Green Tea Makes You Smarter

If you have been drinking green tea for a while than you already know this, you have probably been feeling sharper, more alert and better able to concentrate. But now science has proved that long term green tea drinking is good for the brain. And its not just the caffeine.

In a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, a team of Japanese researchers from the Shimane University Faculty of Medicine found that the learning ability of rats was improved after four weeks of administration of green tea. The rats were tested against non green tea drinking rats on mazes that are scientifically designed to test you memory and reference learning. The green rats significantly improved in both, compared to the control rats.

HERE IS THE STUDY

So lets be smart rats here at the Tea Temple. Now that it is proven that green tea is actually able to make you smarter, its time to take it a little more seriously. The researcher in the study also found that it was the antioxidants in green tea that were able to protect the brain, that caused this effect to cognitive function, particularly EGCG. High quality loose leaf green teas like the ones I sell here at the tea temple have much higher levels of antioxidants than bagged or generic teas. Do your brain a favor and get some real green tea.

The Cure for Swine Flu

No, it's not green tea, but it is an herb. Researchers in Taiwan recently discovered that the spice asafoetida, a common ingredient in Indian curries and Iranian cuisine has the ability to stop swine flu in it's tracks. The extract, made from the root of asafoetida, was able to effectively stop the replication of the swine flu virus. So go get some, it's like $1.99 at any Indian grocery.

HERE IS THE ARTICLE

Green tea, however, has been shown to fight viruses as well. In a study done in Quebec, researchers found that high levels of the catechin in Green Tea called EGCG was able to inhibit several stages of viral infections. So, after you go out and get yourself some asafoetida, come back here and get some green tea.

HERE IS THE STUDY

You can put asafoetida in food, but it's is strong, so use it sparingly. Green tea , however, is delicious all day long and the results of using it just get better with time. So stock up on some bulk green tea today and get ready for swine flu season.

Green Tea may Prevent Strokes

Just another reason to become a green tea addict, my friends. New research from Sri Lanka shows that consumption of green tea protects the brain from free radical damage that is thought to be one of the predisposing factors in a stroke.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Doctors at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, in Nugegoda, Sri Lanka studied the effects of of flavanoids from a type of green tea grown in Sri Lanka on epithelial cells in the human brain. The flavanoids were determined to help protect the cells from oxidative stress.

READ THE STUDY HERE

Green tea may just be the best overall daily tonic to help your body fight off and prevent many of the degenerative and infectious diseases that plague modern life. But the best thing about drinking green tea daily is that it tastes great and it makes you feel good, it actually puts a spring in your step. So, take a look at my selection of fine and high quality loose leaf green teas here at the tea temple and at the the daily ritual of drinking green tea to your routine

Green Tea May Slow Prostate cancer

Breaking news, my fellow teatotallers. In a brand new study published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, researchers have found that some of the active ingredients in green tea has been able to slow and even stop the growth of tumors in male prostate glands.

HERE IS AN ARTICLE IN THE LA TIMES

The study on the effects of green tea consumption on prostate cancer was done at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, and involved 26 men with diagnosed prostate cancer who were given an isolated compound from green tea called Polyphenon E which contains high amounts of EGCG, the catechin that is reported to be responsible for much of green teas active effects.

READ THE FULL STUDY HERE

So, if you are new here welocom to my blog, the Tea Temple, where we aprreciate teas in its many different forms for its spiritual, traditional, plasant and medicinal qualities. Feel free to browse around and please make a selection from my large variety of green teas, oolong teas, white teas and black teas and remeber that I strive to choose only the higest quality, loose leaf green teas for my customers.

Green Tea and Cervical Cancer

It seems that the newest studies being done on the health benefits of green tea are aimed at proving that the mighty effects of green tea may be able to knock out the virus that causes cervical cancer in women. In a brand new trial, researchers are testing a dose that is equivalent to 8 cups of green tea on female volunteers that are infected with the Human Papillomavirus, the virus that leads to cervical cancer.

READ THE STORY HERE

If Green tea turns out to be effective against HPV and therefor becomes a viable alternative to vaccination and freezing of female cervixes; which is the current treatment for HPV and cervical cancer, than we can all raise a toast.

But, in truth you don't have to wait untill then, order yourself some high quality loose leaf green tea from the tea temple tea shop and drink eight cups yourself just to be on the safe side.

Jasmine Green Tea

One of the most popular ways to add flavor and aroma to green tea in by adding Jasmine flowers. There are several varities of Jasmine Green Tea available on the market, the most common being Jasmine Dragon Pearl, Jasmine Silver Needle, and Jasmine Flower green tea.

