Green tea: benefits, harm, application

Paradoxically, green and black tea come from the same bush. However, for some reason, the first is always credited with the invaluable benefits it brings to the human body, while the second is advised to be avoided completely, or to reduce the amount of its consumption. Let's look at why this happens, and at the same time take a closer look at green tea.

Types of green tea

Despite the fact that both black and green tea are collected from the same tea tree bush, the process of preparing them is significantly different. Green tea is initially fixed with steam, the temperature of which does not exceed 180°C. Its oxidation lasts no more than two days, after which everything is stopped by heating, the latter may not occur at all. Black tea undergoes an oxidation process for two to four weeks.

East Asian countries have many varieties of green tea, most of which never made it to our homes. The most popular drinks are:

• Mao Feng. The tea is characterized by a very delicate taste, characterized by fruity notes. With its help, you can thoroughly relax and restore lost strength.
• Sencha. This variety of green tea comes from Japan. The roasting procedure is replaced by steaming, after which the leaves are twisted.
• Longjing. When preparing this type of tea, the raw materials are collected exclusively from the top shoots of the top couple of leaves. Once collected, they are fried in special cauldrons to stop fermentation. The finished product is packaged in vacuum packaging, bypassing the process of additional flavoring. This species is rich in vitamin C, amino acids and catechins. It is customary to classify this tea as an elite variety.
• Tuo cha. Similar to the previous variety, it is an elite drink. Its production takes a lot of time, and all manipulations with it are very complex. This tea has invaluable benefits for the gastrointestinal tract; it provides relief after overeating.
• Gunpowder. One of the most popular varieties of tea. The leaves are curled into miniature balls, which open at the moment of brewing. It is very strong, has a tart taste and a bright aroma.

Green tea benefits and harms

The healing qualities of green tea are recognized not only among supporters of traditional medicine, but also by traditional doctors. The miraculous properties of this drink have long been used by cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies for the benefit of their consumers. This is a truly unique product, the benefits of which we will talk about.

If you wash your face with green tea every day, you will soon notice a significant improvement in skin tone and overall condition. Daily rubbing of the facial skin has a very beneficial effect on the epidermis. ice cube prepared with green tea infusion. Firstly, it will help smooth out wrinkles, narrow pores, and secondly, relieve swelling and normalize the functioning of the sebaceous glands. This property will be very useful for problem skin.

If you are in no hurry and are willing to wait a while for amazing results, then you can use the following composition:

• Prepare strong green tea and pour it into the yolk of a chicken egg and about 20 g of plain flour. Mix thoroughly and apply to face for a quarter of an hour. This mask will help tighten the oval of the face, give the skin a healthy color and improve its condition.

Green tea normalizes the functioning of the digestive system. By drinking the drink on a regular basis, you will restart and improve the functioning of your stomach, liver and intestines. The additional effect will affect the condition of the gums and teeth, constant contact of the drink with them will protect against stomatitis. You just need to take into account that for this you need to drink tea without sugar, otherwise there will be no effect.

Green tea contains a large amount of antioxidants, which have auxiliary effects in the prevention of cancer. The drink also contains zinc, which has a beneficial effect on the rapid healing of wounds; with its help, you can strengthen your nails and hair, and enhance their growth.

Green tea is an excellent diuretic, but it should not be used as a diuretic. This is due to the excessive invigorating effect that tea has on the body.

This tea replaces artificial energy drinks that damage the liver and stomach. With its help, you can get enough strength if you don’t have any left. Green tea tincture is useful as an antimicrobial agent in cases of dysentery. Constantly drinking tea is a means of preventing gallstones and urolithiasis. Green tea also helps satisfy hunger. That is why on diets it is recommended to drink it, and not the black version of the drink.

Vitamin C, which is abundant in tea, also helps fight cancer. Vitamin P is responsible for the strength and elasticity of the walls of blood vessels. The usefulness of green tea is due to its high content of vitamins, microelements and bioactive substances. Thanks to the special preparation of the leaves, without prolonged fermentation, the tea retains all its healing properties. The main thing is not to get rid of them while preparing the drink by scalding everything with boiling water.

