| Camellia sinensis (Green tea) |
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| Commonly known as Green tea, is a popular beverage all over the world. It has long been used Chinese medicine to treat various ailments. It is an evergreen shrub, native to India and China and it grows in higher elevations. Green tea is believed to be more beneficial than the black and red varieties because of the limited amount of processing it undergoes. The important chemical constituents in green tea are antioxidant polyphenols/ flavonoids catechins. The benefits of green tea flavonoid catechins for the heart are believed to be greater than that of red wine. Medicinal and pharmacological activities include: |
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Antioxidant activity: Green tea leaf extract contains EGCG, a powerful antioxidant 200 times more potent than vitamin E. |
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Hypolipidaemic activity: In healthy males there was a significant decrease in LDL-cholesterol compared to controls after 42 days of tea consumption (2 cups daily) without any effect on fasting plasma cholesterol levels. |
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| Safety Profile |
| Generally, green tea has little or no side effects at least upto 10 cups/day. However because it contains caffeine, excessive amounts may cause heart-related problems. |
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| Herb Drug interactions |
| Anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs- Both catechins and caffeine in green tea have been reported to have antiplatelet activity. Potentially, green tea might increase the risk of bleeding when used with antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs. Since caffeine has been shown to be associated with both an increase and decrease in blood glucose, concomittant use of green tea with antidiabetic drugs may interfere with blood glucose regulation. |
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| Selected relevant published references |
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Circulation J. 70(11): 1523, 2006 |
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Annals Clin. Biochem. 42(Pt4): 292-7, 2005 |
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J Atherosclerosis Thrombosis. 13(5): 247-55, 2006 |
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J Agricultural Food Chem. 54(26): 10159-63, 2006 |
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Clin. Exp. Pharmacol. Physiol. 33(12): 1184-9, 2006 |
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Chemico-Biological Interactions. 162(2): 157-64, 2006 |
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Vasc. Pharmacol. 44(6): 461-3, 2006 |
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Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes Essential Fatty Acids. 71(1): 25-31, 2004 |
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