Jasmine Dragon Pearl is the most popular of these options and is made by curing the green tea leaves with jasmine petals several times untill the natural essential oil of the jasmine flower is absorbed by the tea leaves. The tea leaves are then rolled into balls, or pearls to preserve them and keep the jasmine scent from dissapating and are then packaged in airtight containers and are ready for sale. Jasmine Dragon Pearl green tea is one of my favorite everyday teas and is available at my tea shop.

Jasmine Silver Needle is made from larger tea leaves and also involves curing the tea in Jasimine blossoms. Jasmine Silver Needle is more expensive and is considered a rare tea.

Jasmine Flower Tea is a beautiful hand crafted tea that contains the blossom of the Jasmine flower within a round ball of tea that actually blooms when you steep it in hot water. This is a great tea for special occaisions and one ball of Jasmine Flower Blooming Tea can serve up to four people.

Other commonly found and sometimes reffered to simply jasmine tea and are usually made of low to common grade tea leaves simply mixed with jasmine petals. Beware, as some low end producers of Jasmine teas use artificial fragrances to scent their jasmine teas.

Lose weight with white tea

This video is a follow up to my last post about tea and burning fat. It is about white tea, which is a very delicious young leaf green tea, but oolong, (you may have seen the wu yi and wu long craze on the Internet) black, green and white teas all have these fat burning properties. And remember, the higher quality and fresher your tea the better in term of both taste and quantity of healthy antioxidants and polyphenols. So check out my great selection of loose leaf teas at my Tea Temple tea shop at the bottom of the page.

New Tea and Weight Loss Study

In a brand new study, published May 1, 2009, in the Journal of Nutrtition and Metabolism, researchers concluded that Tea, this time white tea, not only burned fat but inhibited its formation.

READ THE FULL STUDY HERE

White tea is made from the young leaves of the same tea plant that makes green and black teas. It is just more delicate and lighter than most green teas when brewed, but contains many of the same healthy antioxidants, polyphenols and other beneficial substances. These properties in green, white, oolong and black teas speed up your body's fat burning process and help to block fats from forming.

High quality, loose leaf, teas like I sell here at the Tea Temple Tea Shop contain the highest concentration of these beneficial antioxidants. So, whether you want to burn a little fat off your body or just get the best tasting and highest quality teas at the best prices on the Web, this is your place.

Don't take Green Tea Supplements

Before you shell out a bunch of money for the green tea wonder pill, full of catechins, polyphenols, antioxidants and other fancy and scientific sounding components, CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE HERE.

It seems that some of the pills, capsules and other supplements of green tea products on the market are contaminated with lead or not quite what they advertise themselves to be. And how could they be? They are pills, and there is nothing natural about a pill.

What these low brow scam artists that manufacture expensive green tea health supplements dont want you to know is that the amount of catechins, polyphenols and other health giving antioxidants that are present in green tea dont survive processing very well. In fact, High quality, loose leaf green tea is much healthier and much cheaper than any cheesy supplement that could be made in a lab. If you want to experience the health benefits of green tea for your self, leave the pills on the shelf where they belong and order some organic loose leaf green tea from me here at the Tea Temple, brew for 2-5 minutes in a french press or tea pot ( which I also sell) and drink a couple of cups a day. Throw those pills away. Its that simple.

Green tea and obesity

A study done at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia showed that not only did the catechins in green tea cause cancer cells to die but fats cells as well. The study, published in a journal called Obesity Reasearch, came to the conclusion that the catechins in Green Tea can and do act on mature fat cells; called adipocytes, the same way they do on cancer cells: they cause them to self destruct.
HERE IS A LINK TO THE STUDY

The conclusion that the reaserachers came to is that green tea could be an important part of the the treatment of obesity. Of course, this is a treatment you can do yourself at home.

Now, we see that, according to the researchers, it is the catechins that are responsible for green teas fat fighting effect. Catechins are a type of polyphenol antioxidant that are found in higher concentrations in the high quality loose leaf green teas like the kind I sell here at The Tea Temple. So, whether or not you are interested in letting green tea help you burn off unwanted fat (it also helps with a ton of other conditions), you should take the time tyo look wround and pick out a couple of the great green, oolong or bloack teas that I have available at the best prices on the Internet.

Green tea and antibiotic resistant bacteria

In this day and age of ever evolving flus like the swine flu and new forms of infection that are resistant to antibiotics, there is lot to be learned from natural substances like green tea.

MRSA is a staph infection that was known for a while as the "superbug', because it could not be stopped by conventional antibiotic treatment. It spread through hospitals and schools through skin contact and was a cause for great alarm.

