Drink up: 12 benefits of green tea we bet you didn't know!

Do you drink green tea? If you are trying to improve your health or drop a few pounds, this ‘super-drink’ deserves your full attention.

Consumed for thousands of years, green tea has provided delicious medicinal benefits – weight management, disease fighting, energy boosting and stress reducing – to many cultures around the globe. Studies too show that the components found in such a small little teabag can do wonders for your health. If you look at the ingredients list for any fat burning supplement, chances are that green tea will be on there too.

According to Delhi-based dietician Simrann Saini, green tea can help you lose weight and lower your risk of becoming obese.

"Given that green tea can boost the metabolic rate in the short term, it could help you lose weight," she says.

So, drink up, because your overall health is about to get a lot better!

Here’s a list of some of green tea's amazing benefits – benefits that you may not have been aware of. Some of these benefits are still being debated, so please do your own research if you want to use green tea for medicinal purposes.

1 Weight loss 

"Green tea increases the metabolism. The polyphenol found in green tea works to intensify levels of fat oxidation and the rate at which your body turns food into calories," Kolkata-based fitness expert Souman Bose told us. Several studies (including research at Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences) show that green tea leads to decreases in body fat, especially in the abdominal area. One of these studies was a randomized controlled trial in 240 men and women that went on for 12 weeks. In this study, the green tea group had significant decreases in body fat percentage, body weight, waist circumference and abdominal fat. However, some studies don’t show statistically significant increases in weight loss with green tea, so this needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Bottom Line: Some studies show that green tea leads to increased weight loss. It is particularly effective at reducing the dangerous abdominal fat.

2 Diabetes 

Green tea apparently helps regulate glucose levels slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. This can prevent high insulin spikes and resulting fat storage.

3 Heart disease 

Scientists think, green tea works on the lining of blood vessels, helping keep them stay relaxed and better able to withstand changes in blood pressure. It may also protect against the formation of clots, which are the primary cause of heart attacks.

4 Healthy teeth 

Green tea can kill bacteria, which improves dental health and lowers your risk of infection. The catechins in green tea have other biological effects as well. Some studies (including a study recently published in the Journal of Periodontology) show that they can kill bacteria and inhibit viruses like the influenza virus, potentially lowering your risk of infections. Streptococcus mutans is the primary harmful bacteria in the mouth. It causes plaque formation and is a leading contributor to cavities and tooth decay. Studies show that the catechins in green tea can inhibit the growth of streptococcus mutans. Green tea consumption is associated with improved dental health and a lower risk of caries. "Another awesome benefit of green tea, multiple studies show that it can reduce bad breath," Saini says. So, the catechins in green tea may inhibit the growth of bacteria and some viruses. This can lower the risk of infections and lead to improvements in dental health, a lower risk of caries and reduced bad breath.

5 Cholesterol 

Green tea reduces bad cholesterol in the blood and improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.

6 Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s 

Green tea is said to delay the deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Studies carried out on mice (in University of Missouri) showed that green tea protected brain cells from dying and restored damaged brain cells. According to Bose, green tea may protect your brain in old age, lowering your risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Not only can green tea improve brain function in the short term, it may also protect your brain in old age. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease in humans and a leading cause of dementia. Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and involves the death of dopamine producing neurons in the brain. Multiple studies show that the catechin compounds in green tea can have various protective effects on neurons in test tubes and animal models, potentally lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. "The bioactive compounds in green tea can have various protective effects on neurons and may reduce the risk of both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, the two most common neurodegenerative disorders," Dr Anuj Kumar, a Delhi-based neurosurgeon tells us.

7 Brain function 

Compounds in green tea can improve brain function and make you smarter. The key active ingredient is caffeine, which is a known stimulant. It doesn’t contain as much as coffee, but enough to produce a response without causing the 'jittery' effects associated with too much caffeine.

