Green tea is the native plant of India and China, which people have been consuming globally for centuries for its health benefits. However, recently it has gained popularity amongst the people in the United States. Did you know that tea is one of the most commonly used beverages in the world after water? Yes, it is, and out of that, 78% of the people around the globe consume black, and only 20% of people consume organic green tea.
According to the World Green Tea Association, the world consumes approximately 600,000 tons of green tea leaves annually.
The statistics are fumingly hot, but the most important thing to look out for in green tea is its many benefits. The magical green tea leaves are a solution to many problems. But before we look for them, let’s learn more about green tea.
Facts About Green Tea Plants
All the teas, like black, oolong, and green, come from the same plant, ‘Camellia sinensis.’ The leaves and buds don’t undergo the oxidation and withering process like the other teas. The production of green tea happens by using young tea leaves and later sold for consumption without fermentation. The origins of green tea lie within China and date back to 2737 BC. There is a tale that a long time ago, some dried leaves from a nearby bush fell accidentally into the boiling water and infused a brown color-like substance in it. Emperor, being a scientist, drank the brew and found it quite refreshing.
Consumption of organic green tea regularly has an evident effect on health, but apart from this, it is a cure for many problems. Some of its common uses are:
- Weight loss
- Heart disease
- Types of cancer
- High blood pressure
- Genital warts
- Acne
Health Benefits of Green Tea
You can find advertisements for green tea and its supplement almost everywhere today. Apart from the everyday uses mentioned above, it undoubtedly has health benefits. Some of these include:
- It helps in improving blood flow and lower cholesterol levels. Green tea helps to prevent a range of heart-related problems, from congestive heart failure to high blood pressure.
- It helps to increase higher activity in the working memory area of the brain. Green tea has also shown results to help block the formation of plaques linked with Alzheimer’s disease.
- Green tea helps stabilize blood sugar in people, especially those with diabetes.
- Active EGCG in green tea helps to drop a few pounds making it the best tea for weight loss.
- Green tea helps to aid healthy cells in all stages of growth, which means it may help to destroy cancer cells.
- Sipping your favorite green tea may also help you to slow down and relax. It is because of a natural chemical called theanine that is found in green tea and is responsible for providing a calming effect.
Other Benefits of Green Tea
As green tea is rich in nutrients and oxidants, apart from health, it also possesses many benefits for the skin. For example, a compound called EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), present in green tea, has many therapeutic properties. Some of these include :
Fights Acne
As per the review in 2016, ECGC in green tea has antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. It has shown improvement in treating oily and acne-prone skin.
Helps in Skin Cancer
Polyphenols in green tea can be used as pharmacological agents to prevent light-induced skin disorders caused by solar UVB in animals and humans. It includes –
- Melanoma skin cancer
- Nonmelanoma skin cancer
- Photoaging
Best for Skin Diseases
Studies indicate that green tea has shown potential effects if you intake it as a supplement or apply it to the skin for the skin problems mentioned below :
- Acne
- Atopic dermatitis
- Androgenetic alopecia
- Genital warts
- Rosacea
- Keloids
Boon in Aging
Drinking and applying green tea to your skin can help your skin handle the aging process better.
Increases Eye Age
Green tea can heal the swelling around your eyes. You can use cold tea bags on your eyes for better results. This process helps you get instant relief from puffy eyes.
After reading much about green tea, you must have got excited, right? If you want to read more about consumption, then worry not! Here are a few ways to chow down your green tea.
How to Prepare Green Tea
- You can have three or more cups of green tea a day. You must pour boiling water over the bag and allow it to steep for a few minutes. Make sure to drink it right away because the more you wait, the more catechins and flavonoids in the brew break down, giving you less beneficial results. Still, if you struggle with the taste, you can go for green tea with honey.
- You can be an Asian explorer if you want to taste the flavors of green tea. Apart from green tea with lemon, many unique flavors are available with great benefits. You can enjoy organic green tea with all-natural ingredients.
- If you are from a European country, then the smell and taste of green tea might take some time to adjust. In that case, you can go for matcha powder, a form of whole green tea leaves that you can sprinkle on anything from yogurt to oatmeal. The best part of matcha green tea powder is its super-mild flavor.
- You can use green tea in your sauces or marinades for a subtle hint of flavor and to grasp its benefits quickly.
Conclusion
With all of these benefits on health, do you still need to think about brewing a cup of green tea for yourself? If yes, order green tea now, and enjoy a freshly brewed cup. Let’s be honest that green tea is good for you, so we hope you include a green tea diet in your daily routine.