Green Tea as an Herb

(Camellia sinensis, Various spp.)

Chinese legend dates green tea back to 2737 BC, when the emperor Shen Nong was boiling water next to an open window, and tea leaves blew through the window and into the pot. He drank the concoction, and enjoyed it so much that tea became a favorite beverage in China.

It was formerly thought that black and green tea were the produce of distinct plants, but they are both prepared from the same plant. Green tea is prepared by exposing the gathered leaves to the air until superfluous moisture is eliminated, when they are roasted over a brisk wood fire and continually stirred until they become moist and flaccid; after this they pass to the rolling table, and are rolled into balls and subjected to pressure which twists them and gets rid of the moisture; they are then shaken out on flat trays, again roasted over a slow and steady charcoal fire, and kept in rapid motion for an hour to an hour and a half, till they assume a dullish green color. After this they are winnowed, screened, and graded into different varieties.

Medicinal Uses for Green Tea

Green Tea has recently come into prominence as an effective antioxidant. It has been shown to reduce the risk of many forms of cancer, and it has the ability to stabilize blood lipids, making it part of an overall cardiac care regimen. It can also help to prevent plaque buildup on the teeth.

The infusion is useful to relieve neuralgic headaches.

Green Tea for Weight Loss

Aside from fighting heart disease, cancer, and other diseases, a new study shows that drinking green tea may also fight fat.

The study showed that people who drank a bottle of tea fortified with green tea extract every day for three months lost more body fat than those who drank a bottle of regular oolong tea.

Researchers say the results indicate that substances found in green tea known as catechins may trigger weight loss by stimulating the body to burn calories and decreasing body fat.

The Acai Plus+ Extreme Weight Loss Complex contains, per capsule, 400mg of Pure Acai Berry Fruit, 200mg 4:1 Guarana Seed Extract, 40mg Green Tea Extract, 40mg Acetyl L-Carnitine and 5mg Chromium Polynicotinate in a Vegetarian Friendly Capsule.

Culinary

People who are sensitive to, or cautioned to reduce or avoid, caffeine, can still use the decaffeinated form of Green Tea, which is still shown to have the same medicinal properties and qualities.

Cautions

Taken moderately by healthy individuals, green tea is harmless; however, in excessive quantities it will produce unpleasant nervous and dyspeptic symptoms, the green variety being decidedly the more injurious.

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DISCLAIMER: These pages are presented solely as a source of INFORMATION and ENTERTAINMENT and to provide stern warnings against use where appropriate. No claims are made for any historical herbal treatment. In no way can the information provided here take the place of the standard, legal, medical practice of any country. Some plants are extremely toxic and should be used only by licensed professionals. Some plants used for illness in the past have proven to be ineffective for the problems to which they were applied.