Monday, May 29, 2006

Green Tea Report Part 1

How do you fit a miracle in a cup?

Dating back more than 4,000 years, Chinese diet green tea has been long revered as a tasty drink that can ward off diseases and improve one’s well-being. Since its first recorded use during the time of Emperor Shen Nung, the link between Chinese diet green tea and good health has never been severed. It’s been used as treatment for everything from headaches to depression. Today, various health benefits of green tea are constantly being reported and many scientists are now focusing their attention on the simple, yet elegantly profound beverage that is green tea.

Where It Comes From

Like all three of the major Asian teas in the market, green tea comes from the plant called Carmellia sinensis. Much of the health benefits of green tea diets owe to the steaming method of making it. As opposed to black and oolong tea which undergoes full oxidization, green tea diet is only gently steamed, preserving the natural antioxidants in its original form.

The antioxidants in green tea helps fight away free radicals. These free radicals are the major contributing factors to aging as well as the ensuing degeneration of cells as a result of it. Scientists have reason to believe that free radicals also play a role in various degenerative diseases such as arthritis, rheumatism, Alzheimer’s disease, and even cancer.

A Drink Steeped With Tradition

According to tradition, Chinese diet green tea could cure anything from headaches, body aches, and pains to constipation and depression. Over the centuries, further more health claims are made on account of Chinese diet green tea.

Chinese diet green tea is said to increase the blood flow throughout the body. Because Chinese diet green tea contains a little caffeine, ingesting this drink stimulates the heart and allows the blood to flow more freely through the blood vessels. For the same reason that Chinese diet green tea stimulates blood flow, it also stimulates mental clarity.

Chinese diet green tea detoxifies the body. The presence of polyphenols, a naturally occurring antioxidant in Chinese diet green tea, the beverage is said to combat harmful free radicals and help keep the body free from diseases. In this regard, Chinese diet green tea helps maintain the overall well-being of the body. Antioxidants in Chinese diet green tea can boost immunity, preserve young-looking skin, and brighten the eyes.

Chinese diet green tea aids in digestion and banishes fatigue. Chinese diet green tea is also said to prolong the lifespan.

For many years, men of science remained skeptical about the health claims made by Chinese diet green tea enthusiasts. Their doubt was changed to a more positive reception when subsequent researchers proved the disease-preventing attributes of Chinese diet green tea and confirmed most of the health claims.

To be continued...

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Green Tea Weight Loss Capsule

It should be noted though that there is no such thing as a miraculous weight loss capsule that can shed your fats in a snap. But herbs such as green tea in weight loss capsules have been known to promote weight loss in a variety of ways.

How Weight Loss Capsules Work

Some herbal weight loss capsules “trick” the brain into thinking that the stomach is full. This makes the weight loss capsule as an effective appetite suppressant and helps stave off hunger pangs.

Other herbs like green tea in weight loss capsules have thermogenic properties that help speed up the body’s metabolic rate. Thermogenic herb weight loss capsules, e.g. green tea weight loss capsules, are considered as stimulants because of their caffeine content. Caffeine in these weight loss capsules is responsible for increasing the rate of all bodily functions like heart rate, digestion, and respiration.

Still, other herbal weight loss capsules are chiefly diuretic. This means that the person taking this kind of weight loss capsule loses water from his body. Diuretic weight loss capsules can quickly rid the body of excess water but once halted, weight can return just as quickly.

The Effects of Weight Loss Capsules

Even though some herbs like green tea in weight loss capsules can prove beneficial, others are toxic and cause dangerous side effects.

Some weight loss capsules made from thermogenic herbs have several harmful side effects. The stimulant ephedra, a common substance found in weight loss capsules have been known to cause cardiovascular ailments. A total of 800 cases reported by the FDA revealed that ephedra weight loss capsules were the cause of at least two deaths. Similarly, other herbs used for weight loss capsules such as herbal laxatives and herbal fen-phen, have been associated with irregularities of the heartbeat, heart attacks, cramping, diarrhea, and strokes.

A safer choice for people using weight loss capsules are those made from herbs like nettle, green tea, and dandelion among others which can stimulate metabolism without causing the heart to race.

Green Tea is safe as a weight loss capsule

Green tea has been used all throughout China since the ancient times. The steamed leaves of the Carmellia sinensis plant (the scientific name for green tea) were used as a local remedy. Ailments such as headaches, bad digestion, and depression were treated using green tea. Nowadays, scientists believe that green tea can potentially cure such major diseases as cancer.

Green tea contains antioxidants that twenty times more than that present in Vitamin E. Antioxidants in green tea act on free radicals that are the major causes of aging and diseases in the body. Green tea therefore not only keeps you young but also boosts your immune system to keep you from harm.

A recent study at the University of Geneva revealed that green tea can cause weight loss. The catechin polyphenols found in green tea are said to interact with the substance caffeine that increases thermogenesis. Metabolic rates in an individual have been known to increase by four percent when using green tea, either as a green tea extract or green tea weight loss capsule.

Green tea weight loss capsules have less caffeine compared to other weight loss capsules. This causes green tea weight loss capsules to act as a mild appetite-suppressant. One of the bad side effects of caffeine in weight loss capsules is that it can cause the heart rate to accelerate causing cardiovascular complications and in extreme cases, even death. With its low caffeine content, a green tea weight loss capsule therefore does its job without causing any undue harm.

Green tea weight loss capsules are also valued for their diuretic properties. Green tea can help rid the body of extra water thus reducing bloat and unsightly appearance.

In the scientific world, green tea has continued to create wonders. Many more studies are conducted to investigate other benefits of drinking green tea. It seems no other tea has quite as much health benefits as green tea.


Technorati tags: Diet, Weight Loss, Green Tea