8 Blood pressure 

Regular consumption of green tea is thought to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

9 Depression 

Theanine is an amino acid naturally found in tea leaves. It is this substance that is thought to provide a relaxing and tranquilizing effect and be a great benefit to tea drinkers.

10 Anti-viral and anti-bacterial 

Tea catechins are strong antibacterial and antiviral agents which make them effective for treating everything from influenza to cancer. In some studies green tea has been shown to inhibit the spread of many diseases.

11 Skincare 

Green tea can apparently also help with wrinkles and the signs of aging, This is because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Both animal and human studies have demonstrated that green tea applied topically can reduce sun damage.

12 Cancer 

Antioxidants in green tea may lower your risk of various types of cancer. Cancer is caused by uncontrolled growth of cells. It is one of the world’s leading causes of death. It is well known that oxidative damage contributes to the development of cancer and that antioxidants can have a protective effect. Green tea is an excellent source of powerful antioxidants, so it makes perfect sense that it could reduce your risk of cancer, which it appears to do: Be it breast , prostate cancer, colorectal cancer. According to Kumar, green tea can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer, but it is also widely thought to kill cancer cells in general without damaging the healthy tissue around them. It is important to keep in mind that it may be a bad idea to put milk in your tea, because it can reduce the antioxidant value. Bottom Line: Green tea has powerful antioxidants that may protect against cancer. Multiple studies show that green tea drinkers have a lower risk of various types of cancer.

What is Orange Pekoe?

 

a funny name

In the supermarket or your local teashop, you probably have come across a name on the tea tin: Orange Pekoe. Maybe you have bought one and tried it. There is no orange in it. Nor is the colour of that name. So why the name?

If you Google it, there may be various answers. The fact is, it is a grade name for black tea. Indeed, the whole set of names with which the West grades black tea begins with it. Here are some of the most commonly used grade names in the trade, in ascending order of traditional Western quality definition:

            Orange Pekoe ( OP )

            Flowery Orange Pekoe ( FOP )

            Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe ( GFOP )

            Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe ( TGFOP )

            Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe ( FTGFOP )

            Super Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe ( SFTGFOP )

Available on The Tea Shelf

The concept of this grading system is largely based on leaf appearance — whether there are tips, hairy tips, or a lot of hairy tips, or if the leaves are finely rolled/curled.

Other quality parameters are examined by the tasters. These specialists determine what the tea actually should cost, and whether it is a product they want.

A key thing to understand is that although this system was originally devised to describe hand-crafted tealeaves, it is now mostly employed for mechanically made products.

Perhaps you should also be aware that while the name Orange Pekoe is on a tin, many such labelled products is actually Broken Orange Pekoe ( BOP ), i.e. a grade of larger debris sieved from the conveyor belt carrying mechanically produced tea leaf products.

so why orange? and what does pekoe mean?

Let’s look at the easier term “pekoe” first.

white down — is a term commonly used amongst tea growers and tea traders to describe young leaf shoots bearing white down ( fine hair ). Plucking for tea production, particularly that for green and black tea, usually involves the first two to three leaves and the shoot. When a shoot is still very young and covered with down , it means the plucking is relatively early. There has been a prevalent perception that the younger the pluck, the better the tea.

Although you will find in modern pinyin dictionaries that the Chinese expression should be romanised as “bai hao”, tea trading with the West began long before the Mandarin language invaded major South China coastal ports. At that time, local dialects and languages prevailed.

pekoe — south china origin

It is unclear exactly when the term was romanised and from which particular port. However, there were only a few major ports that exported tea in the old days: Macao, Amoy ( now romanised as Xiamen ), and Canton ( now romanised as Guangzhou ). The official local Chinese language spoken in Macao and Canton was Cantonese  and that in Amoy was Minnan. Dozen of dialects prevailed in all three ports. Hakka was the prevailing dialect in the tea trade in both Amoy and Canton.

So that gives us three final candidates: Cantonese, Minnan, and Hakka.

