green tea scientific info

[froggie]

Green tea edges out coffee as an energy-boosting beverage for several reasons. A cup (8 ounces) of green tea contains 20 to 30 mg of caffeine--enough to pep you up, but not enough to cause jitters. (Coffee contains more than five times as much caffeine. For information about java's side effects, see "When Coffee Is a Bad Choice.")

 

Theophyllin, a stimulant in green tea, increases blood circulation and dilates bronchial passages, which improves the flow of oxygen in your body. Green tea also provides 40 mg per cup of the amino acid L-theanine, which can keep you focused yet calm. That's one important reason why monks sip green tea before meditating, according to psychiatry professor Cass. Bonus: Green tea is loaded with disease-fighting, anti-aging antioxidants.

 

Steep one tea bag in 8 ounces of boiling-hot water for four to six minutes. Some people may feel a lift after just one cup of green tea, while others need more; four cups is a good daily limit.

[innerspace_cadet]

That's good to know, thanks for posting the info. I would add that green tea is also beneficial for your teeth.

[contrivedname!]

i've heard that the longer you steep it, it will have different chemical effects, does anyone know anything about this?

[Encephalon]

"Green tea edges out coffee as an energy-boosting beverage for several reasons. A cup (8 ounces) of green tea contains 20 to 30 mg of caffeine--enough to pep you up, but not enough to cause jitters"

 

This sounds a little high to me, but stats are slippery things. I've been recommending green tea consumption to all of my personal training clients who want to get off the coffee roller coaster because you get the benefits of caffeine but not all at once, as well as the calming effects of theanine. But I go by data that shows green tea as closer to 6-15 mgs per cup, and tell people to consume 6 cups a day if they'd like.

 

"Green tea edges out coffee as an energy-boosting beverage for several reasons. A cup (8 ounces) of green tea contains 20 to 30 mg of caffeine--enough to pep you up, but not enough to cause jitters"

 

There is also some data out there that says that samurai drank tea before meditation because it kept them from falling asleep!

[Tokoyo Tama]

i've heard that the longer you steep it, it will have different chemical effects, does anyone know anything about this?

 

 

I was going to mention that from a pure 'flavor' perspective steeping time can often be as short as 2-3 minutes depending on the type, but I suspect brewing it longer gets more of the good stuff out. Longer brews tend to be a bit more bitter and some of the delicacy of flavor can be lost. I find brewing about 1/4 longer than a packet says to work about right to my taste.

 

I forget the exact significance, although I believe anti-carcinogenic (cancer preventative) is one of the benefits, but catechins are the main antioxidant in green tea. Figured that'd help in google land.

 

If people need a little more pep than just green tea I've found adding about 1/3 gunpowder green tea (little rolled balls of green tea that have a smokey flavor) with 2/3 black tea such as assam (english breakfast blend should work fine too). This was with some nice loose leaf stuff, which I always find to be much higher quality than bags and often is better or equal value, just a bit less convenient.

[DalTheJigsaw123]

I would totally agree! Tea is the best source of energy!