Description
Dr MB’s Camellia Sinensis Extract capsules
This 25:1 Extract of 700mg capsule gives equivalent to 17500mg of raw herb
Camellia sinensis is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea. It is of the genus Camellia of flowering plants in the family Theaceae.
You’ve probably heard a lot about the health benefits of drinking tea, especially the benefits of green tea, considered by many to be the ultimate “anti-aging beverage.” In Okinawa, Japan — one of the world’s “Blue Zones” that’s associated with longevity —drinking green tea daily is considered “essential.” A popular practice is sipping on a combination of steeped green tea leaves, jasmine flowers and a bit of turmeric throughout the day.
According to a report published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, “Tea is the most consumed drink in the world after water.”
What is green tea good for?
According to dozens of studies, regularly drinking this tea may reduce your risk of developing heart disease or Alzheimer’s, help you maintain better bone mineral density, ward off eye diseases that affect vision in older age, prevent strokes, and even extend your life.
What Is Green Tea?
What are different green teas made of exactly, and are they totally natural? Green, black and oolong teas come from the Camellia sinensis plant. Green tea consists of leaves that haven’t been fermented so they contain the highest level of antioxidants. For example, flavonoid antioxidants account for about 30 percent of the dry weight of green tea leaves.
Some of the antioxidants and healing compounds found in green tea include polyphenols, catechins and various other types of flavonoids — the same anti-aging compounds found in things like red wine, blueberries and dark chocolate. Despite that it does contain small amounts of caffeine, green tea consumption has been associated with more health benefits than even many of the healthiest foods available to us. Studies have found that the benefits of green tea are due to the fact this tea contains more healing compounds than many other herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables, truly making it a powerful “superfood.”
7 Benefits of Green Tea
What does green tea do once you drink it that promotes better health and longevity? The Mayo Clinic summarized some of the findings about green tea in 2008. A combination of epidemiological and population studies seem to suggest that the benefits of green tea may include:
- Reducing atherosclerosis and risk of heart disease
- Lowering blood pressure
- Reducing cholesterol levels
- Reducing inflammation in arthritis cases
- Improving bone density
- Improving memory
- Preventing cancer
Among many other benefits of green tea, below is more about some of the major perks associated with drinking this tea:
1. Helps Protect Heart Health
A great deal of evidence from randomised controlled trials suggests that consumption of flavan-3-ols and anthocyanidin antioxidants, the types found in green tea, is beneficial for metabolic and cardiovascular health. When it comes to preventing many of the risk factors for heart disease, such as having high blood pressure or cholesterol levels, some evidence shows that green tea contains 10 beta-blocking compounds, seven calcium channel blockers and 16 diuretic compounds. It also has more ACE-inhibiting properties than many other plant foods that are commonly consumed, which helps increase the amount of blood your heart pumps and lowers blood pressure.
According to a study published in the journal Chinese Medicine, many of the beneficial biological effects of flavonoids on heart health seem to be due to cell-signaling effects that lower inflammation. Not only do flavonoids have anti-inflammatory capabilities, but they’re also antithrombogenic, antidiabetic, anticancer and neuroprotective compounds.
2. Help Prevent Alzheimer’s or Memory Loss
In 2004, scientists at the University of Newcastle studied the effects of black and green tea on Alzheimer’s disease. In laboratory studies, both teas prevented the breakdown of acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter strongly linked with memory. The teas also inhibited enzymes known as BuChE and beta-secretase. These enzymes are found in protein deposits found in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients.
Japanese researchers published a study on green tea and its effect on the beta-amyloid protein plaques found in Alzheimer’s disease in the April 2008 issue of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. The protein plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease increase brain cell damage and death due to oxidative stress. The researchers found that green tea catechins reduced the level of damaging free radicals in the brains of rats. The green tea rodents showed much less plaque-induced deficits in memory compared to rodents that didn’t receive green tea and those that were infused with beta-amyloid proteins.
Scientists have also discovered that the antioxidants flavonoids may also protect the brain from oxidative stress. The scientists extrapolated that a human would need to drink about three liters of liquid infused with 0.5 percent of the catechins to get similar effects. However, because humans ingest other antioxidants in the form of vitamins and plant polyphenols, it’s likely that a much lower quantity could be effective in protecting memory.
