Did you ever realize that simply by drinking two cups of green tea can actually save you from so many health problems? The Chinese have been using it since ancient times for treating everything from headaches to depression. Green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years.

The process:

The Chinese are said to be the first ones to discover tea. China produces the world's finest green teas. At the time of Tang Dynasty wild tea was gathered and then processed which involved steaming the tea on a bamboo tray and grinding the tea into a fine pulp called tea mud. Then this mud was placed into moulds. After that the tea was pressed and left to harden. It was then transferred out of the mould, dried in the sun, and baked to prevent rotting. This is very different to how green tea is processed today. Green teas are rich in vitamin C. It is believed that they stimulate the spirit better than any other blend thus improving the abilities to think and meditate for prolonged periods without fatigue.

Benefits of Green Tea:

According to a research it has been estimated that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. The reason being that green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly EGCG-Epigallocatechin Gallate which is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol. It has also been effective in inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots.

Apart from this green tea has been claimed to be good for:

Stopping certain neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer
Preventing/ treating cancer
Burning fat and increasing metabolism
Treating rheumatoid arthritis
Treating Cognition
Lowering high cholesterol levels
Treating cardiovascular disease
Treating infection
For impaired immune function
Prevent tooth decay

How much should one take?

Different researchers claim different estimation of how much green tea should one consume. Some say that drinking ten cups of green tea per day would help you stay cancer-free for three years longer than if you drink less than three cups a day .Meanwhile, another study suggests that drinking four or more cups of green tea per day could help prevent rheumatoid arthritis, or reduce symptoms in individuals already suffering from the disease. It is also reported that breast cancer spreads less quickly, in women with a history of drinking five cups or more of green tea daily. A University of California study on the cancer-preventative qualities of green tea concluded that you could probably attain the desired level of polyphenols by drinking merely two cups per day. As green tea does not have any known side effects so you can drink according to what you think is the right amount for you.

Green tea has so many health benefits though Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant so what sets green tea apart from the other teas is the way it is processed. The tea leaves used for green tea are steamed or pan-dried immediately after picking, arresting bacterial growth and thus preventing the EGCG compound from being oxidized. Then they are rolled by hand to squeeze out excess moisture and to release flavor enzymes. On the other hand black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, as a result of which the EGCG compound gets converted into other compounds which is not effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.

So, get your green tea today and enjoy your drink!!