The History of Green Tea

For most people, the Chinese green tea is a stuff of legends. Chinese green tea has been known to be very beneficial to human health. For thousands of years, Chinese green tea has been talked about and written about because of its countless positive effects.

According to legend, the first person to ever taste Chinese green tea was the Emperor Shen Nong in 2737 B.C.

It was said that while boiling some water for drinking, some leaves fell into his pot from a tree nearby. Chinese green tea leaves when boiled smelled and tasted so wonderful that Shen Nong even urged his people to drink it. The fame of the Chinese green tea did not stay at one place for long. It is believed that in A.D. 800, Chinese green tea was brought to Japan by monks who studied Buddhism in China.

What makes Chinese green tea different from all other teas?

Chinese green tea is produced from Camellia sinensis, the same plant where the oolong and black tea are derived. Yet, even though they all come from the same herb, the Chinese green tea truly stands out as an exceptional health drink. So what makes Chinese green tea different?

The difference lies in the method by which Chinese green tea is produced. Oolong and black tea leaves are traditionally oxidized and then dried while the Chinese green tea leaves are steamed and then dried. This method of producing Chinese green tea actually preserves most of the beneficial antioxidants present in it.

Chinese Green Tea for Health

While it is already common knowledge that Chinese green tea has several health benefits, modern scientists were able to provide several concrete proofs of the positive effects of Chinese green tea. Chinese green tea antioxidants are said to be the ones responsible for making the Chinese green tea very beneficial. 

Recent findings show that the antioxidants in Chinese green tea can reduce cholesterol levels in a person; can improve how blood vessels function; and can reduce blood lipids. It was also discovered that Chinese green tea can have an anti-inflammatory effects and may provide protection against cardiovascular diseases.

Today, Chinese green tea is widely available as a beverage and as an ingredient for weight loss products.

Weight Loss Supplements

Who here wouldn’t love a pill to melt away their fats?

Although weight loss supplements are not likely to work miracles, dieticians and weight-loss experts alike agree that most weight loss supplements greatly helps the dieter in his continuing battle for curves and muscles. Of the three commonly used weight loss supplements in the market today, green tea extract seems the most promising. (The other two weight loss supplements are protein and ephedra.)

Green tea is the common name for Camellia sinensis, a plant cultivated by the Ancient Chinese as a remedy for headaches, indigestion, and depression. In recent studies, it was found that green tea can be a potential cure for cancer and several other major diseases as well.

However, the merits of green tea is not only restricted to medicine. It has been found that certain properties found in green tea makes it an excellent organic alternative to weight loss supplements.

The use of green tea extract in weigh loss supplements was spurred by the recently concluded study by American and Swiss scientists at the University of Geneva. Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, their study showed that green tea has a lot of antioxidants that can cause an increase in energy expenditure of the body. This led them to surmise that green tea extract can become a potential weight loss supplement.

Green tea weight loss supplements contain both caffeine and the chemical epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). When these two substances in green tea react to each other, metabolism rates increase along with the body’s 24-hour energy expenditure. Green tea’s EGCG also triggers the release of the hormone noradrenaline, an appetite-suppressant.

Green tea weight loss supplements can boost the body’s metabolic rates, thereby increasing the rate by which fat and calories are burned. Green tea weight loss supplements can also stimulate the body into burning fats faster, leading to more fats being turned into energy. According to a recent study published in Phytomedicine, a journal on the health benefits of plants, people who take in green tea extract as weight loss supplement ideally lose about two-and-a-half pounds a month.

Green tea weight loss supplements come in standardized tablets or capsule forms. For best results, choose a green tea weight loss supplement that contains ninety milligrams of EGCG and fifty milligrams of caffeine. Green tea weight loss supplement is normally taken three times a day before meals. Even though green tea weight loss supplements have no adverse side-effects, it is still advisable to consult medical advice before taking them.

Green Tea Weight Loss Patches

In the mood for a sticky diet?

The hysteria on low carb diet has brought the onset of several dieting products that are based on low carb approaches.  One of the newest products to hit the dieting market are weight loss patches.

