"Green tea is increasing in popularity, for those who are health-conscious as well as for people in the know about antioxidants and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Americans are now learning what people in the East have known for thousands of years: the powerful, healing powers of green tea.
Green tea has often been referred to as "antioxidant tea" or "health tea" and with a long list of matcha health benefits, it's easy to see why. Years of research has found that a high vitamin and antioxidant content have made green tea effective in treating stomach disorders, vomiting, and diarrhea, as well as calming nerves, raising good cholesterol while lowering bad cholesterol, and even preventing dental cavities. Perhaps most intriguing health benefit of matcha is green tea's ability to prevent cancer and to slow the process of aging....
Researchers have found that the antioxidant in green tea, EGCG, inhibits quinol oxidase or NOX, which is required for growth in both normal cells and cancer cells...The researchers found that, at certain levels, EGCG inhibited the production of NOX in cancerous cells and not on normal cells. Furthermore, by limiting the growth and development of the cancerous cells, the cancer cells did not grow to the minimum size required to divide and create new duplicate cells.
Because green tea is strongly associated with cancer prevention, one community cancer center offers a recipe for a delicious green tea smoothie. The recipe first calls for soy milk to be boiled over medium heat. Next, steep four green tea bags for approximately three minutes. Remove the bags and place the milk in the refrigerator to cool. Add two chopped peaches, four pitted and chopped dates, and half a sliced banana to the milk and puree in a blender until smooth."
