Among tea, green tea seems to provide the most health benefits. This is because green tea, unlike black tea is not fermented during its processing. Green tea leaves are left in their more natural state, compared to the leaves that are fermented. In their natural state, tea leaves retain all of their natural anti-oxidants, known as catechins.
Anti-oxidants are important to our health because they protect our bodies from free radicals. Free radicals are oxygen containing molecules that are created as a by-product of our digestive processes. Free radicals left unchecked damage our cells and DNA, leading to disease and aging.
Anti-oxidants keep these free radicals in check, ensuring that they're wiped out of our bodies before they can do damage. Anti-oxidants are found in many plant products, including fruits, vegetables, cocoa and coffee.
But, it seems that the most potent anti-oxidants may be those found in the tea plant. The primary protective anti-oxidant, or catechin, in tea is a substance known as EGCG.
EGCG is associated with a lower risk of cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer's disease. It also appears to naturally regulate blood sugar, so it may have potential in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. EGCG has also been associated with assisting in weight loss.
For years it was assumed that green tea was beneficial to weight loss simply because it contains caffeine. Caffeine has been shown to speed up the metabolism, helping you burn more calories each day.
However, there have been studies that indicated that green tea is more effective than other caffeinated beverages in aiding weight loss, suggesting that something in addition to caffeine is doing the trick. In addition, green tea is lower in caffeine than black tea, coffee and colas, yet it aids weight loss more than any of these beverages.
It is believed that this magic ingredient that makes green tea a more effective weight loss aid than its more caffeinated counterparts is the tea catechins - primarily the EGCG. To further advance this theory, a study was conducted in Japan, evaluating healthy Japanese men who were overweight.
The participants in this study were divided into groups with similar weights and body mass indexes. During the twelve week study, the participants were fed either a bottle of tea containing 690 mg of tea catechins or a bottle of tea containing just 22 mg of tea catechins.
At the end of the study, the group ingesting the larger amount of tea catechins each day had lost significantly more weight than the group ingesting the smaller amount of tea catechins. In addition, their BMI, waist circumference and overall body fat were reduced significantly compared to the control group.
Not only did the group lose more weight and reduce their body fat significantly, but their cholesterol levels were also significantly reduced.
This is just another in a long list of research studies outlining the benefits of the catechins found in green tea. And, one of the great things about using green tea as a health supplement, whether for weight loss, or overall health protection, is that green tea has no side effects.
Green tea is an overall healthy beverage, and is well tolerated by most people, even those who are caffeine sensitive. So, even if green tea doesn't help you lose weight, you can rest assured that you're consuming a perfectly healthy and safe beverage. Plus, you're protecting your body from many serious diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.
Many studies have linked green tea with a reduced risk of heart disease. This risk reduction is likely due to the fact that green tea can reduce your cholesterol levels, and seems to prevent the cholesterol that is circulating in the blood from turning into arterial plaque.
This is significant because this arterial plaque narrows the arteries, leading to blockages. Once arteries are blocked, this can lead to heart attack and stroke.
In addition, green tea has been linked to a reduction in the risk of some cancers. Cultures where green tea is widely consumed have significantly lower incidences of breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer and gastrointestinal cancers. In some studies, green tea has even been shown to be an effective adjunct treatment for some forms of cancer.
So, as you can see, drinking green tea is a good idea, even if you don't need to lose weight. However, particularly if you are trying to drop a few pounds, a regular dose of green tea may be able to help you shed those pounds more quickly and easily.
1. The first tip is one I often used with my children when they lost a tooth. If you have had a tooth pulled or a child has lost a tooth to stop bleeding, place i a dry clean tea-bag. Bite down gently. It will stop the bleeding and form a clot.
2. An astringent/skin toner: The tannin in tea makes an excellent astringent. Simply wipe a wet tea bag over your face.
3. Razor Burn: Tea bag will relieve the pain!
4. Cure canker sores: Place a wet tea-bag directly over the canker sore for several minutes. The tannin in the tea will draw out the moisture and dry it so that it will heal.
