What’s ECGC Anyway?
You hear it all the time, drink green tea because it has EGCG, but what is EGCG really? EGCG stands for epigallocatechin gallate, one of four Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins found in plants. Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins, or OPC’s, are bioflavanoids that help your body fend off free radicals that cause your body to age. Of these four OPC’s, epigallocatechin gallate is the most potent. Amongst the more than 4,000 chemical compounds found in tea, it’s the most important.
From what we’ve seen in the health news the past few years, EGCG is one phenomenal antioxidant. There seems to be more research about the health properties of green tea going on than just about anything else. It’s been connected with everything from slowing the growth of cancer cells to preventing arthritis. But exactly what do these studies show and can we believe all we hear about the benefits of drinking tea?
Continue reading Comments (0) brewed on Feb 12th, 2010
But is it Tea?
There’s a heated controversy going on in the chat rooms and message boards of the online tea community. It’s not about the price of tea in China, even though the price for a cup of pu-erh can run as high as $1000 in Hong Kong. In fact, it’s not even about tea itself, but about the English language and the meaning of the word “tea”. Some people don’t approve of some of the ways that word is used.
True tea, that luscious brown liquid that fills your cup and sharpens your brain, all comes from a plant called Camellia sinensis. Whether it’s black, green, white, or oolong, it all comes from either the Camellia sinensis var. sinensis or the Camellia sinensis var. assam. The only difference is the way that it’s processed, the white being not processed of all and the black being the most processed.
Continue reading Comments (0) brewed on Feb 10th, 2010
Rooibos of South Africa
Rooibos, also known as the African red bush, is a plant that grows in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It’s a member of the legume family with broom-like growth. The leaves are shaped something like pine needles or those of the rosemary bush. The leaves are harvested, dried, and oxidized much in the same way that black tea is processed. They are then steeped in hot water to create an herbal tea called South African red tea.
The liquid produced by steeping the rooibos is reddish brown, hence the nickname of red tea. It’s naturally sweet without sugar and many people drink it with milk for a warm drink. South Africans, however, drink it without milk, often adding sweetener and lemon. In South Africa you can even get “red espresso” highly concentrated rooibos served espresso style. This trend has moved to the US and you can now buy red espresso based drinks such as red lattes and red cappuccinos.
Continue reading Comments (0) brewed on Feb 7th, 2010
Drinking Green Tea May Prevent Lung Cancer Even in Smokers
Over the past few months, we’ve read a lot about studies involving green tea and cancer. Most of these studies seemed to involve using green tea extract to slow or even reverse the progress of certain cancers. Now comes news from a study in Taiwan that indicates that drinking green tea might prevent lung cancer even in people who smoke.
A student at the Graduate School of Public Hygiene at Chung Shan Medical University, Lin Yi-hsin, performed the study. Her research concerned the effectiveness of tea on the prevention of lung cancer in people who smoke. To that end, she involved in her study 500 people, 170 of whom had lung cancer. Her findings are both surprising and hopeful when it comes to battling lung cancer.
Continue reading Comments (0) brewed on Feb 5th, 2010
