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Green Tea Extract
(Camellia sinensis)
DESCRIPTION/FUNCTION
- Tea drinking has a long history, going back about 5,000 years. Camellia
sinensis, as a tea, is available as white, green, oolong, and black. Tea
goes from white to black depending on the amount of processing it goes through
(steaming and fermentation). Asians are noted for their consumption of green tea
(about 3 cups daily). Most research has been done on green tea, but all forms
have beneficial properties. Green tea contains many polyphenols, flavonoids
(quercetin), purine alkaloids, triterpene saponins, chlorogenic acid, and
catechins, especially (-)epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).
DRI (RDA or AI for Adults)
MAJOR SOURCES
MAINTENANCE/THERAPEUTIC RANGE
- 200 mg to 1,000 mg (standardized to 50% polyphenols);
about
1 to 5 cups of tea, depending upon how it is brewed. Supplements are available
that are standardized to 90% polyphenols, and sometimes to 40% EGCG or higher.
In Asian countries, about 3 cups of green tea is typically consumed per person every day.
POSSIBLE THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS
- Cancer (bladder, breast, gastric, ovarian)
- Coronary heart disease
- Gum
disease (as tea)
- High cholesterol
- High triglycerides
- Inflammation
- Obesity
- Parkinson’s disease
COMMENTS
- Green tea catechins are synergistic with vitamins E and C. Depending on how
it is tested, EGCG is 20 to 200 times more powerful than vitamin E in
neutralizing pro-oxidants and free radicals.
CAUTIONS
- None significant. Unless decaffeinated, may contain about 6% caffeine.
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