Green tea has a tonic effect on absolutely all organs and systems. With its help, you can activate your brain and improve your thinking process. The drink prevents the formation of blood clots, significantly lowers blood sugar levels, due to which it is useful for diabetes mellitus(it also alleviates the symptoms of diabetes mellitus of the second stage). Protects the liver from toxins, removing the latter along with toxins from the entire body. It is recommended to drink green tea after suffering from colds, as it allows the body to recover.

And that's not all. Green tea has many benefits, but it is difficult to list them all. However, not everything is so rosy. After all, even it has a negative side - harm. What does it consist of? We'll find out now.

Let’s immediately make a reservation that now we are talking about strongly brewed tea, which will have a harmful effect.

• For diseases of the heart and blood vessels, as well as for problems with the nervous system. Theine does not have the best effect on the heart and blood vessels, or on the nervous system.
• During pregnancy. Green tea prevents folic acid from being broken down naturally, which is very important especially during the perinatal period, as it has a direct effect on the formation of the baby’s brain. In addition, high caffeine content does not have the best effect on pregnant women. Especially in the early stages, excessive consumption of strong tea can lead to miscarriage.
• Green tea is harmful at high body temperature. This is due to the presence of theophylline, which can increase it even more.
• The drink is contraindicated for ulcers. It is contraindicated, not harmful. A strong drink increases the level of acidity in the stomach, which can worsen the patient's condition.
• Some compounds in green tea can greatly overload the liver, so if the latter is sick, then this may be an unbearable burden for it. Black tea contains fewer of these compounds, so its negative effects are less pronounced.
• Due to its high theine content, tea flushes metals from the body.
• Uncontrolled consumption of green tea negatively affects the health of bones and the entire skeleton, namely bone density.
• Formation of urea. Tea drinks are rich in purines, which contribute to the formation of toxic and difficult to remove urea. The salts that are formed under its influence form crystals that contribute to the development of gout. In addition, people suffering from rheumatism and arthritis should not drink green tea.
• Large amounts of caffeine interfere with the absorption of iron in the body.

It is also worth noting the “side” effects of excessive consumption, which can manifest themselves in all their glory in a healthy person.

• When drinking tea and alcohol at the same time, aldehydes are formed in the body, which cause very serious harm to the kidneys.
• Large amounts of green tea can cause tea intoxication, which causes severe dizziness, migraine, nausea and vomiting.
• You should not drink a very hot drink in large quantities; this will lead to burns of the internal digestive organs, which are very difficult to heal, and subsequently become deformed and form cracks, which significantly increases the risk of cancer. And here it is worth noting that such harm is caused not only by tea. Any hot drink and even food can have a similar effect.
• Brewing tea with boiling water leads to the fact that all beneficial substances evaporate, and harmful ones, such as the same purine, increase.

Remember, everything is good in moderation, and even the healthiest product will have a negative impact on your health if its consumption is not limited.

Caffeine in green tea

Excessive amounts of caffeine will not lead to anything good, but you can’t live without it. It helps relieve fatigue in a short period of time, increases physical endurance and mental activity. They say that green tea has more caffeine than black tea, but is this really true? Yes, indeed it is. Studies have shown that a cup (200 ml) of black tea, without flavorings or other additives, contains about 47-60 mg, while green tea shows results of 80-95 mg.

Does green tea raise or lower blood pressure?

The age-old question is whether green tea lowers or, conversely, increases blood pressure. To answer this question, we need to turn again to the chemical composition of the drink. Green tea contains about 40% catechin, due to which the drink has a pronounced astringent taste. But it is catechin that absorbs excess cholesterol and has a beneficial effect on the elasticity of blood vessels. Due to it, the blood becomes thinner and the pressure decreases.

