Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Green tea is very special - Jamaica Gleaner Online

Green tea is very special

Jamaica Gleaner Online

A TEA lover, Bernard-Paul Heroux, once wrote: "There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea."

Today, medical research clearly highlights the special health benefits of a specific tea - green tea, a drink made from the leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). The same plant produces green tea, black tea, and oolong tea, but because of the way it is processed, green tea is truly unique.

Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world besides water and has been used by man for millennia. Much of its benefits have been attributed to potent antioxidants found in the tea leaves called polyphenols. These substances are also found in smaller amounts in other plant foods like cocoa.

Recently, however, researchers have identified another substance that is found only in the tea plant. It is a special amino acid called theanine that accounts for the ability of tea to create relaxation while energising the drinker. Theanine is the predominant amino acid in green tea leaves and gives tea its characteristic taste while contributing to many of its other medicinal benefits.

You can read the entire article by following the link below:

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120124/news/news6.html

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