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A Steaming Cup of Medicine
You have to imagine it –a steaming, fragrant cup of green tea. The
clear, pale green liquid gives off a delicious aroma somewhat like wet
hay mixed with the scent of apples or pears. You lift the cup to your
lips and take the first sip. The comforting liquid rolls over your
tongue and eases down your throat, brightening and warming as it goes.
Its slight astringency freshens your mouth, making it feel naturally
clean.
This warm, delightful beverage is soothing, especially if you
take a moment to sit and sip it slowly. But at the same time, it’s also
stimulating, giving you a much needed pick-me-up in the morning or the
middle of the long afternoon. Is it any wonder that tea has been enjoyed
for nearly 5,000 years – and that it’s the world’s most widely consumed
beverage, next to water?
Yet green tea is a lot more than just a delicious
and satisfying drink -- it also has medicinal properties that are
nothing short of amazing. Way back in the year 1211 the Japanese monk
Eisai wrote that “Tea is a miraculous medicine for the maintenance of
health. Tea has an extraordinary power to prolong life.”
And today,
scientific are confirming that what Eisai said may be true, finding that
green tea can boost the immune system, inhibit the cancer process at
virtually every stage, regulate cholesterol levels, assist in weight
loss, fight free radical damage, and ward off viruses, fungi and
food-borne bacteria. It also helps inhibit dental plaque formation,
lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, slow cognitive decline, and may even
help increase the lifespan. Virtually no other substance on earth can
claim such a wide range of health benefits!
I’m Nadine Taylor, a Registered Dietitian with a
great interest in the healing power of foods. I have been so impressed
by the science behind green tea’s health benefits that I started
collecting green tea studies and information about ten years ago and
eventually wrote a book about it.
My aim in this website is to bring that
knowledge to you, explaining how green performs its health-promoting
“miracles,” telling about the fascinating history and customs of tea
drinking, and revealing some interesting new tea tidbits. (Did you know
that green tea extract can grow hair?) New articles as well as Green Tea
News will appear
regularly, and I hope you’ll join me. And don’t forget to bring along a
nice hot cup of green tea!
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Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D. presents
GreenTeaLibrary.com,
the most comprehensive collection of scientific information
describing the health benefits of green tea.
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