22 replies to this topic

[houstonguy76]

I've read volumes of articles about green tea and how great it is. I'm a disease free guy in my 30s who takes a mutli-vitamin (Enzymatic Therapy), Carlson Ddrops, and fish oil (Life Extension) daily. Should I add green tea to my regimen and, if so, why? I suspect the answer is "sure, why not", which prompts my follow up question - which green tea extract pills/drops, etc. do you suggest - i.e. what's considered the premium green tea extract on the market today? I honestly lack the patience to actually brew tea every day...

Also, I'd be very interested to read how the consumption of green tea has impacted any of you.

[niner]

Also, I'd be very interested to read how the consumption of green tea has impacted any of you.

I started taking it on the basis of the voluminous literature on it, and wasn't really expecting to "feel" anything. It seemed to improve my mood and motivation, in a quiet, subtle sort of way. It wasn't like a speed-induced urge to do things, it was more like when I came to a decision like "shall I clean up the garage?", instead of the answer being "ehh, maybe not", it was "ehh, I guess..." and then I'd actually get it done. This was from a fairly decent dose; 600mg of EGCG, as I recall. It was from TruNature, and I can't seem to find it any more. It was also formulated in some way; it came in a seamless capsule, like a Licap. I don't know if it was in a liquid, because the caps were opaque. I don't notice the effect with lower dosage dry extracts.

[InVeritate]

I haven't tried capsules of green tea extract, but why would they be better than simply drinking a few cups of green tea a day? There are numerous studies that drinking green tea has health benefits.

Edited by InVeritate, 08 March 2011 - 04:40 PM.

[triplecrown]

You always here that green tea is great for you. On the flip side though isn't green tea full of flouride and alluminum derivatives which could be harmful in the long run?

[houstonguy76]

I haven't tried capsules of green tea extract, but why would they be better than simply drinking a few cups of green tea a day? There are numerous studies that drinking green tea has health benefits.

Not better...just easier and more convenient. One dose of extract can be equivalent to several cups of green tea...

[houstonguy76]

You always here that green tea is great for you. On the flip side though isn't green tea full of flouride and alluminum derivatives which could be harmful in the long run?

Hm, that I do not know. I've never come across a study that suggests any ill effects from green tea other than the fact that some people are a bit sensitive to the caffeine.

[QQQ]

i wonder if green tea also helps improve spelling. jk.

i find green tea helps cognitively as well as physically. workouts and motivation are better. i also find that i urinate 2 to 3 times as much as i normally would, which i believe helps with toxin removal.

i also hear that rubbing the tea leaves on your head will cause hair to grow instantaneously.

You always here that green tea is great for you. On the flip side though isn't green tea full of flouride and alluminum derivatives which could be harmful in the long run?

Hm, that I do not know. I've never come across a study that suggests any ill effects from green tea other than the fact that some people are a bit sensitive to the caffeine.

[triplecrown]

http://poisonfluorid...een_tea___.html

This article talks a little about Flouride in tea. Maybe taking an extract would be a safer way to recieve the benefits of green tea. I don't know.

[InVeritate]

I don't think I could give up tea and I strongly doubt the little bit that I drink is actually a danger. The few cases where fluorosis has been linked to tea consumption seem to be in areas with extremely high consumption of poor quality teas. I am really surprised at how cheap Green Tea extract is considering the cost of good quality tea. I guess the quality of the leaves doesn't matter because taste won't matter? Thank you for the above information though. It is something to consider. I will definitely stick to good quality tea leaves and make sure to get enough calcium. For me the stress reduction and calming effect that brewing a proper cup of tea and then enjoying the sensual aspects of it, in addition to the numerous health benefits, vastly out weigh the potential threat of a fluoride overdose. I don't think you can buy that feeling in a pill.

Edited by InVeritate, 09 March 2011 - 05:06 AM.

[kismet]

Do not pay any attention to the fluroide articles, just keep total fluoride exposure below the UL. Drink the tea, forget the pills. They are not worth the trouble.

