Product Code: Feature Article

By Fred Chiung

Tea, this beverage is the second most widely consumed drink in the world, exceeded only by the most necessary of all liquids - water. Tea is prepared from linder leaves, leaf buds and tender stalks of different varieties of "Camellia Sineusis". Some of the more popular teas include:

Green Tea is light in colour & higher in tannin than Black Tea is. This is not fermented but simply steamed & dried. Green Tea is the least processed of all tea types. The freshly plucked leaves are steamed or pan fired to halt active enzymes.

Black Tea is popular variety, produced by fermenting the leaves before trying item. Oolong Tea is slight fermented and is intermediate between Black & Green.

Green Tea Is Known For The Following Attributes:

Lowers the risk of many diseases including cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Lowers cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Inhibits abnormal clot formation. Lowers blood pressure Lowers blood sugar levels Inhibits viruses Lowers risk of cancer. Lowers the risk of cancer Epidemiological studies show that people who drink green tea have significantly lower risks of many diseases including cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Lab studies show that green tea extract protects against many common degenerative diseases.

The ability of green tea to prevent cancer is so well established that new studies are testing green tea as a potential cancer therapy. Green tea may be especially protective against lung cancer in former and current cigarette smokers.

Its lung cancer protective effects are of significant importance based on new sutdies showing that former smokers are at greater risk for developing lung cancer than was previously thought. Green tea has been shown to counteract both the initiation and promotion of carcinogenesis. Some studies have shown that green tea blocks the formation of certain tumors.

If green tea's only benefit were to reduce the risk of cancer, it would be well worth taking as a beverage or supplement.

Green Tea polyphenols are potent antioxidants, especially in the brain. Some studies show that the polyphenols most prevalent in green tea (the catechins) are far more potent in suppressing free radicals than vitamins C or E. Lowers cholesterol and triglyceride Levels Green Tea has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels. The potent antioxidant effects of green tea inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol in the arteries. The oxidation of LDL cholesterol plays a major contributory role in the formation of atherosclerosis.

The formation of blood clots (thrombosis) is the leading cause of heart attack and stroke, and green tea has been to exhibit abnormal blood clot formation as effectively as aspirin.

When looking at coagulation risk factors in the blood, green tea specifically inhibits platelet aggregation and adhesion via effects that differ from those of aspirin.

Green tea also has been shown to elevate levels of HDL, the good cholesterol that helps remove atherosclerotic plaque from arterial walls.

Note that aspirin has some anti-thrombotic effects that differ from green tea, such as ingibition of cyclooxygenase.

If you are taking low-dose aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke, you should continue doing so even if you also consume green tea. If you are going to use green tea to lower cholesterol, triglycerides or thrombotic risk factors, make sure you have your blood tested and evaluated by a competent medical professional.

Lowering blood pressure A significant cause of hypertension is an enzyme secreted by the kidneys called angiotension-converting enzyme (ACE). By blocking the effects of ACE, blood pressure os reduced significantly in most hypertensives.

Green tea is a natural ACE inhibitor. Published studies show lowered blood pressure in animals and humans given green tea extracts.

If you are going to use green tea to treat hypertension, do so only under the supervision of a competent medical professional who can evaluate whether it is working for you. Regular blood-pressure testing is mandatory.

Green tea has been known to lower blood sugar levels. It can also kill certain bacterias and is effective against staph. Green tea inhibit s several viruses including viral hepatitis.

Black Tea processing is considerably more complex. The freshly plucked leaves are brought to the tea factory, and laid out on screens fitted to long wooden boxes, where the tea is allowed to wither.

The withered tea, reduced to about 60% moisture content, is then rolled, releasing oxidase enzymes present in the leaf that will combine with polyphenols and other constituents in the leaf to form the unique molecular structure which give Black Tea it's distinctive flavour and aroma. It will, then, move on to the fermentation stage. The tea is then, dried or fired.

Oolong Tea or semi-fermented tea is processed in a similar way as the Black Tea.

Tea bag contains 0.05 milligrams of Vitamin B2, 0.25 milligram of nicolinic acid (niacin) and a significant amount of caffeine & caffeine-like substances called theomomides, which are mild stimulates to the brain. As well as supplying nutrients to the diet, tea can detract from the diet.

Tannin impairs iron absorption and caffeine increases the rate of excretion of calcium in the urine.

Ginseng

A short Ginseng chapter has been added to this article because of the various Ginseng Teas that are now available, often in combination with Green Tea.

For centuries, Ginseng has been used as a natural, highly effective source for increasing energy, reducing stress and improving stamina, longevity and everyday health. The word Ginseng originates from the Chinese words "Jen" and "Shen". Shen means "roots", which is the most useful and potential part of this plant, not the stem or leaves. Jen means "man", as the plant's roots resemble a man's body.

Ginseng was a critical element of the Chinese diet for thousands of years, taken by healthy people to maintain their energy and resistance to disease. For persons became ill, Ginseng would be part of a specific mixture of herds chosen to combat the illness.

Lowering blood pressure A significant cause of hypertension is an enzyme secreted by the kidneys called angiotension-converting enzyme (ACE). By blocking the effects of ACE, blood pressure os reduced significantly in most hypertensives.

Green tea is a natural ACE inhibitor. Published studies show lowered blood pressure in animals and humans given green tea extracts.

If you are going to use green tea to treat hypertension, do so only under the supervision of a competent medical professional who can evaluate whether it is working for you. Regular blood-pressure testing is mandatory.

Green tea has been known to lower blood sugar levels. It can also kill certain bacterias and is effective against staph. Green tea inhibit s several viruses including viral hepatitis.

This What are the different kinds of Teas would go great with:
a) The "7 piece ceramic tea set" or
b) the "Ben Wa Balls - Yin Yang Symbol (Men's)".