Cup of health

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Cup of health

Published on Sep 30, 2002

We¹ve grown accustomed to our tea being dark ­ the Chinese type or the

stronger brews from India and Sri Lanka ­ but now the green variety is

making its move

Walking the aisle of your local supermarket, you will see an increasing

variety of teas available ­ from the traditional varieties of Earl Grey and

English Breakfast to fruit teas (black tea with fruit flavouring), herbal

teas ­ and the increasingly popular green tea.

In terms of ³regular tea², there are three main types ­ black, green and

oolong. They all come from the same bush, but are processed in slightly

different ways.

Fresh leaves are picked, rolled, fermented and then dried to produce the

black tea. Oolong tea is processed in the same manner, but is only partially

fermented, while with green tea the leaves are first steamed to remove the

enzyme that cause it to go black during the natural fermentation process.

This removal means that the leaves are not fermented but just dried.

Long scorned by the health industry for its negative properties, such as

high levels of tannin and caffeine, tea is making a comeback following

extensive studies by the industry to counter this long-term negative image.

Following this research, the rest of the world is finally catching on to

something the Japanese and Chinese have known for centuries. Green tea is

good for your health. And as well as tasting good, it can be beneficial when

it comes to living a healthy life.

Reports that green tea is anti-carcinogenic are based on epidemiological

studies of sections of the Japanese and Chinese communities that drink it as

part of a daily diet.

The results show lower rates of many types of cancer, especially those that

are stomach-related. This is due to the presence of polyphenols in the tea

which react with the cancer cells.

These polyphenols are also a powerful antioxidant, stimulant, astringent and

antibacterial agent, known to kill the food poisoning bacteria ­

staphylococcus aureus ­ and the acne-causing bacteria ­ bacterium acne.

It is also a diuretic (as are coffee and black tea), and an anti-tumour

agent. If you drink a cup of green tea after your meal, this will help to

prevent gum disease and cavities by killing the polyphenols that cause these

diseases.

It will also assist to lower your blood pressure and sugar, and has been

shown to be highly beneficial to the heart by helping to prevent the

oxidation of LDL (good) cholesterol.

Green tea has also been proven to prevent the onset or progression of

rheumatoid arthritis, providing you drink four cups a day.

There is a fine line with this, however, as five cups a day has been shown

to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer. So, as with all things in life,

there is that fine balance to consider.

There are three main grades of green tea: The premium-graded mat-cha used

for tea ceremonies, the medium-grade sen-cha, and the more common ban-cha.

For the adventurous, there is also genmai-cha, which is ban-cha mixed with

roasted rice, hoji-cha, which is lightly roasted ban-cha, and kuki-cha ­

which is green tea made from the stems and twigs of the bush.

To ensure the maximum health benefits from your cup of green tea, make it

with very hot but not boiling water. Use one teaspoon of loose tea per cup

of water and allow it to brew for four to five minutes. Remember that

decaffeinated green tea does not have the same beneficial properties as

³natural² green tea and adding milk negates all of the tea¹s beneficial

properties.

But remember, green tea, as with all things in life, must be taken in

moderation.

Jacka