3. Helps Protect Brain Cells From Free Radical Damage
In 2007, Salk Institute researchers found that the flavonoid epicatechin, found in blueberries, cocoa, grapes and tea, improved memory ability in mice. The researchers found that epicatechin seemed to promote blood vessel growth in the brain.
In 2009, King’s College researchers found that epicatechin may protect brain cells through mechanisms unrelated to its antioxidant ability, as epicatechin is one of the few flavonoids that can cross the blood-brain barrier. The King’s College researchers reported that somehow epicatechin protects brain cells from the negative effects of beta-amyloid plaques, although the exact mechanism of how this works is still not entirely know.
4. May Help Prevent Diabetes or Insulin Resistance
Certain studies indicate that intake of flavan-3-ols and/or anthocyanidins found in green tea may improve glycemic control and help normalize blood sugar levels. Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, green tea is believed to be beneficial for those who are at-risk or diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Green tea’s catechins, especially EGCG, appear to have anti-obesity and antidiabetic effects.
5. Promotes Bone Health
University of Hong Kong researchers published a study in the August, 2009 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry concerning green tea and bone health. When the bone cells of rats were exposed to green tea catechins, EGC in particular stimulated an enzyme that promotes bone growth by 79 percent. The catechins also increased bone mineralization and weakened the activity of cells that reabsorb bone rather than form it.
6. Prevents Eye Disease and Protects Vision
One study that was published in the February 2010 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry investigated the effects of catechins on eye diseases and found that consuming more catechins may help protect the eyes from oxidative damage and vision loss. Scientists involved in the study found evidence that catechins can pass from the digestive tract of rodents to the tissues of their eyes and reduce oxidative stress for up to 20 hours after ingestion.
7. Help Reduce Your Appetite
Does green tea really burn fat, and will drinking green tea help you lose more weight? According to some research findings, consuming antioxidants found in green tea, especially catechins and the compound called EGCG, may promote metabolic health and modestly prevent weight gain. When 11 studies and articles were included in one 2009 meta-analysis that was published in the International Journal of Obesity, researchers found that “catechins or an epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)-caffeine mixture have a small positive effect on weight loss and weight maintenance.”
Overall, EGCG’s effects remain somewhat controversial; some studies have found only modest effects on metabolism, while others have found that consuming more EGCG alone without other lifestyle changes does not do anything significant to improve body weight.
8. Lowers Cholesterol
It aids in treating high cholesterol, high triglycerides, hypertension, and stimulates immune functions. Green tea may actually lower the risks for arteriosclerosis. Research has shown that it guards against cardiovascular disease by lowering cholesterol levels, improving the ratio of LDL cholesterol to HDL cholesterol, reduces platelet aggregation (clumping or clotting of blood cells), and lowers blood pressure.
9. Combats fatigue and plaque
This herb eases mental fatigue and has been used in treating digestive tract infections. The Chinese often use it to treat migraine headaches. It can also help to prevent plaque buildup on the teeth, and since the leaves contain a natural fluoride, may be helpful in preventing tooth decay. Many of the medicinal claims made for green tea haven’t been examined outside a laboratory setting, specifically in clinical trials that assess the plant’s health effects in people. On the other hand, the pure research findings are exciting and there certainly appears to be no harm in integrating this extract into your daily diet.
10. Lose Weight
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition conducted a study in 1999 in which it was found that green tea extract significantly increased energy expenditure (a measure of metabolism), and fat oxidation in men who took a green tea extract as opposed to a placebo or caffeine alone.. The researchers felt that this study had wonderful implications for weight control. The study indicated a nearly 40% increase in daytime thermogenesis. In other words, dieters would burn 40% more fat during the day with Green Tea Extract. It can also help to regulate blood sugar and insulin levels.
11. Prevent cancer
The antioxidant EGCG sets in motion a process called apoptosis. Interestingly, the cell death that ensues only affects cancer cells, not healthy ones. EGCG may well enhance the body’s natural antioxidant system as well, encouraging the elimination of damaging oxygen molecules called free radicals.
Hasan Mukhtar, Ph.D., professor at Case Western Reserve University and a prominent researcher in this area, believes there is:
“a strong indication that green tea is protective for prostate as well as esophageal and stomach cancers.”
Green tea and reduced cancer risk
In a large-scale study of more than 35,000 post-menopausal Iowa women (American Journal of Epidemiology, 7/96), those who drank two or more cups of tea daily were less likely to develop cancers of the urinary or digestive tract.
