If you have eaten at an authentic Chinese restaurant, not the fast food stand-in-line type, you have probably been served a cup or pot of green tea.  The taste is usually mild and the color can vary from a light shade of green to a dark jade hue.  More importantly, however, the Chinese have known for thousands of years the healthy properties of green teas that contain phytogens.  The Green Tea shrub has been cultivated in China and Southeast Asia as a powerful anti-oxidant.  Western cultures have adopted green tea as a recreational beverage or when dining out.  The fact is that daily consumption of green tea is an effective anti-oxidant, strengthener of the immune system, and destroyer of free radicals. 

Free radicals can negatively affect body function, including brain and nervous system function, and can come from two major sources.  Environmentally, we can inhale or absorb them from the air and food we consume.  Elements, such as pesticides, fertilizers, carbon monoxide, smoke containing carcinogens, and metals, such as zinc, copper, iron, and mercury, are being taken into the body as we breathe and eat.  Without the eliminating process of these free radicals, the levels continue to finally putting the body into a state of toxicity and functional decline.  This can be the predecessor to cancers, neurological disorders, and system shutdowns of the heart, liver, and kidneys.

But the second source of free radicals is produced within.  Under stress, the body naturally produces oxidants that can lead to the same problems as ingesting them in our environment.  Internal stress can increase free radicals that can increase oxidants and toxins in the body.  Green tea, that contain phytogens, is an effective source for eliminating these oxidants and free radicals. 

Green tea can be ingested in two forms.  The first, and most popular, is liquid form.  One or two tea bags can be steeped in a one or two-pint pot of hot water.  An ounce of the tea leaves in a tea ball will also work.  Let steep for ten minutes and drink warm or cold.  Increase or decrease the potency of the tea to preference.

The second, and also popular, is the capsule form, 300mg per capsule.

Suggested taking the capsules is two capsules twice daily after meals with warm water for 4-6 months.

Positive factors of green tea.

• Anti-oxidant
• Anti-inflammatory
• Supports the body’s immune system

Contraindications of green tea.

• Contains caffeine
• Not to be taken when pregnant or lactating

Health and happiness,

John Sherman, PhD, OTR/L, CST