5. Infected cut: Soak a tea bag in cool water and place it over the site of injection to relieve the pain
6. Foot deodorizer: Boil a quart of water and add 6 tea-bags. Let it steep for about 15 minutes, and then let it cool completely. Pour it into a bucket and soak your feet in it for about 20-30 minutes. After this dry your feet completely and don't wash or rinse them. The tannin in tea will close your pores, which will prevent further perspiration and it kills the bacteria which causes the odor. Also soak your tennis shoes in this tea mixture to help remove and stop the odor.
Tea is a great natural remedy for soothing sore throats, helping to loosen coughs, and terrific for upset stomachs.
7. Puffy eyes: Dip two tea bags in hot boiling water, quickly remove, allow them to cool completely then squeeze out excess water them out and apply them to your eyes for about 20 minutes. This also works if you use a used tea bag.
8. Hair rinse: Wash your hair with a cup of herbal tea after shampooing to make the hair silky and shiny
9. Ease the pain of minor burns: Allow boiled tea to cool completely and then apply it straight onto a minor burn including sunburns. The tea will act as an analgesic and relieve the pain. Do not use tea that contains honey, lemon, or milk, sugar or cream, as these may aggravate the burn.
10. Plant Fertilizer: Sprinkle tea leaves in your garden or around your plants. They work as an excellent fertilizer, and roses seem to thrive with them.
11. Tea in composting: I use used tea and also leftover tea in my compost bin as it accelerates the decomposition and creates an acid rich compost.
12. Dye fabric: Muslin fabric, or most natural fibers can be tea stained to appear aged. Brew tea same as you would to drink, or stronger for more colour, soak fabric in liquid until it appears a bit darker than you would like the fabric to be. Even soaking overnight will give a stronger colour. Black tea gives the darkest hue. Keep in mind that it will lighten as it dries. Finished items can also be tea stained in the same manner. An old blouse, or a piece of embroidery, or just about anything you can think of, can be aged in this way.
13. Make the wood shine: Clean wood furniture or wood floors with a soft cloth dipped in a freshly prepared tea to add shine to them. I alternate moppings of my teakwood kitchen floor with strong tea and white vinegar.
14. Cleaning mirrors: Dip a soft cloth into a tea solution and clean the mirrors for extra shine.
15. Potpourri: Dry tea leaves out of a teabag make a wonderful potpourri. Just dump in small dishes and place all around the home. Makes for a light, natural scent. You can add oils to the leaves if you desire.
16. Dish Detergent: Have a caked on grease cooking pan? Drop a tea bag into it and allow to soak over night. The acid in the tea helps to break down the caked on grease.
17. Tea Marbled Eggs: Infuse boiling water with tea leaves to give eggs a marbled appearance on the whites when hard boiled. Prior to the final minutes of cooking, the eggshells are slightly cracked, thus allowing the teas to seep through and create this magical "marbled" effect; either green or black teas are great for this. Spices are often added to this mixture for "Son-In-Law Eggs."
18. Rubs: Dried leaves can add crunch and flavor for rubs to coat fish, meat or poultry or to be used as a garnish, particularly young green or white tea leaves. Smoked teas lend a deep, dark smokiness to poultry and seafood. I like using Russian Caravan or Lapsang Souchong for an extra special taste to infuse foods with a smoky quality.
19. Braising liquid: Brewed tea can be used as a braising liquid, or as a seasoning for marinades. As the base for a sauce, fruit juices gain depth of flavor with the addition of tea. A small handful of tea leaves adds an herbaceous flavor and a golden glow to cream sauces.
20. Tea in baking: Add tea to a cake or shortbread for a special taste. Melt butter with tea leaves in it, allow to stand for a few minutes and then sieve out the leaves. Chill the butter to firm and proceed with your favorite recipe for icings or cakes.
Both Marcus Stout & Mary Anne Durkee are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Marcus Stout has sinced written about articles on various topics from Food and Drink, Vitamins and Types of Cancer. Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about ,. Marcus Stout's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.
Mary Anne Durkee has sinced written about articles on various topics from Food And Drink, Recipes and Goji. Mary-Anne is a featured member and regular contributor at iFood.tv, a featuring recipes from all over the world. For more. Mary Anne Durkee's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.