Green Tea - Asian Supertonic That Fights Obesity

Reading recently about one popular Japanese diet, I ran across a statement which vastly provoked my curiosity: in some parts of Asia there is a belief that drinking pure water actually can make us… fat, while drinking lots of green tea ensures that we keep a lean and healthy body well into the old age! Indeed, how much do we, Westerners, know about this humble yet miraculous Oriental supertonic - green tea?

The Asians have always considered tea to be beneficial. In the 4th century it was prescribed to Emperor of China as a cure for his headaches. In the Tea Classic, which was written in the 8th century, green tea was called “the elixir of immortality”. In the Medieval Ages, herbalist Li Shi-Zhen wrote about green tea: “It clears the voice, gives brilliancy to the eye, invigorates the constitution, improves the mental faculties, opens the avenues of the body, promotes digestion, removes flatulence, and regulates body temperature.” Recently, it has been re-discovered in the West that green tea has effective anti-cancer properties, prevents diseases of old age, stimulates digestion, fights free radicals, and even helps us lose weight!

Tea was known in Asia since the times immemorial. The tea plant is native of China, where it was first cultivated before the 6th century BC. Modern sorts of tea greatly vary in aroma, taste and qualities - just like many varieties of wine, tea differs according to the region and harvest. The best and most precious tea comes from high mountain areas, where its delicate young leaves are picked by hand and then processed. For green tea, fresh leaves are dried immediately after picking to prevent oxidation, while other types of tea require long fermentation and further processing. The infusion of green tea gives a drink with a pale yellow colour, a delicate aroma, and an astringent “grassy” taste that could be quite a challenge for the uninitiated.

Some of the many authentic types of green tea are:

- “Dragon Well“ - one of the finest Chinese sorts with a distinctive fragrance and subtle flavour. This tea has a long history and is so expensive that the top quality grades equal to the price of gold dust!

- “Pearl” - a popular variety, which produces a pale drink with a sharp and distinctive taste. This tea looks grainy, with leaves curved into balls, hence it also has another name - gunpowder tea.

- “Cloud and Mist” - one of the best high mountain varieties of green tea, greatly praised by native poets for its beautiful color and strong flavour.

- “Water Nymph” - one of the most famous and widely spread types of green tea, with a mild aroma and a tender, delectable taste.

Tea leaves, just like coffee beans, should not be kept for too long, as they may lose their flavour and taste. The best is to consume them within a few months of purchase. Green tea has to be stored in an air-tight container far from spices and other products with strong aroma. In order to brew a good cup of tea, start with high quality water - mountain spring water is the best - and always use it freshly boiled. Tea pots and cups should be porcelain or earthenware. In accordance with the Asian wisdom, a ready cup of green tea must be drunk fresh, as the tea kept for too long loses its medicinal qualities and can even become poisonous.

Green tea goes beautifully with Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese dishes, at the end of the meal to clean the palate, as a hot remedy in the winter and as a refreshing drink in the summer. Don’t like the taste? It’s not a problem, either - now you can enjoy a full spectrum of immune-supportive and weight-reducing benefits of this wonderful supertonic also in the form of effective and inexpensive green tea pills!

Wayne Hammel