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Picture of Green
Tea Leaf
Mt Fuji from tea garden,
Fujinomiya city, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan
u11919078 Passport Stock Royalty Free Photograph
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Bankoro, Noni, Immune System Builder |
Green Tea:
All types of tea (green, black, and
oolong) are produced from the Camellia sinensis plant using different methods.
Fresh leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant are steamed to produce green tea.
Common Names--green tea, Chinese tea, Japanese tea
Latin Names--Camellia sinensis
- What Green Tea Is Used For
- Green tea and green tea extracts, such as its component
EGCG, have been used as an herbal remedy and to prevent and treat a variety
of cancers, including breast, stomach, and skin cancers.
- Green tea and green tea extracts have also been used for
improving mental alertness, aiding in weight loss, lowering cholesterol
levels, and protecting skin from sun damage.
- Try our Herbal Remedy and Herbal Medicine:
- How Green Tea Is Used
Green tea is usually brewed and drunk as a beverage. Green tea extracts can be
taken in capsules and are sometimes used in skin products.
- What the Science Says about Green Tea
- Laboratory studies suggest that green tea may help
protect against or slow the growth of certain cancers, but studies in people
have shown mixed results.
- Some evidence suggests that the use of green tea
preparations improves mental alertness, most likely because of its caffeine
content. There are not enough reliable data to determine whether green tea
can aid in weight loss, lower blood cholesterol levels, or protect the skin
from sun damage.
- NCCAM is supporting studies to learn more about the
components in green tea and their effects on conditions such as cancer,
diabetes, and heart disease.
- Side Effects and Cautions of
Green Tea
- Green tea is safe for most adults when used in moderate
amounts.
- Green tea and green tea extracts contain caffeine.
Caffeine can cause insomnia, anxiety, irritability, upset stomach, nausea,
diarrhea, or frequent urination in some people. Caffeine can also raise
blood pressure, and in very high doses, it can cause seizures, delirium, or
irregular heart rhythms.
- Green tea contains small amounts of vitamin K, which can
make anticoagulant drugs, such as warfarin, less effective.
- Tell your health care providers about any herb or dietary supplement you are using,
including green tea. This helps to ensure safe and coordinated care.
What's an Herb? An herb is a plant or part of a plant used for its flavor, scent, or potential
therapeutic properties. Includes flowers, leaves, bark, fruit, seeds, stems, and
roots. Herbal medicine products are dietary supplements that people take
to improve their health. Many herbs have been used for a long time for claimed
health benefits. They are sold as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts and
fresh or dried plants. However, some can cause health problems, some are not
effective and some may interact with other drugs you are taking.
to improve their health. Many herbs have been used for a long time for claimed
health benefits. They are sold as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts and
fresh or dried plants. However, some can cause health problems, some are not
effective and some may interact with other drugs you are taking.
Dietary supplement is a
product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino
acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for
dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.
To use an herbal product as safely as
possible:
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Consult your doctor first
-
Do not take a bigger dose than the label
recommends
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Take it under the guidance of a trained
medical professional
-
Be especially cautious if you are pregnant or
nursing
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Why should I use herbal products?
The decision to use herbs to improve your
health is, as with all health decisions, a personal one. There are, however,
many good reasons to consider herbal products to complement your own
health care methods. One of the best reason, however, may be the fact that
herbs and herbal products, continue to provide real health benefits while
maintaining a remarkable safety profile. Readily available natural
substances were the first medicines used by humans. Primitive and ancient
civilizations as well as contemporary cultures throughout the world have
always relied on herbs to provide the benefits that have been observed with
their use. In fact, the World Health Organization has estimated that 80
percent of the world's population continues to use traditional therapies, a
major part of which are derived from plants, as their primary health care
tools. In our own time and culture, most herbs are available in the form of
"herbal supplements." These products are found in the form of teas, tablets,
capsules, liquid extracts, and others. We now have ready access to products
that bring the herbal traditions from all over the world in a variety of
convenient forms. In addition, scientific inquiries continue to develop our
knowledge of the benefits of plants, and often validate the observations
made over the past centuries.
Are herbs safe?
Plants that enjoy broad culinary and
therapeutic usage are generally safe. We can flavor our food with any number
of herbs to make a meal more flavorful. We can appreciate a delicious cup of
peppermint leaf or ginger root tea, or benefit from the soothing properties
of marshmallow root or the bark of slippery elm. We can take an herbal
supplement containing dandelion root or saw palmetto berries, or any number
of the other herbs. Although allergies and reactions have been recorded for
a few herbs that are widely used in foods and supplements, such individual
concerns are also seen with many foods, and do not diminish the safety
profile of the many herbs that are generally recognized as safe. On the
other hand, and as everyone knows, there are any number of plants that are
highly toxic, even deadly.
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