The tradition of tea consumption formed thousands of years ago, from that time day to day more and more people find their peace in that practice. We face the following question frequently in our workshop: What are the beneficial effects of teas?
Fortunately, we have many answers to these questions, since this amazing plant can build our health in so many ways. When the summer season comes the desire for refreshment and renewal flares up in most people. Green tea can play a big role in this.
The freshness and lightness of green tea lie in the processing. After the spring harvest, they wither the buds and small leaves, thus the water content can reduce. After reaching the desired moisture content, the most important step comes in the process of green tea making.
They roast or steam the leaves and buds at high temperatures, thus the oxidation stops. Oxidation is a biochemical phenomenon, during which a specific substance joins with oxygen and changes chemically. In terms of tea during oxidation, the leaves get brownish, like in the case of any halved fruits. Meanwhile, new aromas and flavors are born.
When we stop the enzyme activity, oxidation can’t occur, so the leaves and buds remain intact and freshly green. As the last steps of processing, they form the leaves in some cases, then dry them down to 3-5% of moisture content. The infusion of that has countless beneficial effects.
Stress reliever
The fresh, lush tea leaves contain an amino acid in large quantity, called L-theanine, which is responsible for the balance. The calming effect of this is a result of a really interesting brain process. The absorbed L-theanine stimulates the brain to make much more alpha waves than usual.
The alpha waves are a pattern of electrical signals, which go down from our brain. When someone shut their eyes and relaxes, their brain also calms down and alpha waves form. The L-theanine can stimulate this method, meanwhile, the awake calmness of our body and mind increases also.
Energizing effect
The spring-harvested, fresh green teas have relatively high caffeine content, though the absorption is much longer than in the cafe of coffee. As a result of the long absorption and the L-theanine content, our day will be full of energy and harmony after a morning of green tea.
Reduce the risk of heart disease
Everybody can be familiar with the LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, known as the „bad” cholesterol. Our body can’t use much more cholesterol than required, so the extra amount deposits in the vessel walls and tighten the way of the bloodstream. It can cause coronary disease.
The green teas with their high catechin content can reduce LDL cholesterol and act against arteriosclerosis.
Cancer prevention
The outstanding adaptability of our body helps us to be resistant in this always-changing world. However, it is not rare that the processes somehow run wrongly and cancer cells forms. The reasons could be the wrong and stressful lifestyle or genetic inheritance.
The catechins of the green teas can affect cell division. Different laboratory experiments confirm that in the presence of catechins the division of cancer cells lowered significantly. Moreover, the catechins have an antimutagenic impact, though help the DNA-making process run correctly without any mutation.
Antioxidant effect
As the green teas have high chlorophyll and polyphenol contents, these teas are strongly antioxidant. These compounds speed up the elimination of harmful substances and free radicals from the body.
The matcha teas have the highest chlorophyll content because they shade the whole plantation 2 to 3 weeks before harvest. During this process the lack of sunshine indicates higher chlorophyll synthesis, thus the fine powder of matcha can be freshly green and lush with health benefits.
Oral hygiene
An important part of our health is the integrity of our teeth. The usual consumption of green tea helps to keep our teeth healthy as a result of reducing the number of sugar breaker bacteria, which could cause tooth decay.
Blood sugar control
As some research found the catechin of green tea can balance the blood sugar level. Not just increase the activity of the insulin, but also repair the damaged cells, which produce the insulin.
Healthy bones
The minerals found in green tea can increase the density of bones, making them stronger.
Diet
Green tea catechins contribute to the breakdown of fats and oils, thus helping to lose weight.
