by Rhonda Hart

Created on: December 29, 2009   Last Updated: December 30, 2009

Much of the world is just finding out what ancient China has known for thousands of years about “green tea.”

As the story goes, around 2800 B.C., a Chinese Emperor, named Shen Nung, discovered tea by accident when the wind blew leaves into his pot of boiling water. The Emperor is just a myth, but yet he is still credited with the discovery of medicinal plants. Many of the herbal remedies that are attributed to Shen Nung, are documented in an ancient book called Benacao Shiyi. The book is the pharmaceutical foundation for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). A passage in the book clearly proves the Chinese have known for centuries that tea promotes health and weight loss. It says, “Drinking tea for a long time will make one live long and stay in good shape without becoming too fat and too heavy.

In the last few decades, modern science has been using research to verify that ancient claim, and what it has found has been pretty remarkable. In fact, the findings go beyond what was expected, as green tea is rich with substances that can combat many illnesses. It is also an effective weight loss tool.

Of course, statements like that are fuel for marketers and the media. Many green tea health and diet fads have cropped up alongside natural supplements on store shelves, some of them controversial. This has made it hard for the public to sort through what is truth and what is not. To clear the path for understanding, you should first know why green tea can do what it does.

Contrary to how it seems, there are only three true types of tea: green, black, and oolong. (Everything else is added or infused). All three types of tea are made from an Asian evergreen plant called Camellia Sinensis. The only difference in these three teas is the way they are processed. If the leaves are quickly dried and then steamed, they remain green. If the leaves are dried and then left to ferment, the leaves become dark. This process of fermenting is called oxidation, which refers to the fact that the leaves are left to absorb oxygen from the air. This also gives flavor to the tea. The longer the leaves are left to oxidize, the darker and more flavorful they become. Green tea is the only type of tea that is not oxidized at all.

This allows green tea to retain powerful antioxidants, called catechins (a type of polyphenol). Catechins in green tea are beneficial in fighting many diseases, including heart, cholesterol, immune system, and many age related illnesses. Recently, British

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>