Monday, November 06, 2006
Benefits of Green Tea Extract
Green tea has been used by the Chinese for medicinal purposes for over 4,000 years. It has since been studied by many medical institutions to find out what some of these purposes are and how they work. Every type of tea comes from the same plant, known as camellia sinensis. What makes green tea so special is how the leaves are prepared. Green tea leaves are not fermented (when organic substances are broken down into simpler substances), causing their active ingredients to not be changed. This makes the green tea leaves usable as a medicinal resource.
Catechins are in the class of polyphenol (a group of substances that have antioxidant properties). Due to no fermentation, some of the ingredients that remain in green tea leaves include: natural oils, vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols. The ingredients of most concern are the four catechins: Epicatechin (EC), Epigallocatechin (EGC), Epicatechin Gallate (ECG), and Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG). The catechins make up about 90% of the green tea leaf's composition, although the most important one is EGCG.
EGCG can make up anywhere between 10% to 50% of the leaf’s catechin content, but its antioxidant properties are most important. EGCG is between 25 to 100 times more potent as an antioxidant that both Vitamin C and Vitamin E. One cup of green tea's EGCG has more antioxidant activity than any other normal food serving, such as: spinach, broccoli, strawberries, or carrots. Some of the common benefits of green tea include: lowers cholesterol, blood pressure, and inflammation; kills bacteria (which reduces infections), burns fat (which help in weight loss), enhances the immune system and your skin's complexion; and reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease, plaque in the teeth, and liver failure.
Green tea has no known side effects except for its caffeine content, although most supplements can be received with or without the caffeine. Vitamin Depot Online.com offers Mega Green Tea Extract (93%), which is a supplement that contains an adequate daily dose of the antioxidant EGCG. Super Green Tea Extract (95%) is also offered, which is the same supplement without the caffeine.
Catechins are in the class of polyphenol (a group of substances that have antioxidant properties). Due to no fermentation, some of the ingredients that remain in green tea leaves include: natural oils, vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols. The ingredients of most concern are the four catechins: Epicatechin (EC), Epigallocatechin (EGC), Epicatechin Gallate (ECG), and Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG). The catechins make up about 90% of the green tea leaf's composition, although the most important one is EGCG.
EGCG can make up anywhere between 10% to 50% of the leaf’s catechin content, but its antioxidant properties are most important. EGCG is between 25 to 100 times more potent as an antioxidant that both Vitamin C and Vitamin E. One cup of green tea's EGCG has more antioxidant activity than any other normal food serving, such as: spinach, broccoli, strawberries, or carrots. Some of the common benefits of green tea include: lowers cholesterol, blood pressure, and inflammation; kills bacteria (which reduces infections), burns fat (which help in weight loss), enhances the immune system and your skin's complexion; and reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease, plaque in the teeth, and liver failure.
Green tea has no known side effects except for its caffeine content, although most supplements can be received with or without the caffeine. Vitamin Depot Online.com offers Mega Green Tea Extract (93%), which is a supplement that contains an adequate daily dose of the antioxidant EGCG. Super Green Tea Extract (95%) is also offered, which is the same supplement without the caffeine.
