Tea is probably the most popular drink in the world, if we do not count water. There is something about tea: the aroma, the taste or maybe the ritual of seeping the perfect cup. But, there is more to tea than the pleasure of drinking it, otherwise it would not remain so popular for thousands of years. Chinese and Indians firmly believe that it is the tea that keeps them healthy and strong. English could not imagine life without restorative cup of tea when the going gets tough. What does the tea do?
Tea pharmacy
The most active ingredients of tea are proanthocyanidins, polymer chains of flavonoids. The best known kind of flavonoids are catechins. Catechins are antioxidants, what means that they prevent oxidation which causes cell damage and consequent health problems in many organs and tissues. One of the most healthiest tea to drink is matcha slim tea.
Freshly picked green leaves of tea contain almost 30 percents of catechins. Scientists do not always agree about which type of tea is richest in catechins, but it is generally believed that white and green teas are the richest and most potent. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture believe that this difference is not significant and that all teas are powerful antioxidants. As antioxidants, catechins help prevent the effects of stress and support healthy metabolism. As a consequence, they can lower blood lipids and blood pressure, prevent arteriosclerosis, drop blood viscidity and prevent blood clot formation.
Tea also contains theanine, which has psychoactive properties and has been proven to reduce mental and physical stress, improve mood and cognitive abilities, similarly to coffee.
Another active ingredient in tea is caffeine, a powerful stimulant. Tea has more caffeine by weight than coffee.
Tea also contains theobromine and theophyllin, both stimulants as well. Theobromine is also used to dilate blood vessels, as a diuretic, and heart stimulant.
Health benefits
With all those powerful active ingredients, there is no wonder that tea, especially green tea, has been rrecognized to help with lowering cholesterol, combating atherosclerosis, treating inflammatory bowel disease, controlling diabetes, helping with weight loss, even fighting cancer. Scientists disagree about the extent of tea’s power, but do not deny that some benefits are evident. Whatever proof exists about diseases that can be cured by a certain number of cups of tea daily, there is no denying it that the biggest benefit of tea is as stress-reliever, especially if it is combined with a nice, slow, relaxing ritual of choosing, brewing, pouring and sipping that perfect hot cup of fragrant, delicious tea.
Like so many fads, the new fad of using green tea for everything from weight loss to curing cancer has a grain of truth, and does not tell the whole story. Drinking a lot of green tea to lose weight will surely work if it is combined with healthy diet and increased exercise, just as surely as it will do nothing much if used on its own. The same is probably the case with all other health benefits linked with drinking tea. It has to be combined with other elements, in many cases change of lifestyle and diet.
Weather tea really has such powerful health benefits or not, it is wonderfully pleasant drink, and there is nothing wrong in enjoying a cup of tea for the pure pleasure of it.