There are no specific figures that will show that green tea lowers blood pressure; doctors are so far giving only a theory. But, according to statistics, in East Asian countries, where green tea is consumed on a regular basis, cases of hypertension and heart attacks are recorded 40% less often. But, unfortunately, it is impossible to link these data with tea consumption, because in addition to this, local residents consume large quantities of many other products, such as rice.

Some believe that due to the high caffeine content in the drink, blood pressure increases when drinking tea. Indeed, as soon as it enters the blood, there is an increase in blood pressure, increased heart rate and rapid pumping of blood, but at the same time, caffeine activates the activity of blood vessels, which, by expanding, make the “lifting” effect minimal. And if for a healthy person this process goes unnoticed, then for those suffering from hypertension, an excess of green tea will not lead to anything good. But in small quantities, namely a cup a day, tea will not cause harm.

How to brew green tea

In order for green tea to bring maximum benefits to the body, it should be brewed correctly. Pay close attention to the following components:

• to water temperature and its quality;
• amount of tea brewed;
• duration of tea brewing.

Optimally selected parameters will give a wonderful drink that will bring a lot of benefits. Let's take a closer look at the main nuances that will help you in the brewing process.

• To determine the optimal amount of tea, you need to take into account the size of the leaves and the final thickness of the brew that you want to get at the output. As a rule, the standard value is taken to be a teaspoon of dry product per cup of tea of ​​150-200 ml.
• The brewing time for green tea directly depends on the size of the tea leaves, as well as how toned you want the drink to be. Remember, theine, which is responsible for this quality of tea, dissolves already in the first minute of brewing. After this, the process of saturating the drink with tannins is activated. Our body begins to assimilate the first only after assimilating the second. Therefore, if you need maximum vigor “here and now,” then you should not leave tea leaves in the tea for more than a minute or a minute and a half. If you want to get the optimal amount of energy that will last for a long time, leave the tea to brew longer. In the latter case, you need to take into account that the taste of the drink will become slightly bitter. The optimal time for brewing tea that will satisfy you can only be found through experience.
• An equally important factor for preparing delicious tea is the quality of the water used. The best, of course, is considered to be spring water. However, within the city limits this is an unaffordable luxury that is impossible to obtain. Filtered water can be a worthy replacement. If it is also not possible to filter the liquid, use a flow one, after allowing it to settle. But it is generally not recommended to use distilled water for making tea. Repeatedly boiled water negatively affects the taste of tea, so when re-preparing the drink, it is better to pour fresh water into the kettle. It is unacceptable to prepare tea with boiled water, no boiling water! The optimal temperature is 80-90°C. Even if you don’t have a thermometer at hand, determining the “ideal” temperature is simple: open the lid of the kettle, when steam begins to form, bring your hand to it, it should not burn, but should be hot enough. Boiling water destroys most of the beneficial substances, so if brewed incorrectly, tea will not bring any benefit.

In addition to the above, there are also nuances that, although not necessary, are still advisable to take into account when brewing tea. This will only have a positive effect on the taste. So, let's look at them:

• Utensils for preparing a drink. The best option would be one that can retain heat - these are teapots made of clay or porcelain. Some people are used to using cast iron or silver utensils. After several brews, a yellow coating will appear in the kettle - do not rush to get rid of it. This is a kind of protection against unfavorable factors, which will have a positive effect on the quality of tea. Unknowing people, namely guests, may be wary of this, but you can explain the whole process to them.
• The brewing process itself. The kettle in which the brewing process will take place is preheated over an open fire, this kills all microbes and eliminates foreign odors. The spoon must be dry. The teapot should be wrapped in a warm towel (real gourmets use beautiful fabric for this purpose). The brew fills the kettle by a third, after which it remains to infuse for two or three minutes. After this, it is filled to the end. The cups into which the tea will then be poured must be heated in hot water. It is advisable that drinking containers be made of clay or porcelain.
• Permissible number of brews. One and the same portion of tea, of exceptional quality, can be brewed up to seven times. After this, it begins to lose its taste and healing qualities. It is not recommended to drink tea with sugar. It is much better to add honey or dried fruits to the drink.

