The power of Green Tea

The Japanese have known for centuries: green tea is good for body and mind.
And gradually, we are getting the message too: green tea is healthy for us! This pure drink is very rich in antioxidants and keeps our body strong and beautiful.

Time to meditate!

The Japanese tea ceremonies are there to put the hustle and bustle of daily life at a halt and to learn to enjoy the simple things in life. A "short" ceremony will take about TWO(!) hours.  The pouring of the tea, the serving of the special little cups, it all goes very slowly. By doing so, everybody and everything will be focused on the slow movements of the "tea pourer". This seems to bring the participants into a meditative state. So, it's a very relaxing ritual. But there's no real need to put on your kimono and/or sit on the floor and pause for two hours; a nice cup or mug of green tea at your kitchen table will also do fine! The most important aspect is that you drink it and experience the effects. Enjoy it and feel good about the fact that, while having "a cuppa", you're nurturing your body and are giving the immune system an extra boost.

Tea as medicine

The secret of green tea hides in the large quantity of antioxidants; substances that protect the body against external damage, like sunlight and air pollution.  But what makes green tea so special in comparison with other nutritives that contain many antioxidants, like tomatoes or broccoli? The "magic substance" in green tea seems to be Epigallocatechin gallate (ECGC). Recent studies show that this antioxidant is at least a hundred times more effective than vitamin C and twenty-five times more powerful than vitamin E when it comes to protecting cells and DNA. Moreover, compared to the antioxidant Resveratrol (to be found in red wine), this ECGC appears to have twice as much positive aspects. Great news is that green tea is said to help prevent cancer. Tests showed that the level of antioxidants in the blood of green tea drinkers was higher than that of non-green tea drinkers. (However, this doesn't necessarily mean that the actual chance of getting cancer will also be reduced; studies are still going on).

Tea as your body guard

Antioxidants are essential for us, to protect us from an overdose of Ultra Violet light and air pollution.

Green tea protects the body from the inside out against UV-rays.

In an interview with a green tea exporter, he stated that the skin of the Japanese is extremely sensitive to sunlight. Until the age of twenty, the Japanese will get a beautiful brown suntan, but above that age, they will often develop large pigmentation spots on their face. Green tea has a positive influence on an over-exposed skin. As stated above, the antioxidants in the tea will protect against UV-rays from the inside out. Over-exposure to sunlight is one of the causes of early ageing of the skin and could lead to skin cancer. And as there are various types of skins, each type will have its specific limit as for a "safe" amount of sunlight.

In other words: a cup of green tea is our natural, internal body-guard with a job outside!

Tea beauty

The use of green tea in cosmetics is a real hype at the moment. There are lots of products on the market that contain green tea extracts. For use directly on the skin, there are day creams, that promise to make wrinkles and little lines less visible (Shisheido). And you can even surround yourself with the fragrance of green tea; a revitalising perfume has been launched by Elizabeth Arden. And how about a Green Tea shower? Rituals has "Typhoon" shower mousse that will make you start your day full of energy.

Had a party last night, and are the effects to be seen and felt in the face? Make sure you have some used green tea bags in your fridge, to use it as an eye pad for "the morning after"; they will help to get your eye-zone back into shape, and are very soothing. Fancy a green tea bath? There are special "teabags" available, to add to your bath. Apparently, Japanese women love them because of the lovely smooth skin they get from a green tea bath. (Rituals).  And last, but not least: your teeth will love you for drinking green tea: it contains fluoride to keep the teeth strong. And on top of that, a warm drink is better for "rinsing and cleansing" the mouth (and consequently the teeth) than a cold drink. Oh... and while you're having a cuppa: don't forget to have an irresistible piece of chocolate with.. green tea! Tastes very mildly, yumm! (Vivani, "Grüntee" with 70% cocoa solids).

Highest concentration, everyone!

Another good aspect of green tea: it helps you improve your concentration. It is a misunderstanding to think that green tea does not contain any caffeine. Buddhist monks are drinking green tea during their long sessions of praying, in order to stay awake. Mind you, there isn't as much caffeine in green tea as there is in coffee or black tea and consequently, green tea will not give you the "peak" you get from drinking coffee. The caffeine in green tea is released gradually, which will keep you more alert for a longer period of time. If you are sensitive to caffeine, you'd better not drink green tea before bedtime. But a cup of green tea during the well-known afternoon dip, and you're good as new!