Inspired by the success of nicotine patches marketers struck on the idea that weight loss patches may work the same way. Weight loss patches are basically designed for people who forget to take their regular dosage of weight loss supplements or capsules. With weight loss patches, a person will no longer need to take pills as he will have a 24-hour supply of weight loss substance stuck to his skin.

Weight loss patches are commonly made from such ingredients as algae and seaweed which are known appetite-suppressants. Later studies on weight loss and diets led to the use of green tea as a weight loss patch. 

Green Tea as Weight Loss Patches 

As far back as the Ming dynasty and perhaps even earlier than that, green tea has been used as herbal remedy and overall health drink in China. In recent times, speculations on the use of green tea as a possible remedy for cancer have arisen due to the discovery that the polyphenol substance found in green tea can stop cancer cells from growing.

The polyphenols in green tea weight loss patches also have other uses. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that green tea polyphenols can speed up the metabolic rate of the body. With this recent discovery, several companies specializing in pharmaceutical products have started introducing green tea into the market as a supplement either in the form of diet pills or weight loss patches.

Green tea weight loss patches are a better alternative to other products since they have no adverse side-effects. Other substances that induce weight loss like ephedra may increase heart rates which could lead to cardiovascular complications.

Green tea weight loss patches are good for people with high LDL, the bad cholesterol found in the body. Because the antioxidants in green tea weight loss patches destroy LDL cholesterols while at the same time enhancing the good cholesterol levels in the body, a balance in the body is achieved which could only lead to overall good health and well-being.

Green tea weight loss patches works in two ways. First, they suppress appetite naturally and safely. A study at the University of Chicago showed that rats when injected with green tea can lose up to 21% of their bodyweight. This is due to the fact that a substance present in green tea acts as a natural appetite-suppressant that staves off hunger.

Green tea weight loss patches also increase metabolism. With their high epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) content, green tea weight loss patches have a distinct advantage over stimulant diet drugs which can be harmful to individuals with hypertension and heart complications.

Green Tea for Weight Loss?

Green tea has always been known to have several health benefits, but who knew that it could contribute to weight loss as well?

A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition show that green tea extract can increase metabolism and fat oxidation of the body. In theory, scientists believe that the weight loss benefits of green tea extracts are due to their caffeine content but the results of the study show otherwise as they discovered that green tea extracts have weight loss benefits beyond that of caffeine.

In their study, the researchers administered alone the same amount of caffeine as that in green tea extracts but found that it did not make any significant changes in the body’s overall energy expenditure. This led them to conclude that green tea extracts have ingredients in them that actively interact with each other, promoting increased metabolism and fat oxidation that lead to weight loss.

Further findings indicated that a certain compound found in green tea extracts might be the ingredient that causes weight loss. These green tea extract compounds called Flavonoids may alter the way the body uses norepinephrine, a hormone that monitors how calories are burned. When flavonoids interact with other green tea extract ingredients, more calories are burned thus contributing to weight loss.

Another ingredient that actively contributes to the weight loss benefits of green tea extracts is the compound catechin polyphenols. These compounds also interact with other green tea extract ingredients in order to promote weight loss by fat burning and thermogenesis (a process of losing energy by daytime heat).

The great thing about the weight loss benefit of green tea extracts is that it does not have any adverse side-effects. Unlike other herbal products like ephedra and prescription drugs for obesity, green tea extract does not increase the speed of heart rates or raise blood pressure. In this regard, green tea extract is an effective and safer alternative to other weight loss products which may cause harm to the user.

The study conducted by the University of Geneva on the weight loss benefit of green tea extract implicated that green tea extract can also help thyroid patients. According to dietitian Lynn Moss, M.S., R.D., green tea extract is a healthier choice for people with thyroid who may be too sensitive to stimulants. Green tea extract can promote weight loss by increasing metabolism without over stimulating the adrenal glands.

A common beverage all throughout Asia, green tea has recently gained popularity in the West. Further researches were conducted to identify other health benefits of green tea extracts aside from weight loss. It was found that certain green tea extract compounds can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and even ulcers.