The Wonderful Green Tea

Clever people those ancient Chinese, it's historically been used as an herbal remedy and really has stood the test of time. Let us take a look and see just why we should all be drinking the stuff.

Why the Color?

Green tea derives from the same plant (Camellia sinensis) as all other Tea but acquires its distinctive color from the way it's treated following picking. Normally tea is left to oxidize and turns brown as a consequence, but with green tea this oxidation process is prevented by steaming or pan frying the leaves to help retain all the health giving properties within the leaf. And of course it's color.

The Taste

Green tea has a light delicate flavor served without milk and normally without any sugar. Personally I found it a little bitter initially but have grown accustomed to this in much the same way as you would the bitterness in coffee. It's the tannins in the tea and coffee that cause this bitterness. Green Tea also makes a refreshing cold drink, with sugar or honey used to taste.

Health Benefits

Here are just a few of the "miracle" benefits of green tea, over and above the fact that it's a pleasant tasting drink:

· Reduce cholesterol

· Increase metabolism to aid a weight loss program

· Inhibit the formation of blood clots

· Prevent tooth decay and reduce plaque build up

· Helps reduce the impact of the common cold and flu

· Aids digestion if taken following a meal

· Contains more Vitamin C that 1 orange!

· Contains a variety of useful minerals such as zinc, potassium and follic acid

· Reduce bad breath

· Help regulate blood sugar

What Else Can It Do?

Additionally green tea can be used to help cleanse and freshen the face helping to speed the healing of minor cuts and blemishes. And is even used to clean computer disk drive heads as part of the disk production process, apparently it's unsurpassed in its ability to leave the disk heads 100% clear of dirt and dust particles.

Green tea has been used by the Chinese for over a thousand years for a variety of health reasons isn't it about time you tried some?