May 24, 2003

NEWSLETTER #43

TWO FOR TEA

Black Or Green, Iced Is Nice This Time Of Year

Ours is a world divided by the color of our tea. Most of the Western world drinks black tea, while much of Asia, the Middle East, and northern Africa prefer green tea. The same evergreen shrub (Camellia sinesis) produces the hairy ovate leaves from which both versions of this popular drink are brewed. The difference in color--black versus green--depends on how tea is processed.

For green tea, the plant's leaves are steamed, then dried. To make black tea, the leaves are dried, rolled, fermented, then roasted. More extensive handling, heating, and exposure to air change black tea's chemical composition, reducing some of the medicinal qualities of plant chemicals (or phytochemicals) known as polyphenols.

TASTY MEDICINE

A large and growing body of scientific research shows that the better-retained phytochemicals help green tea promote health, whether preventing cancer or gum and dental problems. Besides providing several antibacterial compounds that protect against germs and infections, the polyphenols in green tea prevent plaque from building up on teeth. Not only does green tea fight cavities and gum disease, but it also contains a little fluoride.

Polyphenols (consisting of catechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, proanthocyanidins, among other plant chemicals) provide antioxidant support to muscles--even more than vitamins C and E, laboratory research suggests. These substances promote antioxidant enzymes (like glutathione) in the muscles and inhibit the creation of cancer-causing substances from nitrites, possibly explaining far lower cancer rates in countries (like China and Japan) that drink green tea.

A prospective study of more than 1,000 Taiwanese links habitual tea drinking with higher bone mineral density. Epidemiological research suggest that tea also prevents atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. The antioxidants and other plant chemicals in green tea are useful against angina, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Tea's caffeine can perk you up, accelerating the heart rate, increasing blood flow, and encouraging breathing. It seems just as safe, if not safer than, drinking coffee. Each has its own virtue and vices, so some of both might be better than a whole lot of either. If caffeine is a problem, tea is more user-friendly. But for some folks, drinking too much can also lead to gastric upset, insomnia, and the jitters. If that's the case, enjoy decaffeinated tea for health benefits--without the stimulating effects.

RIGHT IN YOUR OWN FRIDGE

You know how to use a tea bag. Pour hot (just ready to boil for green tea) water over several tea bags in a glass jar or pitcher, then chill. For loose tea, use 1 to 2 teaspoons for each cup of water. Drinking tea up to three times a day provides refreshing, natural medicine.

In supplement form, you'll find different polyphenol listings, depending on the brand you choose. Look for 100 to 200 mg in a green tea supplement standardized for 50 percent polyphenols, or 150 to 400 mg of polyphenols.

SELECTED SOURCES

1. Agricultural Research Service

2. The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook by James A. Duke, PhD

3. "Habitual Tea drinkers May Have Increased Bone Density" by Heather S. Oliff, PhD.

1 MORE TID-BIT

ONE OF THE MOST TOXIC METALS retained in the body, lead is stored in the bones. However, illness, life events like pregnancy and menopause, and severe stress can cause this dangerous metal to re-enter the bloodstream. In perimenopausal women, for instance, increased bone demineralization is a significant source of lead exposure.

GET THE LEAD OUT

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) links lead--even at levels well below the current US occupational exposure guidelines--with high blood pressure among women 40 to 59 years old, particularly postmenopausal women. A similar association with lead exposure and hyper-tension has already been established among older men.

Both blood testing and hair analysis are useful in detecting lead toxicity. Eating beans and other legumes, broccoli, eggs, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, garlic, leafy greens (like kale and spinach), and onions can help rid your body of lead. Green foods, like chlorella, also work to absorb toxic metals and detoxify the body. In addition, a low-fat diet that contains sufficient levels of iron and calcium is believed to help prevent the body from easily absorbing lead.

SELECTED SOURCES

1. "Blood Lead, Blood Pressure, and Hypertension in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women" by Denis Nash, PhD, MPH

2. Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, and James F. Balch, MD