Green tea comes from the top leaves of the plant, Camellia sinensis. The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression.  Most of people believe that green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,500 years. 

The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful nature anti-oxidant only found in Green Tea.

Studies have shown that Green Tea Catechins have following Biochemical Properties & Biological Activities. And, the most potent one is EGCG. 

1. Activity as result of antioxidant property of catechins.
   
   
   1. “Strongest” antioxidant found in green tea.

• Antioxidants are thought to help prevent the development of certain diseases, especially cancer. They may do this by “mopping-up” free radicals-by products of body’s metabolic processes.
• EGCG is the “strongest of all” the antioxidants-more than 100 times effective at soaking up free radicals than vitamin C and 25 times more powerful than vitamin E.
  
  
2. Oxygen and Aging
   
   
• Free radicals are waste products or normal cellular by product of metabolic activities and are the primary cause of aging.
• The body attempts to balance and neutralize these free radicals but over the time, free radical damage accumulates and damaging cells and organs.
  
  
3. Antioxidants and Disease Prevention
   
   
• Heart Disease. Protecting VDL and LDL cholesterol from oxidation and prevents artery-clogging plaque formation.
• Breast Cancer. Japanese women consuming 10 or more cups a day of green had a delayed time to onset of cancer of 8.7 years compared to women who drank 3 or fewer cups a day.
• Colorectal cancer. EGCG inhibit topoisomerase I activity in human colon carcinoma cells.
• Live cancer. Green tea protected against aflatoxin-induced liver cancer.
• Lung cancer. Growth of human lung cancer cells is slowed significantly by EGCG.
• Stomach cancer. A Japanese in vitro study found that both green tea extract and EGCG caused a concentration- and time –dependent growth inhibition and cell death in a line of human stomach cancer cells.
  

2. Activity as result of testosterone 5-alfa reductase inhibitor.

• Green tea extract in particular, EGCG were found inhibiting the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) a compound may be involved in the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia or enlargement and prostate cancer.
• Finasteride, which is for the treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia was a testosterone 5-alfa reductase and is marketed as Proscar.
• The incidence of progression of metastasis of prostate cancer is inversely related to the consumption of green tea and daily intake of EGCG.
• Dermatological use in the treatment of acne and rosacea.

3. Activity as result of ion-chelating activity.
   
   
   • Early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may be precipitated by a “traffic jam” within neurons causes swelling and prevents proper transport of proteins, triggers defects in axonal transport.
   • Brain iron dysregulation and its association with amyloid precursor protein (APP) plaque formation are implicated in AD.
   • The evidence of EGCG decreases production of APP and beta-amyloid plaque formation was reported as well as the evidence of EGCG in modulating APP cleavage and reduces cerebral amyloidosis in AD transgenic mice were reported in 2005.
     
     
4. Other biological activities.
   • Obesity
   • Allergy, Asthma, Arthritis and the Immune System 
   • Diabetes 
   • Osteoporosis 
   • Effect of EGCG on reduction of lipid absorption.  
   • EGCG helps kill leukemia cells.  
   • Study links free radicals to the spectrum of Autism.

For more information on green tea and its health benefits click here.