The Therapeutic vade mecum of Green Tea

Abstract

Green tea has achieved a remarkably impressive healing, or curative reputation in the West —more so, in recent times. The herb is replete with a historical legacy as a safe, effective anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antioxidant agent. Research has shown that green tea has the ability to reduce arthritic pain, including the risk of certain forms of cancer. Other studies suggest that green tea has the ability to stabilise blood lipids—this activity makes it an important component in cardiac healthcare [1]. The difference between green tea and other forms of tea is that the former is not fermented; it, thus, retains all the powerful antioxidants which are otherwise lost in the fermenting process [2]. Green tea, as studies also report, is one of the most potent, also naturally-occurring, anti-inflammatory cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), or coxib inhibitors. It contains over 50 anti-inflammatory compounds, including salicylic acid—a naturally occurring COX–2 inhibitor, from which aspirin is synthesised [3]. There is yet another upside to green tea. The healing beverage works in much the same way as anti-inflammatory drugs, or conventional COX-2 inhibitors, but without the former’s dangerous side-effects.

Keywords: Therapeutic effects of green tea, polyphenols, inflammation, COX inhibition, antioxidant