The Town Herald

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Tea – It’s Good for You!
Rooibos & Green Tea
by [irulan]

"Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one." - Ancient Chinese Proverb

Several months ago, I wrote an article about the health benefits of coffee. Now I want to share with you how tea can be even better for your health. 

Tea is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world after water. All teas contain polyphenols which give tea its anti-oxidant properties. There are a myriad of teas available, but I am going to focus on two of the healthiest – green tea and rooibos tea. 

The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times; it was used to treat everything from headaches to depression. Now, green tea is reputed to be helpful in providing relief from cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease, infections, and impaired immune functions.

Green tea is so special because it contains lots of anti-oxidants. An anti-oxidant is a substance that inhibits oxidation or reactions promoted by oxygen or peroxides. Anti-oxidants can help protect our body from free radical damage. Free radicals are toxic compounds which are produced as a by-product of normal cell function. These free radicals attack our healthy cells. Over our lifetime this damage contributes to aging and our immune system weakens. Green tea is so special compared to other teas because it is rich in catechin polyphenols (specifically epigallocatechin gallate – EGCG). EGCG is a very powerful anti-oxidant; besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It essentially causes cancer cells to commit suicide. The reason this is present in green tea and not in say oolong or black teas has to do with the way green tea is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. Black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves; this results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds. 

To date the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, if you are looking for a great, healthy tea without the caffeine you need look no farther than rooibos tea. Rooibos has no known side effects reported.  

Rooibos (pronounced roy-boss) tea comes from a different plant than other teas (other teas come from Camillia sinensis). In fact it comes from a red bush in Africa, and the word rooibos means ‘red bush’ in Afrikaans. It contains no colors, additives, or preservatives; therefore it is a completely natural beverage. As an extra bonus it has no caffeine. It has been shown to aid in health problems such as insomnia, irritability, headaches, nervous tension, and hypertension. It is also comparable to green tea in the amounts of polyphenols it contains. 

Rooibos is also wonderful for troubled or irritated skin. It can be brewed and placed directly on infected areas. Try it on itchy skin, eczema, sunburns, diaper rash, or acne.  

You can find these teas in many supermarkets and health food stores. I highly recommend buying some soon!

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