What Is Green Tea?
Green tea is made from the common tea leaf known as Camellia sinensis which is also used to make black tea. Camellia sinensis has been in use since 500,000 years. It is mainly cultivated in China and India. It was traditionally taken as a refreshing drink and has been consumed in China, India, Japan and Thailand.
It is different from black tea because it isn't processed at all and the oxidation of the green tea is minimal. The leaf from the plant is picked and steamed or pan- dried immediately so that it can prevent oxidation or bacterial growth. The excess water is squeezed out by rolling with hand. In this way the flavor gets released. After that it is fired in driers and packed. Since the tea leaf is not allowed to oxidize the natural ingredients in the leaf are preserved. So it is much more beneficial than other teas. When it is brewed it turns the color into light green and so it is known as green tea.
Scientists are discovering more and more health benefits of green tea. Like most leaves the main content of the tea leaf is water. Fresh leaves have about 80% of water and the rest of the components are catechin, caffeine and Theanine and aminoacids. Catechin is a water soluble polyphenol, It has six primary catechin compounds. catechin, gallaogatechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and apigallocatechin gallate (also known as EGCG). Apigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an antioxidant found in the tea helps in protecting cells and DNA from damage. It is the most active component in green tea. It is helpful in controlling cancer cells, reducing the possibility of heart attacks and atherosclerosis. . It is also used as a weight loss product and enhances immune system. It also protects against Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Diabetes, Liver disease etc. While green tea contains 30% to 40% polyphenols , black tea only contains only 3% to 10% polyphenols. There are different varieties of green tea depending on the area and the method of cultivation of the tea.
It are brewed using water that is under the boiling point (about 80 - 90
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