by John Kapenekakis

Created on: October 21, 2009   Last Updated: January 10, 2010

Worldwide, the only beverage more popular than green tea is plain water. Asians have traditionally consumed green tea for thousands of years because their experiences have convinced them of its numerous health benefits.

Modern scientific research has also found that green tea consumption is beneficial to people with a variety of health problems, e.g., weak digestion, poor blood circulation, arteriosclerosis, poor thyroid function, tooth decay, depression, rheumatism, kidney stones and gall stones, heart problems, and cancer. Furthermore, green tea helps to detoxify your body from a wide range of environmental toxins, including nuclear-fallout chemicals.

In addition, green tea is the ideal drink for athletes because it improves mental agility and physical performance. It is also a great drink for pregnant women because of its abundance of trace minerals.

Most scientists attribute green tea’s healthful effects to antioxidants, which are chemicals that help prevent damage to our bodies caused by free radicals (a free radical is a molecule or an atom with an unpaired electron). Polyphenols, natural chemicals found in plants, are our largest food source of antioxidants. Catechins, an especially valuable class of polyphenols, are abundant in fresh tea leaves.

When tea leaves are broken or rolled, the catechins become oxidized; this is commonly called fermentation. Many people prefer fermented tea because it has fewer substances that irritate sensitive stomachs. However, this fermentation of black and oolong teas transforms most of the catechins into different classes of polyphenols, which have fewer health benefits for us.

To realize the potential benefits of green tea, you should avoid using commercial tea bags, which almost invariably contain only dust, bruised leaves, and tiny particles of broken leaves. Fortunately, brewing green tea using loose-leaf tea is a rather simple procedure. In addition to quality leaves, all you need is a teapot (or a strainer for your cup), a cup, and hot water.

You can purchase quality teapots made of porcelain, clay, or glass. Cast iron pots with an enameled interior are also good. Use your teapot only for green tea; clean it by rinsing it with hot water and letting it air-dry.

Tea experts almost invariably recommend spring water for tea. Filtered water freshly drawn from your faucet is a good alternative. Distilled water, however, will cause your beverage to be a bit weak because of its lack of minerals.

If you want to drink

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