Green tea strengthens the immune system thanks to vitamin C, caffeine and the catechin EGCG
-I. What is green tea?
Green tea, like black tea, comes from the Camellia sinensis tea plant. The important thing about green tea is that it is not fermented. This means that green tea is heated briefly after picking to minimize the oxidation of the tea leaves. This heating can be carried out by different methods, in the oven, by roasting (for example in pans, as in the Japanese Tamaryokucha) or by briefly steaming the leaves.
The important thing about heating is that almost all the important active ingredients that the tea leaves have are retained, in contrast to black tea, where oxidation is explicitly desired and some of the active ingredients are converted into flavorings, for example. Finally, the tea leaves are rolled, both for green tea and black tea.
I.e. green tea is a non-fermented tea, which, due to its special production, contains various important active ingredients that strengthen the immune system. But which active ingredients are they exactly and what do they do?
II. Why does green tea strengthen your immune system?
Green tea is said to have positive effects on the immune system, primarily due to three active ingredients or groups of active ingredients: vitamin C, caffeine and the catechins.
II.1. Green tea and vitamin C.
Green tea contains various vitamins, including also vitamin C. The vitamin C concentration depends on the production of the green tea. Many of the Japanese green teas, for example the Bancha, Sencha and the Gyokuro already mentioned, contain a relatively high proportion of vitamin C. Many high-quality Chinese green teas also have high values.
Vitamin C is considered an important antioxidant. Among other things, it promotes the absorption of iron in the body, liver detoxification and helps in cholesterol reduction. Across the board, vitamin C is said to have a positive effect on the immune system and reduces the risk of disease in numerous bacterial and viral diseases.
II.2. Green tea and caffeine
Green tea contains caffeine, but the concentration also depends very much on the production of the green tea. In particular, the Japanese shade tea Gyokuro has an extremely high caffeine content, while, for example, the Kukicha, a Japanese green tea that only consists of stems and leaf trusses, has a very low caffeine content.
In moderate doses, caffeine stimulates the body. This stronger arousal is reflected in an increase in the heart rate, and also in a strengthening of the central nervous system. An important effect of caffeine is also a partial enlargement of the bronchi, in order to highlight only some of the effects.
II.3. Green tea and the catechins
Green tea contains a variety of different catechins. These are herbal substances with a high antioxidative potential. Epicatechin (EC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), epigallocatechin (EGC) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) are particularly common in green tea.
The EGCG in particular is of great importance for the human immune system. It makes up about a third of the dry mass of green tea. Studies have already shown it to be an effective remedy for the influenza A virus. EGCG also plays an important role in current cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis research, as well as in the potential prevention of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. I.e. the EGCG can have various positive effects on the immune system. Here, too, the Japanese Gyokuro has one of the highest EGCG concentrations among green teas.
II.4. Green tea sustainably strengthens the immune system thanks to vitamin C, caffeine and EGCG
The explanations show that green tea can make a decisive contribution to a strong immune system. With a moderate dosage, both vitamin C and caffeine as well as the EGCG as the most important of the catechins contained can bring about an important strengthening of the immune system.
However, it should also be mentioned that the active ingredients should be taken in naturally if possible, i.e. by consuming green tea and not by ingesting food supplements that contain EGCG and vitamin C, for example. The body can process the active ingredients much better because you can gradually get into the body by drinking the tea and not directly in high concentration through a pill.
III. Does green tea help against the Corona Virus (COVID-19)?
In the current situation, many are looking for “home remedies” to fight the new corona virus COVID-19. Unfortunately there are also many so-called “fake news” on the net. It is a fact that no vaccine against the novel corona virus has been developed at the time of this article, even though many research teams worldwide are working feverishly on it. Anyone who now claims that their product helps against Corona just wants to make the pandemic commercially successful.
To put it very clearly: There is no green tea against the Corona Virus or COVID-19 (not even in pill form)!
However, what is important is the circumstances that are now accompanying this pandemic. And this means above all the restrictions of public life and the restriction of the individual mobility of people. This, combined with a diet focused on durable instead of fresh food (because only these can actually be bunkered in the current “hamster purchases”) can lead to an undersupply of the body with important vitamins and antioxidants and can permanently weaken the immune system.
A weakened immune system is generally problematic, and is even more critical with regard to the new type of corona virus. For this reason, it is important to eat as well as possible despite all the restrictions so that the immune system continues to be strengthened despite these framework conditions.
In addition to other foods, green tea can make a decisive contribution to strengthening the immune system. The reason for this is the high proportion of vitamin C, caffeine and especially EGCG and their positive effects on the human organism.
IV. How do I differentiate between good and bad green tea?
IV.1. Granularity of the tea
The main distinction is the granularity of the tea. To put it straight: tea bags are not an option. The fine tea dust (also referred to in the technical term as “dust”), which is found in most commercially available tea bags, contains almost no remains of the active ingredients mentioned. In addition, some of the tea bags are still industrially bleached, which is not exactly a health benefit either. Conclusion: You should always use loose green tea and not tea bags!
IV.2. Age of the tea
In addition, age is more important with green tea than with black tea. Green tea usually lasts 18-24 months, black tea significantly longer. So if you have 5-year-old green tea somewhere in your kitchen cupboard, there won’t be much left of the important active ingredients. Conclusion: Use relatively fresh green tea!
IV.3. Organic teas
Both conventional green loose teas and loose green organic teas contain the active ingredients mentioned. Nevertheless, the consumption of organic tea is recommended because it is grown without the use of pesticides. If you drink the tea already because of the strengthening of your own immune system, you should not gradually consume other pollutants. Conclusion: drink organic tea!
IV.4. Green tea is not the same as green tea
In order to fully develop the effect of green tea, you should therefore only use high-quality pure green tea in leaf quality if possible and not tea mixtures. The only exception here are tea blends in which the remaining substances also contain some of the active ingredients mentioned. For example, a green tea blend with lemongrass or lemon also ensures a good vitamin C balance. Basically, however, pure green teas, especially the Japanese Sencha and Gyokuro, and also the Japanese Kukicha for the evening (low in caffeine) are highly recommended.
V. How should I prepare my green tea?
Basically, it is recommended to prepare green tea only very briefly and not too hot. The exact brewing time and temperature depend on the respective green tea, but generally one speaks of 1-3 minutes brewing time and 60-80 ° C temperature.
This is exactly what vitamin C benefits because it is relatively sensitive to temperature and could no longer have such an effect at higher temperatures.
With the EGCG, however, this is exactly the opposite. Brewing times of up to 10 minutes are possible in order to have really large amounts of the EGCG in the infusion of green tea. However, a warning to all passionate tea drinkers (and those who want to become one): That tastes terrible ???? The catechins give off very intense bitter flavors with such a long brewing time, the green tea thereby becomes a rather dubious taste experience, but it enhances its health-positive Effect on the immune system.
VI. Conclusion: Drink more green tea to strengthen your immune system!
Thanks to important active ingredients (such as EGCG), green tea is one of the healthiest drinks we have in the world and one of the oldest at the same time. Unfortunately, many people are not yet aware of this. Properly prepared the right green tea can make an important contribution to healthy eating and in particular to strengthening the immune system. Pay particular attention to the high quality and freshness of the tea and only drink loose tea, no tea bags!
To put it bluntly, green tea is definitely not a cure for corona. However, it can be an important addition to the daily diet of each of us, especially in the current time during the corona pandemic and the limitations of social life, to strengthen our immune system!
If you still need high-quality loose green BIO tea, you can get this in our online shop at www.b-tealy.de.
This press release was published on the openPR press mailing list.
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