How to drink green tea

The answer is very simple - you need to consume green tea in moderation, but where is it? Both numerous studies and many doctors are of the same opinion that 10 cups a day will only have a positive effect on the body’s condition and will not cause harm, of course, if a person has no contraindications.

Green tea oil

Green tea oil is often used in aromatherapy and when taking healing baths. Its aroma has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the nervous system and promotes the relaxation process. With its help, you can strengthen your hair and restore its structure.

In addition, the oil rejuvenates the skin and treats rashes and post-acne. Masks based on it are easy to prepare. For example, to nourish the skin, you can prepare a mixture of oatmeal, egg yolk and a couple of drops of green tea oil. And to smooth out wrinkles, the oil is mixed with fatty cottage cheese and honey. Each of the masks is kept on the face for about 15-20 minutes, after which it is washed off.

The external effect is, of course, good, but it is much better if tea is consumed internally along with cosmetic manipulations. This way the benefits and effects will come sooner and last a long time.

But the oil has one drawback - the price. High-quality, real green tea oil will not be cheap. This is due to the low content of the main product in the leaves. So, in one sheet of oil there is only 0.006%. But the beauty is worth it, isn't it? In any case, if you do not have the opportunity to purchase a real product, do not purchase a surrogate, which, at best, will simply not be useful.

Green tea during pregnancy

We previously mentioned the negative effects of green tea during the perinatal period. However, you should not take this to heart. We were talking about strongly brewed tea and drinking it in large quantities. During pregnancy, green tea is allowed, of course, if the supervising doctor does not mind and the expectant mother has no contraindications. In this case, the drink will only bring benefits that you already know about.

Green tea for weight loss

Nutritionists have not yet come to a consensus on whether green tea directly affects weight loss processes. It’s clear that the drink has a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract and helps you feel full for a long time, but what about fats? Some believe that it helps break them down and remove them naturally. There are even a number of diets that are based specifically on green tea.

We can say with confidence that if you decide to go for a slim figure by drinking green tea, you need to drink it without sugar. In combination with a diet, it gives very good results, which many ladies write about. But its ability to help in the fight for a slim figure is rather due not to some miraculous properties, but to the fact that it has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the entire body, because weight problems begin when there are malfunctions in the digestive process. If excess weight is associated with illness, then before losing weight you need to eradicate the problem itself.

Here are some tips that will help you achieve maximum results in a short time.

• A quarter of an hour before meals, drink a mug of green tea, naturally without sugar. Before drinking, the drink should be left to steep for about two minutes. This will speed up metabolism.
• You can go a slightly different way. Grind the dry product into powder and eat a teaspoon during meals. For comfort, you can drink it with water. It can also be sprinkled on appetizers and desserts, and can be added to drinks and soups. Thus, it is almost impossible to notice the tea, but its healing properties will remain.
• When going on any diet for the purpose of losing weight, replace regular tea with green tea and soon you will notice significant positive changes.

Green tea contraindications

Like any other healthy drink or product, green tea has its contraindications, under which its use is unacceptable. So, the list of those for whom it is better to choose a different tea includes people suffering from diabetes, stomach ulcers, hypertension (in this case, you should not drink strong brewed tea or in large quantities), insomnia, cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the nervous system.

Tea is contraindicated after a person has consumed alcohol; we talked about the reasons a little higher. It is also not recommended to drink this tea on an empty stomach.

Green tea: reviews

Green tea is different from green tea. Now on store shelves you can find a lot of products that have nothing in common with real tea in terms of quality. However, people buy and try to use it in order to get benefits that never come.

But those who approached the purchase responsibly and purchased the product from a trusted place note a significant positive difference in the state of the body before and after drinking tea. Those who decided to use it as masks and lotions also speak well of the drink. Favorable changes in the condition of the skin are observed after just a month of regular use.

Don’t skimp on your health, buy only quality products from trusted places. In addition, if you have not drunk such a drink before, it is better to make sure that there are no contraindications. But even if you are in good health, you should not abuse tea, and now you know why.