Green Tea

Green tea has been heralded in the last few years as the latest miracle herb. In fact, it is not that, it is not the only herb with the benefits that it provides, and it has a nasty backlash that other options do not have.

Because several cultures use tea as a recreational drink, and indeed, part of the very fabric of their lives, it is promoted wholesale as a safe and healthy drink. No one will criticize it, because it is much more lucrative (as it always has been), to promote the drink as something people should have more of, not less. It is long associated with social status, and for centuries, tea and money were so closely entwined that tea had its own value equivalent to currency. We still have associations in society regarding tea that have nothing to do with the drink itself.

Green tea is high in antioxidants of a particular type, and as such, it is recommended for a wide variety of purposes. It also contains two chemicals which may be helpful in lowering blood sugar. Interestingly enough though, the information I found referred only to studies done on the two chemicals, NOT to studies involving tea directly. Whether green tea lowers blood sugar or not may be a highly individual thing.

Tea also contains a high amount of stimulants. Stimulants have their own set of risks, and while they can temporarily convey a sense of energy, they do not in fact speed up the metabolism - rather, you get a temporary boost, then a drop. It is also addictive, partly due to the caffeine in it, but also due to other substances. This means that over time, like coffee, the stimulant effect wears off, and you need it just to function, and no longer gain anything from it.

The list of cautions for green tea is very long. It is potentially dangerous to pregnant or breastfeeding mothers - it can cause uterine contractions, and it does carry over to the baby through breastfeeding.

Green tea interacts with a huge number of medications, in multiple categories. Sometimes it increases the affect, sometimes it decreases it. Of special note is that it should not ever be used by those who are on chemotherapy, because it can increase or decrease the effectiveness of those medications, leading to an increased risk of reoccurrence, or potential toxicity from the drugs. It also interacts with many heart medications.

Considering that a balanced diet, combined with intelligent supplementation with your choice of a wide range of other foods or supplements could do the same thing as green tea, it is not something that is worth getting addicted to, in my opinion. Red Rooibos tea, mangosteen or acai fruit, or any other high antioxidant food or supplement would be a far better bet, with fewer potential side effects.

Written by Laura Wheeler, Owner of Firelight Business Enterprises, Inc.