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There's tea and then there's tea. We could discuss it for hours over a cuppa, but which cuppa? Is green better than black? The answer, in short, is yes. But let's see how.
Tobegin with the beginning, there are mainly three kinds of tea. Green, black and Oolong. All three come from the same botanical source - Camellia Sinensis (Latin for tea bush). From the same bush there is a fourth - a rarer and more expensive connoisseur's delight - the delicate tasting White Tea. It consists of 'buds' and tender leaves plucked in the springtime and dried indoors.
Green tea is steamed and dried. Black or regular tea goes a step further and is fermented before drying. Of the three teas, it is the most processed. Oolong, mostly served in Chinese restaurants, is in-between and has the properties of both.
I know you'll want to shoot this messenger, but tea has caffeine too, albeit three times less than coffee! Black tea has twice as much as green. Basically, the less the processing, the less the caffeine content and the more the anti-oxidants and nutrients.
Today, boosting your health is all about raising natural anti-oxidants in your body. Simply put, they strengthen your immune system and elevate your overall state of health. In the times we live in, there is a regular onslaught on our immune systems. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat - cigarette smoke, pollution, pesticide residues… Imagine being at war all your life. Well, that is what your immune system is doing on your behalf to keep you as healthy as possible. The least you can do is to send it some 'good' ammunition every once in a while!
Green tea fights the 'enemy' - the free radicals. They are as anarchic as they sound and green tea acts as an antidote and controls their impact. It also fights the growth of cancer cells and limits tissue damage, therefore very rejuvenating after chemotherapy.
Green tea lowers cholesterol, de-clogs blood vessels and reduces the risk of heart disease and strokes. It makes you lose weight through improved metabolism. It is good for the teeth and bones and also has nutrients like magnesium, potassium, calcium, manganese and Vitamins C and K. No wonder it was called "the dew of heaven" by Lu Yu (China's Sage of Tea) in 780 AD!
At the end of the day, all tea is good and has anti-oxidants in some measure. Green tea is better and three, four cups a day should keep the doctor away. Jasmine tea which has green tea as well as jasmine flowers is also an option. Without sugar or milk. The way the Chinese and Japanese have had it for centuries. Go on drink to your health!
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