In a new study in Japan, elderly patients with MRSA infections in their respitory passages were given green tea catechins to inhale. That's right, they sniffed powdered green tea up their nose! But the conclusion found that reatment with green tea catechins reduced MRSA count!
HERE IS THE LINK TO THE STUDY

Catechins are a type of polyphenol found in green, oolong and black teas and are found in higher amounts in the high quality loose leaf green teas like the teas I sell here at the Tea Temple Tea shop. Please check out my great tea selection at the bottom of the page or visit mountain rose for bulk tea orders at a great price. But don't sniff the tea up your nose!

Green tea lowers cholesterol

Well it looks like green tea is good for your arteries and heart health as well as the many other health benefits I have covered on this blog. A new study in Japan, done on workers aged 40-69, came to the conclusion that consumption of green tea is associated with lower levels of serum cholesterol. YAY!
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STUDY

Another interesting fact covered in this study was that the effect on cholesterol levels seemed to level off at ten cups of green tea a day. What? Does this mean that each cup of green tea consumed daily brought more benefit up to the ten cup limit? If this is the case then we should all be drinking as much green tea as possible.

We all know that it is the antioxidants and polyphenols in green tea that gives it its health promoting benefits like lowering cholesterol levels. High quality loose leaf green teas, like the ones I sell here at the tea temple tea shop, contain the highest amount of these potent substances. So check out my list of great priced favorite green, oolong and black teas on the left or scroll down for my tea shop. If you would like to buy bulk teas at a great price visit my tea loving friends at mountain rose herbals by clicking the banner below.

Green tea and diabetes

Well we all may or may not know that coffee consumption is linked to a lower risk of typ 2 diabetes; the condition that used to be called adult onset diabetes unitill children started getting it too, but now we now that both gree and black teas have that effect too. HERE IS THE STUDY

It appears that the caffiene in tea and coffee is resposnsible for the up to 33% percent lowereed risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Since the caffiene in teas is mediatied by other polyphenols and antioxidants that dont have some of the jittery side effects that coffe has, drinking gree tea on a daily basis may be your best bet for warding off diabetes as well as the host of other health issues that I try to cover here on my tea blog.

My online shop, the tea temple tea shop has the best selection on the Internet of high quality, loose leaf, green teas so please take a look at my favorites over on the left, or click the right corner to go directly to the tea shop. For bulk teas and great deals on a variety of green, oolong and black teas; visit mountain rose by clicking the banner below.

Green tea and high blood pressure

Well it turns out that there is quite a controversy about whether green tea lowers high blood pressure or not. On one side you have the guys who say that caffeine, any kind of caffeine, will elevate blood pressure, but then there are a bunch of studies on mice and other models that show green and black teas to positively effect both blood pressure levels as well as hypertension and general cardiovascular health. You can judge for yourself, THIS GUY HAS A GREAT COMPILATION OF STUDIES ON GREEN TEA AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, but the fact remain that all highly antioxidant foods seem to positively affect artery strength, cardio functioning and over all physical health. So buy your polyphenol and antioxidant rich loose leaf green teas here at my tea temple tea shop.

Green tea protects the brain

In a new Japanese study, consumption of green tea was associated with a lower prevalence of cognitive impairment. The study was done on about a thousand 70 year old Japanese men and women who drank different amounts of green tea. The conclusion? "CONCLUSION: A higher consumption of green tea is associated with a lower prevalence of cognitive impairment in humans."
FULL STUDY HERE
This is awesome news!
It is the catechins and other polyphenols in green tea that are responsible for the majority of green teas health and protective qualities. All of the high quality loose leaf green teas that I sell here at the Tea Temple have the highest levels of these beneficial green tea compounds found on the Internet, and I hand pick my teas for the best prices. TO VISIT THE TEA TEMPLE TEA SHOP CLICK HERE

Green Tea and the Flu

Green tea should be your daily beverage of choice for so many reasons that it is impossible to list them all. But, a new Japanese study conducted on elderly in a nursing home found that gargling with a catechin extract of green tea significantly reduced that chances of catching the flu. Only one person in the green tea group caught the flu compared to five in the control group. So, in this day and age of germs and colds and killer flu's, those of us that drink our green tea may just be drinking away our problems. LINK TO STUDY HERE All of the high quality loose leaf green teas that I sell here at the tea temple are high in catechins and other polyphenols and antioxidants that protect you from unwanted troubles. So get yourself an ounce of two of your favorite loose leaf green tea and a portable teapot from my teashop and travel in style while you are protected from the elements. VISIT THE TEA SHOP HERE

The Famous Teas of China

You may have heard that the higher the quality of green tea the higher its health benefit. And that turns out to be right. This has been known throughout tea's history and in Ancient China, there was a development of a list of "Famous Teas" from different providences that were known for their superior quality, taste and health benefits.

