Green Tea: Antioxidants in a Cup

44 Pages·2000·0.74 MB·English

by  Diana Rosen

Green Tea:
Antioxidants in a Cup
Adapted from The Book of Green Tea,
by Diana Rosen
CONTENTS
Introduction
The Everyday Pleasure of Tea
Is Green Tea Really Good for You?
The Chemical Breakdown
Tea Reduces Cancer Risk
Tea Delays the Aging Process
Tea Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease
Buying Green Tea
How to Store Tea
Brewing a Perfect Cup of Green Tea
Specialty Green Teas
Mail-Order Resources
Introduction
I began my life in tea as most North Americans do, thinking of “real” tea as that
golden red-brown liquid into which one pours a dollop of milk and a spoonful or
more of sugar. As my circle of tea acquaintances grew, I was introduced to tea
“plain,” and my appreciation grew to embrace the briskness of a Ceylon, the
dark sweetness of a Yunnan black, the complexity of a genuine single-estate
Darjeeling.
With great fortune, my first experiences with green tea were ideal, for I was
introduced by an avid and experienced Chinese teaman who served me in his
own authentic Chinese teahouse. Tea was offered in a covered cup, curved
slightly inward to fit even the smallest hands and placed atop a matching saucer
that kept the hot cup from harming the hands. A domed lid was used as a paddle
to push the fresh green leaves back and forth until they gave up their sweetness
and provided me with their ambrosial nectar.
I was in love. I quickly and enthusiastically embraced the Chinese styles of
preparation, acquiring the accoutrements one by one until my tea cabinet was
full of their beauty.
The more I drank green tea, the more appreciative I was. The more varieties I
experienced, the more astonished I became that this innocent leaf could be dried,
steamed, or lightly pan-fired, and shaped in countless ways, always with the
same result — pure pleasure. It was easy to understand the teaman’s demands for
beauty both in the dried state and in the infused leaf.
The Everyday Pleasure of Tea
The Chinese greet friends with, “Have you leisure time to have tea with me?”
The result will be relaxed, happy hours drinking your favorite teas while talking,
perhaps engaging in a clattering mah-jongg game or listening to finches chirp
sweetly as they swing in bamboo cages hanging from the ceiling of the teahouse.
If you are really fortunate, you may stumble into a teahouse where traditional
storytellers spin their centuries-old tales, which are sometimes more intoxicating
than wine!
For the Japanese, green tea is an everyday pleasure drunk with morning rice
(or even poured over it), served with other meals and to visitors, and, on
important occasions, served much more elegantly at the formal tea ceremony
called chanoyu. This way of tea never ceases to transport me, to offer a long-
lasting spiritual vacation, to take me to a place of calm and serene attitude that
derives solely from watching the ballet of chanoyu, in which the simplicity of
water and leaf is elevated to pure art.
For the Vietnamese, Indonesians, and those in other tea-growing countries in
the Pacific Rim, green tea is the everyday tea, ranging from the straightforward,
even blunt taste of a roughly processed green to that world of savoring just
beyond exquisite that comes from drinking the most cherished, most tenderly
handled teas in the world.
To the Nepalese, Indians, and Sri Lankans, especially those dedicated to
organic tea farming, their green teas bring many health-giving properties and
nearly infinite tasting pleasures, without sacrificing the indescribable qualities
that make the Nepalese, Indian, and Ceylonese teas endlessly satisfying to the
palate.
The Ten Virtues of Tea
Myo-ei Shonin of Togano-o once wrote on his kettle what he considered
the virtues of tea: 1. Has the blessing of all the deities 2. Promotes filial
piety 3. Drives away the devil 4. Banishes drowsiness
5. Keeps the five viscera* in harmony 6. Wards off disease
7. Strengthens friendships 8. Disciplines body and mind 9. Destroys
passions
10. Gives a peaceful death *The liver is said to like acid taste, the lungs
pungent, the heart bitter, the spleen sweet, and the kidneys salt.
Is Green Tea Really Good for You?
Happily, I can say that not only is tea enjoyable, it’s good for you. For centuries,
China has praised the health benefits of its native plant. Scientists around the
world have researched and examined the leaf exhaustively, and they feel now
that they know some of the reasons this simple beverage does so much. Tea
provides benefits for bones and teeth. Its vital chemical compounds have been