 Steaming and stirfrying

Roughly, you could say there are two kinds of green tea: the Japanese and the Chinese. The cultivation and production of the tea leaves is carried out in a different way in both countries, which makes the taste completely different. Japanese green tea leaves are steamed immediately after the picking. The tea usually tastes very mild.  And the Chinese... believe it or not: they stirfry the tea leaves immediately after the picking! This will usually result in a more powerful taste. The steaming and heating is done to prevent the process of fermentation from starting, which is what happens with black tea. You can measure the quality of green tea by looking at the tea water: this should be really green and not yellowish. If the tea is tasting very bitter, the quality could be to blame, but it could also be caused by the way the tea is prepared. Green tea should be made with water that has been brought to the boil, but that has been allowed to cool down to 70-80°C. If you make green tea with water of 100°C, the boiling point, the tea leaves will release bitter substances. A good parameter is whether you can touch the teapot with both hands. (Careful! Don't burn your hands!) If so: the water has the right temperature. The tea will also taste bitter if brewed too long. Thirty to sixty seconds is sufficient for green tea. Also remember this one: the rounder the pot, the better the taste of the tea!

Fruity and mild

When you buy green tea, you should pay attention to a number of things to judge the quality. The colour of the leaves should be "fresh" shiny green; think of the leaves of a pine tree. The smell needs to be grassy and fruity, almost like fresh spinach, and it definitely should not smell of hay. The leaves should feel soft instead of dry like straw, because they should still contain a small quantity of liquid. The tea quality depends on the way of harvesting. The more frequently the leaves are being picked from the same shrub, the less valuable substances the plant will contain. A shrub from which only once a year is harvested, will give the highest quality of leaves and this tea is likely to be the most expensive one. If you mainly drink green tea because of the health aspect, if might be a good idea to choose the somewhat more expensive type, which usually contains a higher concentration of antioxidants. Got some tea left in the pot after your tea meditation? Allow it to cool and pour it in a take-away bottle and take it with you to work, to school, when travelling, or simply drink it at home; green tea is also delicious when you drink it cold.

AromaTEArapy

Another thing you can do with green tea leftovers: use it to water the plants! They, too, will benefit from the amino acids the tea contains.

And any green tea in your cupboard that is past the "use by" date, can be put in the fridge, to neutralize nasty or unpleasant smells.

The Japanese even mix green tea leftovers through the cat's litter box, because of the excellent absorption of smells. And if you need to camouflage an unpleasant smell somewhere else in the house: use green tea as aromatherapy by placing some green tea leaves in a special aromatherapy burner. The aroma will relax you.

Green health plan

Eleven good reasons to drink green tea:

• it is said to reduce the risk of getting cancer
• it reduces the chance of getting heart and vascular diseases
• it has a positive influence on the teeth and fights bad breath
• it reinforces the immune system
• it helps prevent infections
• it strengthens the hair-roots
• it reduces the bad cholesterol level
• it supports the "water works"
• it's refreshing and relaxing
• it improves the concentration and stimulates the brain
• it's a lovely drink!

Slim drink

Want more credit for this green liquid? OK: Green tea stimulates the metabolism and helps to burn fat. It's not a miraculous potion that will make you lose lots of weight automatically; just consider it as a healthy supportive drink. It's no use to drink lots and lots of green tea just because it might help you to lose weight, and bear in mind that it contains caffeine, which can cause insomnia, anxiety, dizziness, tremor, and tinnitus.

The Green Ones

• Gunpowder is a green tea from China's province of Anhui. This tea owes its name to the shape of the rolled-up leaves: little gray-greenish balls.
• Sencha is the most famous and most popular tea in Japan and is especially loved because of its fresh taste.
• Sencha-Fukamushicha is a different type of Sencha, of which the leaves have been steamed for a longer time, giving them a deep, dark colour and a very mild taste.
• Gyokuru is Japan's most delicate tea, a real sophisticated one, of which only small quantities per year are being produced. The taste is mild and lightly sweet.
• Matcha is used at the Japanese tea ceremonies. The leaves are being ground into a very fine powder.

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 | Posted in: Nourishment | Posted by: Georgette Henson

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