Green Tea Extract
It is a widely known fact that different varieties of tea including the medicinal green tea, come from the humble tea plant that goes by the scientific name of Camellia sinensis. The leaves of the plant, which are processed in different ways to give rise to the various types of green tea and black tea, can also be made into an extract that captures the essence of the plant.
“Green tea extract” is endowed with so many health giving and medicinal properties that it is often extolled as an excellent “nutraceutical”. A nutraceutical is, of course, a dietary component that confers both nutritional and medicinal benefits!
Even a cursory glance into some of the research reports about the beneficial effects of green tea extract allows us to appreciate the astonishing medicinal properties of the extract. Before exploring the health promoting properties of green tea extract, it is useful to have an idea about the chemical composition of the extract.
Green Tea Extract Health Benefits
Green tea extract is enriched in a special class of biologically active molecules known as catechins. Of the different catechins, the compound Epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG is found in high abundance in the extract. The diverse medicinal properties of EGCG are well documented and it is the primary bioactive constituent in green tea extract responsible for the majority of its positive health effects.
Green tea extract has shown highly potent anti-cancer properties in a range of experiments ranging from laboratory studies to clinical trials. A recent report from a small clinical study involving four cancer patients, showed that green tea extract was successful in significantly slowing down the progression of a form of blood cancer called CLL, in three of these patients.
Other laboratory studies have confirmed the ability of EGCG to prevent the spreading of cancer cells from their initial site to other secondary sites in the body. There is evidence to show that EGCG does this by preventing the growth o f new blood vessels in the primary tumor, thus effectively cutting off nutrient supply to the cancerous tissue.
Additionally, green tea extract is known to improve blood vessel function, lower the levels of bad cholesterol or “LDL” and therefore to contribute to improved blood circulation. However, a more recent finding of paramount importance has been that the molecule EGCG in green tea extract can slow down the development of Huntington’s disease, an incurable neurodegenerative disorder. EGCG has been shown to block the accumulation of certain mutant proteins in the brain, a process that is essential to the progression of the disease.
With all its health promoting and medicinal benefits, green tea extract, often “decaffeinated” to remove any potential side-effects, is finding its way into the diets of an increasing number of people in the form of smart looking capsules. Let this nutraceutical be part of your daily food- a wonderful formulation that will help you lead a longer, healthier life!
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