Originally published July 21 2005
Tea historically a natural source of health, healing
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
There are many legends about the origin of tea, but one thing remains constant: Tea is said to be a source of natural health and healing, and The Rising Nepal states that science supports the benefits of tea's ingredients.
In the East, in China, a popular legend has Chinese emperor Shen Nung "discovering" tea when some leaves from a nearby tea bush blew into a pot of water he was boiling for drinking water.
Whether you believe any of these stories or not, we do know that the leaves from this evergreen shrub have been consumed for over 4,000 years and that they have always been known for health.
In 1211 A.D., a Japanese monk named Eisai wrote a book called Maintaining Health by Drinking Tea in which he said, "Tea is a miraculous medicine for the maintenance of health.
Today, green tea is getting the majority of the press for its positive effect on health.
Polyphenols are members of the flavonoid family.
The polyphenols in green tea are recognised as anticarcinogenic, and this polyphenol content, along with the naturally occurring vitamin C, helps strengthen blood vessel walls.
In green tea, about half of the polyphenols are EGCG.
In animal studies with mice, ECG has been shown to reduce the rate of lung, skin and stomach cancer.
As a whole, human studies indicate that consuming green tea can lower the rate of esophageal cancer, mouth cancers and gastric cancers.
Surveys of Japanese tea drinkers show that those who consume four to six cups of green tea a day have lower levels of breast, esophageal, liver, lung and skin cancers than those who consume less green tea or none at all.
The catechin content of green tea helps to break down cholesterol and increase its elimination through the bowels.
Green tea helps to prevent dental decay by inhibiting the bacteria streptococcus mutans, which are responsible for plaque formation.
It has been used lukewarm on open wounds, acne, athlete's feet and sunburn, and appears to protect the skin from damage from ultraviolet radiation exposure.
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