Generations of families in India and Asia have been turning to tea to cure what ails them. Back in the year 1191, a Zen priest penned a work entitled the Book of Tea, which told how green tea could benefit at least five vital organs, including the heart. At that time, green tea was thought to improve urinary and brain function, combat beriberi disease, and alleviate indigestion. In other words, green tea was considered to be a multi-purpose elixir, able to treat a wide variety of health problems.
But this ancient remedy has now found a place in modern scientific literature, thanks to a new wave of studies on the medicinal properties of green tea. While studies on human subjects have been inconclusive, initial evidence from the laboratory looks incredibly promising.
While green tea can be beneficial in attacking everything from high cholesterol to depression, it has perhaps gotten the most attention for its impact on cancer. In order to understand the significance of this, it is first necessary to have some knowledge of the disease of cancer itself.
Cancer: A Disease of the Genes
When cancer occurs, cells divide uncontrollably, meaning that the genes controlling cell growth have been damaged in some way. In fact, a gene has to mutate a number of times before a typical cell will change into a cancer cell.
Antioxidants are important because they can stop the enzyme activities that give rise to cancer. In essence, they repair DNA problems which have been caused by oxidants, or free radicals.
Green Tea