You may have heard of the Wu-Yi tea that is now being touted all over the Internet as a weight loss miracle, and it is indeed one of the 'famous teas" of ancient china. What you may not know is that all green teas have weight loss properties and that Wu Yi is really an Oolong tea form the Wu Yi province of China. Oolong is a form of semi oxidized tea, somewhere between a green and a black, and in general has less of the polyphenols and catechins that you would find in a high quality green tea. Other 'famous teas' that have great health benefits include Dragon Well, or Lung Ching, which is widely consider the best of the list and which I sell here in its high quality loose leaf form, and Tai Ping Monkey King, a high quality green tea known for its exquisite taste and life enhancing health benefits.
Buy your high quality loose leaf green teas here at the Tea Temple, I have the best selection and best prices on great loose leaf green teas on the Internet.

Green Tea and Prostate Cancer

In a brand new study conducted by a team a researchers in Italy green teas was found to have positive benefits against prostate cancer. The researchers studied a group of men who were at high risk for developing prostate cancer and gave them green tea catechins daily. Only one man out of the 32 studied went on to develop prostate cancer compared to the control group who did not receive the green tea.Green tea was shown to prevent prostate cancer! Green tea catechins are much higher in high quality loose leaf green teas like the kinds I promote here at the tea temple. So, remember if you want the best benefits of green tea as well as the best taste be sure to buy high quality green teas with high catechin levels and drink you green tea on a daily basis.
HERE IS THE FULL ARTICLE

Green Tea protects against skin cancer

In a study done at the Harlem Hospital Center in New York city, dermatologists found that green tea protects against UVA induced skin damage in mice. A green tea polyphenol extract was applied topically to the mice before they were exposed to light radiation that usually causes redness, inflamation and skin damage including lesions and thickening up to two weeks after the exposure. The green tea extract reduced the inflamation by 70% and the skin thickening by over 90%. And what's more, even when the green tea was topically applied to the skin after the exposure, it still provided "significant protection from skin damage". Even when they added green tea to the drinking water of the mice up to week before the exposure to the UV rays it still protected the mice!
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Green Tea and Breast Cancer

A new study shows that women who consumed both green tea and mushrooms on a regular basis had a dramatically lower rate of breast cancer. The study was done in China, a country that only has about a quarter the cancer rate of the US, and was done on thousands of women who had breast cancer. The study found that a woman's chance of getting breast cancer became just %10 of the world average when both mushrooms and green tea were part of her diet on a regular basis. I don't know how much of this was due to the mushrooms and how much was due to the green tea but the fact that something as serious as breast cancer could be so dramatically affected by such low cost items like tea is amazing. If you are interested in quality medicinal mushrooms CLICK HERE FOR MY MUSHROOM STORE
Or to read the full article on green tea, mushrooms and breast cancer- CLICK HERE.

Green Tea is good for your dental health

A brand new study at the Kyushu University in Japan showed that people who drink green tea daily had much healthier teeth and gums than those who didn't. In fact the scientist in charge of the study said that the overall health of the teeth and gums of the green tea drinkers was "superior" compared to the non green tea drinking control group. The green tea drinkers scored better in three different factors for periodontal health and overall had a much lower rate of periodontal disease. The study linked the anti-oxidant catechin with the improved dental health saying that it is a supreme inflammation fighter and anti-bacterial compound and is resposible for many of the benefits of drinking green tea.
LINK TO FULL ARTICLE HERE

Drink Green Tea Everyday

Green tea is beneficial for your body and mind in so many ways that it should be enjoyed every day. Three to four cups are the ideal amount. Green tea has been shown to help you lose weight, fight cavities, benefit the heart, clear the skin, fight cancer, boost the immune system and even improve your mood. So get yourself dsome quality whole leaf green tea and a teapot and add the ancient ritual of tea to your daily routine.

Studies prove that green tea is medicinal.

Two studies find that green tea is a powerful medicine on par with over the counter medication.
A new study German study found that green tea is good for the skin . The participants has both black and green teas extracts placed on their skin for a period of a couple weeks. Both groups showed strong anti-imflamation effects and antibacterial qualities but the green tea showed results faster and stronger. So, green tea used topically is a great natural ant-bacterial and can even help with inflammation. this is on top of its ability to fight skin cancer cells.
A new Japanese study showed that people who drank 5 cups or more green tea a day were significantly less likely to die than people who just drank one. this is amazing because the study was done on a huge group of people and the extra longevity was attributed to the green tea and nothing else. So the legend of green teas power to extend life and retain youthfulness are true.

So buy some high quality green teas form the tea temple tea shop and create your own green tea medicinals.

A tour of a green tea farm.

Green tea is still hand harvested in parts of China and Japan. This is a beautiful tour of a working tea plantation in the mountains.