[oblomov]

I don't think I could give up tea and I strongly doubt the little bit that I drink is actually a danger. The few cases where fluorosis has been linked to tea consumption seem to be in areas with extremely high consumption of poor quality teas. I am really surprised at how cheap Green Tea extract is considering the cost of good quality tea. I guess the quality of the leaves doesn't matter because taste won't matter? Thank you for the above information though. It is something to consider. I will definitely stick to good quality tea leaves and make sure to get enough calcium. For me the stress reduction and calming effect that brewing a proper cup of tea and then enjoying the sensual aspects of it, in addition to the numerous health benefits, vastly out weigh the potential threat of a fluoride overdose. I don't think you can buy that feeling in a pill.

This sums up the "green tea experience" for me as well. 14 years ago, I was a 1/2 pack a day smoker. I gave up smoking and cultivated healthy dietary and exercise habits. Over the past 14 years, I have developed an interest in very high quality tea. For me, a cup of (loose tea brewed) yin shen, pi lo chun, or ti kuan yin is an excellent nootropic and stress management aid. The experience of high quality teas is very different from ordinary tea in tea bags. In particular, the calm mood elevation that I get from yin shen is unbeatable. Although tea connoisseurs describe this tea as "delicate", I brew it strong. It has the perfect balance of astringency and earthiness, and the lift that I get from it is better than what I experienced with the racetams and DMAE/centrophenoxine- and is on par with what I get from vinpocetine.

This particular tea is gently dried, and is not fermented or roasted. The small hairs are preserved intact on each leaf, giving the dry leaf a fuzzy appearance. These hairs come off into the brew. My (unsubstantiated) belief is that this confers a special property to the tea. For me, the difference in effect is noticeable between this tea and other teas.

I usually drink a cup or two per day unless I'm traveling for work.

Edited by oblomov, 11 March 2011 - 04:53 PM.

[Destiny's Equation]

I'd be very interested to read how the consumption of green tea has impacted any of you.

Green tea is great stuff. It ended the chronic pain that kept me mostly bedridden for 10 years

(My doctors had thrown every medication on the market at me, with no results.)

[niner]

Do not pay any attention to the fluroide articles, just keep total fluoride exposure below the UL. Drink the tea, forget the pills. They are not worth the trouble.

I don't really like green tea all that much as a beverage. I find extract in capsules to be vastly less trouble than brewing and drinking a tea that I'm not that crazy about. I'm not paranoid about fluoride, but people should know that it's in most tea*. What is the UL for fluoride, BTW? One would also want to know the fluoride content of their water.

* A plot by the international Aluminum Smelting Cartel to get rid of toxic waste...

[aaCharley]

I've got quite a few more miles on me than you have, so consider that my concerns may be a little different from yours. If you look at the Science Daily web site you can do a search for the reports of studies on green tea for about the last 10 years. It seems to be beneficial for prevention of many common problems. It seems to reduce incidence of prostrate cancer, lung cancer, and have some effect on Alzheimer's, just to list a few. Note that all of those are somewhat long term in developing.

My mother died of Alzheimer's and I was trying to keep abreast of whatever was found to prevent that. That was one of my first encounters with the green tea. Several other foods also seem to be preventative. As to the green tea, I have adopted a program of what would be four cups a day. Morning version is two Lipton bags in a large mug of pretty hot water. Let that steep for five minutes. Then add a couple of tablespoons of vanilla whey protein for the amino acids (Now Foods) and one tablespoon of coconut oil. All are generally healthy with little downside. The whey enables the oil to somewhat homogonize with the tea and not float. Evening version is the same, except that I also use one bag of peppermint tea for a change of taste. I believe the studies indicated that the greater benefits came from consumption of four cups a day (my reason for the four bags of Lipton).

I would suggest that you include 5000 IU daily of Vitamin D, a couple of grams of curcumin, and at least a gram of Vitamin C (more is better). All of those are pretty inexpensive. If you run them through the Science Daily search you can find some interesting reports of benefits. None will make you wake up tomorrow and feel like a different person.

