Miracle of green tea

Tea, especially green tea, has a host of beneficial health properties.
THE practice of drinking tea is believed to have originated in China some 4,000 years ago although there is archaeological evidence to suggest people consumed tea leaves steeped in boiling water as far back as 500,000 years ago. The young shoots of a tea shrub. The polyphenols in tea are potent antioxidants.
People in Asian countries more commonly consume green or oolong tea, while black tea is more popular in the United States and Europe. In fact, tea is second only to water in terms of global consumption.
Green, black and oolong teas are all derived from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Originally cultivated in East Asia, this plant grows as large as a shrub or tree. Today, Camellia sinensis grows throughout Asia and in parts of the Middle East and Africa.
Green tea is prepared from unfermented leaves, while the leaves of oolong tea are partially fermented, and black tea is fully fermented. The more the leaves are fermented, the lower the polyphenol content and the higher the caffeine content. Green tea has the highest polyphenol content while black tea has roughly two to three times the caffeine content of green tea.
The healthy properties of green tea are largely attributed to polyphenols, chemicals with potent antioxidant properties. In fact, the antioxidant effects of polyphenols appear to be greater than that of vitamin C.
Antioxidants are substances that scavenge free radicals – damaging compounds in the body that alter cells, tamper with DNA (genetic material) and even cause cell death.
Free radicals occur naturally in the body, but environmental toxins (including ultraviolet rays from the sun, radiation, cigarette smoke and air pollution) also give rise to these damaging particles. Many scientists believe that free radicals contribute to the