The news today is all about the rapid march of the Chinese economy which it seems likely will shortly overtake all but the very largest Western nations. But is there a danger that in importing Western affluence the Chinese may also import Western levels of the characteristic diseases of affluence - obesity, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, even cancer?
Perhaps, but probably not, so long as traditional Chinese medicine retains its focus on promoting the balance and harmony of the entire human organism; on unleashing and then harnessing the body's own incredible healing powers.
In fact the ever increasing popularity of Chinese medicine in the West is evidence of the wisdom of this approach. And fortunately there's isn't no need for you wait until you're ill or consult a specialist practitioner to derive the benefits of the Chinese approach to health. As simple a change as incorporating a few cups of tea a day in your routine will over time deliver dramatic improvements in your well being.
Tea became widely known in China during the Tang dynasty (AD 618-907) and was quickly prized for its health promoting qualities, but there is evidence that its benefits have been known to the enlightened for at least four thousand years. In fact legend tells of a stray camellia blossom, drifting on the breeze one day in 2737 BC, which found its way into the Emperor Shen Nung's steaming drinking water and quickly infused it with all the characteristic refreshment and invigoration we associate with tea.
So renowned did the properties of this simplest of beverages become that detailed rules of etiquette for its correct consumption emerged, culminating in the publication of Lu Yu's "The Classic Art of Tea". This famous poet and Buddhist priest laid down strict procedures for the preparation and serving of the perfect cup of tea. The water for the brew had to come from a gently flowing stream and be combined with leaves in a fine porcelain cup. The resulting brew was ideally to be drunk next to a lily pond in the company of a beautiful woman.
But despite Lu Yu's best efforts, the Chinese never developed the kind of highly formal and complex tea ceremony characteristic of Japan. In the centuries following the publication of his work, however, tea's popularity spread rapidly throughout China. "Rather three days without food than a day without tea" became the saying, as news of its benefits reached the remotest corners of the vast empire. Books and poems were composed in its honour; Emperors gave particularly prized samples as gifts, and the teahouse became a familiar feature of countless cities, towns and villages.
So just what are the health benefits of drinking tea? The Chinese knew it from earliest times first as a stimulant to good digestion when consumed after a meal, stimulating the absorption of nutrients from food. Tea is also known as a powerful anti-oxidant and detoxifying agent helping to flush toxins from the body. These qualities alone, common to all teas, would be more than enough to make it a very valuable health supplement. But there's more, much more, to green tea than this.
What makes green tea different from the black varieties with which we're all so familiar, since all are derived from the camellia plant, is the method of production. Crucially, leaves for green tea are steamed rather than fermented, preventing the oxidation (ie destruction) of the vital EGCG compound which gives green tea its power. If you'll forgive a little scientific jargon, EGCG is short for Epigallocatechin Gallate, one of a number of catachin polyphenols that occur naturally in tea. But what's important to know is that EGCG is a very powerful anti-oxidant, the preservation of which has been indicated by research to make green tea anything up to ten times more potent than the more common fermented varieties.
This is not an academic difference. In fact today's western science is increasingly confirming the health benefits long claimed for the consumption of green tea. And amazing as it may seem, EGCG and related compounds in green tea appear directly to target the most common killer diseases commonly attributed to western affluence and diet. A striking example is the case of the so-called "French paradox". Medical science had long been puzzled by the relatively low incidence of heart disease in France, despite its traditionally high fat national diet. But then it was discovered that the red wine also widely enjoyed in France contains significant quantities of resveratrol, another ant-oxidant polyphenol credited with protective powers against the effects of a fatty diet.
The really good news is that a 1997 study at the University of Kansas demonstrated that EGCG is up to twice as powerful as resveratrol. Other research has credited EGCG with the ability to reduce total levels of cholesterol as well as improving the ratio of "good" (HDL) cholesterol to "bad" (LDL) cholesterol; and to protect against abnormal blood clotting.
This kind of thrombosis is a major risk factor for both heart attacks and strokes - still two of the biggest causes of premature death and disablement in the western world.
But there's more good news yet, because if there's one single disease that's most characteristic of Western society today it must sureluy be obesity; as alook around yourlocal gym or shopping mall will quickly confirm. And in truth, many ot hteother killer diseases of affluence, most notably diabetes and cardio-vascular problems, have chronic obesity at their root. So can green tea help with this all too common health problem? Well Swiss research published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in November 1999 suggests that it can. The research concluded that green tea possessed thermogenic properties and promoted fat metabolism at a faster rate than could be explained by its caffeine content alone. Or in layman's terms, green tea is a powerful fat burner which can be a very useful tool in any weight loss program.
But perhaps most excitingly of all, there's increasing evidence that the anti-oxidant effects of green tea may even have positive effects in the fight against cancer. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of a study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of oesophageal cancer in Chinese people by almost sixty percent. And University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that EGCG can directly inhibit the growth of cancer cells without apparently harming healthy tissue. This ground breaking study suggested that consumption of as few as four or five cups of green tea a day may have a significant inhibiting effect on tumour growth. Whilst earlier studies had also indicated the possible anti-cancer benefits of green tea, this was the first to isolate EGCG as the compound responsible - a major step forward.
If after reading all of the above you're just raring to add green tea to your daily dietary regime I wouldn't blame you at all. In fact I'd actively encourage you. But it's only fair to give you the whole picture. And that means pointing out that the consumption of large amounts of green tea could risk adding a significant amount of caffeine to your normal intake.
Let me put this in perspective though. A standard six to eight ounce cup of green tea will contain between 30 and 60 milligrams of caffeine. A similar size cup of coffee will likely contain more than 100 milligrams. So just replace a couple of cups of your normal coffee intake with your recommended four to five cups of green tea and your caffeine intake's going to stay level. But if you want to eliminate caffeine entirely then caffeine-free green teas are now becoming readily available.
So you can enjoy all the benefits cited above without any of the possible side-effects of caffeine and with ever increasing interest in the health promoting properties of green tea, new benefits are coming to light all the time. Already for example, the anti-oxidant (ie anti-ageing) qualities of the tea are being applied to the manufacture of skin care products.
Those may still seem a little far fetched to you right now, but in terms of your internal organism there's no longer any doubt that green tea is truly one of nature's great gifts - a very inexpensive but invaluable health booster.
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By : Stephen P Smith