Consider that you are applying your own daily chemotherapy in order to prevent what a MD may later have to use. Good luck with your program.

[pycnogenol]

I'd be very interested to read how the consumption of green tea has impacted any of you.

Green tea is great stuff. It ended the chronic pain that kept me mostly bedridden for 10 years

(My doctors had thrown every medication on the market at me, with no results.)

Awesome. What type of chronic pain condition did you have and how much Green Tea do you take?

[InVeritate]

I have found different levels reported for the UL of fluoride. The lowest I found was 3-4mg/day for women and men respectively, but I also found figures ranging from 6-10mg/day (Council Responsible Nutrition). Skeletal fluorosis begins at around long term exposure of 20mg per day. Though the study showing skeletal and dental fluorisis linked to tea in Tibetans had consumption of 5mg for children and just over 10mg for adults.

The water in my area is fluoridated to about 1mg/L. The article linked to above (http://www.poisonflu...een_tea___.html) gives varying figures for the fluoride content of tea. Some of the measures were very high(rather extraordinarily high), ranging between 50mg/L - 350mg/L. Some where as low as 4.57mg.

One tea website, Teavana, admittedly a seller of tea, suggest tea contains only 0.3-0.4mg per cup for green tea. Another, Green Tea Library, suggest that a liter of tea contains about 1.5mg/L.

So what is with the discrepancy in the data? Really they could all theoretically be correct. It would just depends on the grade and type of tea. Tea absorbs fluoride from soil and deposits it in the leaves. Older leaves then have more fluoride and cheaper, lower grade teas are made from these leaves. These are often sold to make brick or powder teas or used for tea bags. Younger leaves should have less fluoride content with white teas having the least. Loose leaf teas, usually better quality, should also have less. It would depend on the soil too. There is some indication that tea grown in Japan has lower fluoride content than similar teas grown in China.

Oblomov-

We have similar taste. Though I have not tried yin shen, I certainly will find some given your description and what I have now read about it. Bi Luo Chun is one of my favorites and not just because I love the story of how its fragrance was discovered when a tea picker had filled her baskets and kept the extra between her breasts. Incidentally both are made from the early cropped leaves in spring and should be very low in fluoride. I am convinced that even if I never took a sip of the beverage, my health would still benefit just from the preparation of it.

Destiny Equation-

Did the doctor every offer a diagnoses? Either way, I am glad you found something that was able to help you recover.

*I haven't figured out the quoting system yet...

[Justchill]

What is the difference between L-theanine and green tea extract actually?

[houstonguy76]

What is the difference between L-theanine and green tea extract actually?

L-theanine is just one of the active substances in green tea extract.

[Justchill]

Ha, thx, so I should better take the extract than?

Would this be a good choice:

http://www.smartpowd...oductCode=sp105

[houstonguy76]

I haven't tried Smart Powder's green tea extract so I can't speak to its quality. Give it a shot...

[pycnogenol]

I'd be very interested to read how the consumption of green tea has impacted any of you.

Green tea is great stuff. It ended the chronic pain that kept me mostly bedridden for 10 years

(My doctors had thrown every medication on the market at me, with no results.)

Again, what type of chronic pain condition did you have and how much Green Tea do you take? Thanks!

[Clarity]

I'd be very interested to read how the consumption of green tea has impacted any of you.

Green tea is great stuff. It ended the chronic pain that kept me mostly bedridden for 10 years

(My doctors had thrown every medication on the market at me, with no results.)

This has been my experience. When I was having gallbladder problems, after trying numerous protocols/supplements, green tea was the only thing that soothed the pain. For me, it's a strong anti-inflammatory. When regular caffeined coffee caused fatigue, green tea still energizes me. But I'm not talking about bagged supermarket tea. That actually makes me tired. I buy organic loose gunpowder green tea.
I notice it makes my hair really healthy and shiny as well. Probably the PQQ.

[Justchill]

I also have chronic backpain because of weak discs. Curious if it will help.

So, what brand do you use and what range should be the dosage?