found to fight cancer, help stabilize diabetes, and do much to prevent
cardiovascular disease. Tea can even make your skin healthier and prettier.
And the most beneficial, most healthful tea is the barely processed leaf from
the Camellia sinensis bush — green tea.
How does a brew from one plant do so much? That is our story. May it bring
you information pure and simple, and pleasures small and great.
One cup does all disorders cure; with two your troubles will be fewer;
three to the bones more vigor give; with four forever you will live as
young as on your day of birth, a true immemorial on the earth.
The Medical Stamp of Approval
For thousands of years, healers and monks have noted the many benefits of tea,
particularly green tea — its ability to offer refreshment, increase alertness, and
stave off disease.Yet it is reassuring to know that pharmacologists, chemists,
physicians, nutritionists, and others in the field of health science are recognizing
the health-giving properties of tea when used consistently all through life.
Studies of tea’s value to maintaining good health have been reported in
medical journals throughout the world. Most notable have been studies
conducted by the Journal of the Japanese Society of Food Science and
Technology, Tufts University, Harvard University, the National Cancer Institute,
and U.S. teaching hospitals such as Johns Hopkins and Reed College. All of
these studies concur on one point: Green tea is an inexpensive, healthful drink
with possible long-range benefits, especially if taken daily throughout one’s life.
The studies suggest that green tea may help lower the risk of cancer, inhibit
aging, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, help lower blood-sugar levels,
fight viral infections, and even prevent cavities, bad breath, and gum disease.
While drinking green tea will certainly cause no harm, the best reason to drink it
is that it does have time-tested benefits such as antioxidation of fats and possible
anti-cancer properties.
Fighting Free Radicals
Excerpted from Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbs for Longevity & Well-Being, by Rosemary Gladstar (Storey Books, 1999)
Studies have shown that more than 60 major disorders — and possibly
even aging itself — have the same cause: oxidation, or free-radical
formation. Free radicals occur when cellular atoms break down, losing
electrons in the process. In an attempt to stay balanced, a free radical
“borrows” an electron from a neighboring atom, which in turn also
“borrows” from a neighboring atom, setting up a cascading effect of
electron thievery that can erode cell membranes and alter genetic material
through oxidation, ultimately causing the breakdown of cells and tissues.
Free radicals are formed as part of the body’s normal metabolic process
and perform a number of important activities that promote well-being.
They help keep inflammation in check, fight bacteria, and regulate normal
activity of the blood vessels and organs by keeping the smooth muscles in
tone. However, daily exposure to stress and irritants — from pollution and
cigarette smoke to poor dietary choices and electromagnetic fields —
stimulates the body to produce an overabundance of free radicals.
Antioxidants are chemicals produced by the body to keep free radicals
in check. They accomplish this by circulating throughout the system and
neutralizing unpaired electrons, rendering them inactive. However, if the
body is unable to produce enough antioxidants to meet the demands caused
by excessive stress factors, free radicals continue to multiply, increasing
the susceptibility to illness.
Supplements and food sources rich in antioxidants support the body’s
inherent ability to produce antioxidants and have a marked effect on the
body. One of the richest sources of antioxidants is green tea.
The Chemical Breakdown
Many pharmacologists and physicians now recommend three to four cups of
green tea per day for such possible benefits as described. However, significantly
more may be needed to achieve positive effects. Do not self-prescribe, especially
if you are a heart, diabetes, or cancer patient.
The percentages listed below are the amounts found in dry tea leaves. In
addition to these compounds, there are about 500 aromatic oils in the leaves of
tea, which contribute to both aroma and taste and vary depending on the area in
which the tea is grown. Pigments found in green tea are primarily green from
chlorophyll; some red and yellow pigments are derived from anthocyanins and
flavones.
WHAT’S IN GREEN TEA?