We should all be grateful to the ancient Chinese for introducing to us the many wonders of the simple yet pleasurable cup of green tea.
Many many years ago in ancient China, green tea was known to cure headaches and depression. Nowadays, the benefits of green tea is making it popular and has increased the number of people regularly drinking this soothing drink.
Tea is actually available in many forms and varieties but basically there are three distinctively different types.
Whether black, green, or red, all tea starts from the harvesting of a warm weather evergreen known as Camellia Sinensis. Once the leaves are processed, this is where the differences in the end product happen.
The more processing the leaves undergo, the darker the tea becomes, and thus "green" tea has had the least change to its original form.
Processing of green tea usually involves quickly steaming the leaves, while black and red teas are usually dried, crushed and fermented which makes them seem stronger and more potent.
Don't be fooled by this obvious feature, as many believe that the closer it is to its natural state, the more valuable the medicinal and healing properties.
Tea is known to have polyphenols, an antioxidant which helps protect our bodies from free radical damage.
The measure of antioxidants is known as the ORAC score and tea has been found to rank higher than many fruits and vegetables, so you should seriously consider including tea in your everyday diet.
In addition to preventing unwanted blood clotting, it has been shown that polyphenols may lower cholesterol levels. Drinking four to six cups a day may also decrease the risk of gastric, esophageal and skin cancers. A simple internet search will give you a long list of ailments, aches, and pains that can be cured through the daily intake of this non-prescription drink.
Among some of the better known of these are treatment and prevention of cancer, reduction of the risk of heart disease, relief from rheumatoid arthritis treatment of impaired immune functions.
But many don't realize that the benefits of drinking green tea may also be found to aid us against digestive disorders, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's while raising metabolism and increasing fat oxidation. It's even reported to help prevent tooth decay by killing the bacteria which causes dental plaque.
Regardless of the reason you might have for drinking green tea, it's clear that everyone can derive some benefit from daily consumption.
It should be stated that many of today's more popular "herbal teas" may or may not be tea at all because these products have already been blended with herbs and spices with other plant parts included for flavoring.
These do not offer the health promoting qualities of Camellia Sinensis. You should read ingredients carefully to make certain that you are getting the product that you expect.
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