The term “white down” when properly romanised in these three are:

            Cantonese: baak-ho

            Minnan: biak-hou

            Hakka: pak-hau

When in 18th or 19th century this romanised term pekoe came about, there was really no systematic approach for turning Chinese into alphabets. The first people who first alphabetized the expression were likely to be Portuguese or Dutch, but not English. The spoken words might even have been first interpreted by Indonesian or Sri Lankan sailors who were active in this part of the world and been working with European ships. Considering that, “pekoe” is not a bad romanization at all.

So if pekoe tells of the quality of the pluck, what does the term orange do? Does it tell of the colour of the leaves or the infusion liquor, as one theory holds?

I think this is highly unlikely. The name of the first black tea was Jiangxi Wu, meaning the black from Jiangxi Province. It was initially popular amongst the trade to refer to black tea — a category that was a derivative from the more labour and skill intensive oolong, i.e. wu-long ( black dragon ) — with the term ‘wu’. The term red tea, i.e. hong cha, came later, referring to the colour of the juice during oxidation processing and that of the infusion.

If the person who first gave the name Orange Pekoe had in mind the reference of colour, s/he would have linked to the colour red or black, which the same Chinese used for referring the term pekoe.

orange the dynasty

Though we are unable to find any documentation as evidence, we agree with the only logical theory about the term: that it refers to the House of Orange-Nassau, the monarch family of the Netherlands since mid-sixteenth century.

Why pull the Dutch royal family into this? Well the Dutch was the single most important importer and wholesaler of tea throughout the 18th century and a pioneer in producing their own tea in the next, only to be followed by the Russian and the British.

It was perhaps after the British relaxed its importation tax in 1784 trying to break the near monopoly of the Dutch, or perhaps right when tea production was being experimented in the Dutch colony of Java in the early 19th century, traders in the Netherland understood the need for a labelling system. Under the intense competition in commerce ( and politics in those days ), it would be logical to put their signature on it.

Quality disputes had long been an issue in the trade and a simple way of communicating quality in an environment of growing trade volume and lowering profit margin was imminent.

A Japanese painting of a Dutch East India Company ( VOC ) merchant ship. The Dutch was the first European to establish systematic trading with the Far East.

Although it is a rather simplistic way of grading and quite absurd in the world of fine tea, Orange Pekoe is still instrumental in preliminary evaluation of mass produced products. Such is the largest volume traded across borders and seas as of today.

the meaning of orange pekoe

Orange Pekoe, therefore, is a world-adapted black tea grading system that has a Dutch signature on it. It also clearly carries the mark of the very origin of the commodity: South China.

Source: https://www.teaguardian.com/quality-varieties/orange-pekoe/

           

Health benefits of lemon tea

 Lemon juice is very well known for its natural antiseptic properties. On the other hand loose leaf tea is by far the best alternative to carbonated drinks and coffee. A combination of both leads to added benefits on health beyond our imagination.

Drink Tulsi tea

Tulsi Tea is one of the best remedies when it comes to heart problems and immunity deficiencies. Tulsi is an herb that only grows in Eastern World. It has wide branches (20-60 cm), strongly scented green leaves and flowers that are usually small and purplish.

Honey Or Sugar in your tea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Scientist: Keith Kantor, Ph.D., a nutritionist and author of the children's bookThe Green Box League of Nutritious Justice

The Answer: Sugar is sugar. And honey is (mostly) sugar. But if you're choosing between the two from a health perspective, err on the side of the sticky stuff.

Cinnamon & Cinnamon Tea Benefits.

While it’s quite a common ingredient, its massive health properties are lesser known so we thought we’d do a quick round-up of how it can help you become healthier from the inside out. Whether you choose to incorporate it in cooking, infuse its flavour and nutrients into a refreshing drink or brew it up as part of a tea blend, it can help your body in a myriad of ways. Here are just a few.

How does sugar dissolve in Tea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tea molecules (water + tea) are bouncing around inside the teacup. They are moving MUCH faster than the sugar molecules because they are in a liquid while the sugar is in a solid. Therefore, they have more energy.