Green Tea Health Benefits

Tea Blog Tea Health Benefits

by Imperial Tea Garden September 23, 2017

Health Benefits from Green Tea

1. Green Tea Contains Bioactive Compounds That Improve Health

Green teais more than just hype! The bioactive compounds found in green tea leaves easily make it into your tea cup because they are water soluble. One of the more powerful compounds in green tea is the antioxidant Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG), which has been studied to treat various diseases and may be one of the main reasons green tea has such powerful medicinal properties.

Green tea is also loaded with polyphenols like flavonoids and catechins which function as powerful antioxidants. These substances can reduce the formation of free radicals in the body, protecting cells and molecules from damage. Free radicals are known to play a role in aging and are precursors to many diseases. That alone, is why you need to switch to drinking green tea.

2. Compounds in Green Tea Can Improve Brain Function

Containing a small amount of caffeine, green tea can help you perform tasks better and even improve brain function. Green tea doesn't contain as much caffeine as black tea or coffee but does provide enough caffeine to produce a response without causing the "jittery" effects associated with too much caffeine.

Caffeine acts on the brain by blocking an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine. This way, it actually increases the way neurons fire and the concentration of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine in our central nervous system. Caffeine has been intensively studied before and consistently leads to improvements in various aspects of brain function, including improved mood, reaction time and memory.

But that's not all... green tea contains more than just caffeine. It also has the amino acid L-theanine, which is able to cross the blood-brain barrier. L-theanine increases the activity of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, which has anti-anxiety effects. It also increases dopamine and the production of alpha waves in the brain. Caffeine and L-theanine may have synergistic effects, the combination of the two is particularly potent at improving brain function. Because of the L-theanine and the smaller dose of caffeine, green tea is great for concentration and mental clarity.

Many people report having more stable energy and being much more productive when they drink green tea, compared to coffee which can be attributed to the way caffeine and L-theanine work together.

3. Green Tea Increases Fat Burning and Improves Physical Performance

If you look at the ingredients list for any fat burning supplements at your local health store, chances are that green tea will be a listed ingredient. This is because green tea has been shown to increase fat burning and boost metabolic rate. Caffeine has also been shown to improve athletic performance by mobilizing fatty acids from the fat tissues and making them available for use as energy and has been shown to increase physical performance.

Which brings us to our next point. Not all green teas are created equal! We listed the polyphenol content in some of our most popular green teas so you can compare them with your current loose leaf tea.

Here is our list of some top rated green teas from Imperial Tea Garden....Where does your Online Tea Store rate!

Drink the Best Green Tea:

Drinking quality loose leaf tea is a simple alternative to giving your body healthy antioxidants but not all teas have the the same level of antioxidants. Choose one of our top rated loose leaf green teas from Imperial Tea Garden and Taste the Difference!