Green tea has a long history in the Asian market where the Chinese people have known the benefits from it for more than 4000 years. In the western world we have mostly used black tea but are getting more and more into the little green leaves from Asia.

This wonder drink has been used by the Chinese people for a long time to help prevent and even cure different kinds of diseases. The journal of the National Cancer Institute did some researches with people on esophageal cancer in 1994, which showed to lower the risk by nearly sixty percent!

Green tea has been mentioned as helpful in many different scenarios. Among a few is rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, high cholesterol levels and impaired immune functions. Increased weight loss is obtained with the higher digestion that the body gives when consuming green tea which makes it a great diet supplement.

But why is it that green tea is so helpful for us?

Well the whole secret in the green tea is the content which includes rich amount of epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG which in proper English is a very powerful antioxidant. This antioxidant is very helpful in preventing cancer cells to grow and spread and even kill cancer cells without killing healthy tissue. This is also useful for people with high cholesterol levels and blood clots known as thrombosis.

How come there is such a great difference in green tea versus the black tea?

Green, black and oolong teas all come the Camellia Sinensis plant. But the way it is processed is different. While the process of the green tea leaves is to steam it to keep the high level of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) the black tea is made from fermented leaves. The EGCG in the leaves are used elsewhere in other products which makes the benefits from green tea nearly invisible in the black tea.

With all these benefits there really has to be some sort of downside with this product?

To date the only downside with green tea is the fact that it contains caffeine which is known to make some people suffer from insomnia. However if you compare a cup of green tea with a cup of coffee, the coffee has around 10 times the amount of caffeine that the green tea. So if you are used to drinking coffee you could replace a few of the cups with green tea without having to worry. If you are not used to coffee you might want to start out with a single cup or two a day to see how your body reacts. And caffeine does help with weight loss since it increases your digestion.

How much green tea are we allowed to drink a day, and how much should we drink to start enjoying the benefits that it holds?

Well there are different reports on this. In Japan it is said that ten cups a day will help you stay cancer-free for three years longer than people who do not drink green tea. Other reports say three to four cups a day helps you with the benefits of the green tea. I really doubt there are any exact proofs saying two or five cups make miracles happen, however it is a fact that green tea is helpful and should be considered including in your diet.