Ian Finlayson is author of The Herb Spiral and several other web sites dealing with the properties of specific herbs, and is a regular writer of articles and reviews on medicinal herbs and herbal products. For information specifically dealing with women’s herbs and formulas go to this page on The Herb Spiral site.

   By Ian Finlayson
Published: 10/16/2007

2 Comments

  1. Evan Nelson says:

    herbal products are very good in promoting great health.~,’

  2. Herbal products are great because they are natural and organic.`*~

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