Green Tea BlogAll you need to know about Green Tea

The health benefits of green tea are just limitless! Read below to find out how green tea helps in curing and preventing acne.

Green Tea has been proven to be a good remedy for acne. Medical studies show that green tea is just as effective as benzoyl peroxide (an ingredient found in many over-the-counter acne treatments) and without the side effects. Green tea is inexpensive, and can be found in health and nutrition stores, on the internet, and in certain grocery stores in the “tea” or the “natural foods” sections.

Many acne sufferers swear by green tea as “the ultimate natural acne cure.” In fact, just drinking the tea has been known to clear acne in some cases. Green tea is also a great treatment for eczema and skin problems in general.

The Key

The best results for curing acne include applying green tea to your face, and any other acne areas – and also drinking green tea 2 to 3 times a day. After you finish drinking the tea, dab the tea bag on acne areas, or use a cotton ball to apply the tea. You don’t have to wash it off right away – you can leave it on your skin.

Notes

Green tea must be decaffeinated. It is because caffeine makes acne worse, so it’s a good idea not only to use decaffeinated green tea, but also decaffeinated every thing else.

When drinking green tea, don’t add sugar or anything else to it – it has been stated that if sugar or artificial sweeteners are added, it tends to cancel most of the beneficial properties.

Because of this, additional health benefits of green tea not previously discussed (in this blog) are enumerated below:

• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-bacterial – has been shown to kill acne bacteria.
• Anti-viral
• Rejuvenates skin

If, for some reason, you prefer not to drink green tea or apply tea to your skin, you can try green tea skin creams, and green tea in pill form.

Imagine a limitless supply of green tea. In this post, we will tell you (in 9 easy steps) how to grow your own green tea plant (scientific name, Camellia sinensis) at home, and enjoy the benefits of green tea all year round.

1. Buy or get some cuttings from a green tree plant from your local greenhouse.
2. Plant your green tea plant in sandy soil. Water frequently and add occasional fertilizer.
3. Place mulch around your green tea plant to reduce weeds and maintain soil moisture.

Notes

If you follow the steps above and grow green tea from cuttings, it can take up to three years to get a viable green tea plant for harvesting. If you want to grow a green tea plant from seeds, it will take longer to get a viable plant to harvest.

Ready to harvest?

1. Harvest only the youngest tea leaves and buds by plucking the terminal three leaves along with the terminal bud.
2. Allow the plucked green tea leaves to dry away from direct contact with the sun for several hours.
3. Once the leaves are dry, steam the leaves in a pan on the stove to a temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit for 14 minutes. Move the pan continuously to keep the leaves from burning.
4. To dry the leaves, place them in an oven at a temperature of around 225 degrees Fahrenheit for ten minutes.
5. Store the green tea leaves in a cool, dark place until you’re ready to use them.
6. Brew and drink as any other tea.

Voila! Enjoy that healthy-smelling green tea aroma.

Josh Burnstein

Is there such a thing?

Of course there is, and it will probably be made by you (not bought). What you’re looking for here is a simple infusion – a tea infusion if you will.

A hot cup of green tea infused with a robust dose of echinacea is a great way to keep your immune system strong and help prevent coming down with that ever dreaded common cold. By using a simple combination of two highly supported “immune boosters” such as green tea and echinacea on a daily basis, not only do you stand to shorten and lessen the severity of cold and flu symptoms, but you could even fortify an immune system that may prevent coming down with these symptoms entirely. By either using dried echinacea, an echinacea tincture, or fresh echinacea from your garden in your morning tea, this great herb could be the “ounce of prevention” you were looking fore.

Perhaps one of the soundest cornerstones of holistic medicine, the almost philosophic belief in emphasizing prevention over the treatment of disease alone, maintaining a healthy lifestyle still stands as one of the best ways to prevent contracting serious symptoms from what should be otherwise simple and common diseases. Both green tea and echinacea, though still the subjects of passionate scientific study, are herbal remedies that have found use as powerful preventative tools against the symptoms of colds and flu.

The text below was compiled from various sources. We believe it to be most accurate as we have omitted several unsupported claims scattered all over the internet.

Quick fact

Green tea has been around for hundreds of centuries, dating back in Chinese literature as far as 5,000 years. It dates back to 2737 BC based on some Chinese legends, stories and some literature.

The Story of the Emperor and Green Tea

Emperor Chien-lung of the Ching Dynasty who reigned from 1736 to 1796 A.D. disguised himself as a commoner, traveling with two cabinet ministers incognito to the countryside. Since the Manchu Imperial family originally came from a northern minority, Chien-lung was used to drinking black tea only. When his entourage was passing a tea plantation in south-central China, the servants offered him a cup of choice green tea. After a few sips, the emperor commented: “Too bland. Tasteless,” and continued his journey on horseback. Riding about half of a mile later, the emperor turned to his ministers and said, “Good tea.” The perceptive king suddenly realized that the characteristic soothing savory sweet tea-taste of a choice green tea only comes a few minutes after the sip. Since then, green tea was introduced to the Manchu ruling family as the beverage of choice and a special misty hillside in Zhejiang Province was designated as the Imperial Tea Plantation.

Chinese Tea Drinkers

Green tea has been used in China as a healthy, medicinal drink for approximately 5,000 years. Green tea was the drink of choice among the leaders and the wealthy. The tea leaves were used fresh from the plant for tea brewing, lightly heat processed, or even eaten right away. In ancient China, tea was a costly drink, consumed only by the rich and wealthy of the population. However, following the fall of the Mongolian Empire back in 1368 AD, the whole population of China began to experience the wonderful consumption of tea, including green tea.

Between 1405 and 1433, when China had the power of the sea, the seamen were given the necessary amount of green tea. The antioxidants in the green tea they drank fought off scurvy, which killed many Europeans sailors several years later.

Tea consumption was introduced to the United States by Europe, as a part of the worldwide tea trade, and also by Chinese immigrants who owned Chinese restaurants in the United States and served their tea. This dates back before 1945.

Timeline

In 350 AD, a record was made in a Chinese literature for a method of brewing green tea. In 520 AD, Buddhists chew the leaves while meditating, to assist in meditation. In 729 AD, tea cultivation begins to spread in Japan when the Japanese Emperor gives gifts of powdered green tea to Buddhist monks. In 780 AD, in China, a book titled “The Book of Tea” is written by Lu Yu. In the book, the author explains that there are numerous health benefits of green tea, and was given the name the “patron saint” of tea. In 1211 AD, Eisai Myoan, the creator of Zen Buddhism, authors a book titled, “Tea Drinking is Good for Health”. He becomes an advocate for tea as a remedy for nearly anything. In the 1400s, the creation of the tea ceremony is created by a Japanese Zen priest. In 1517 AD, Europe is presented with Chinese tea by way of Portuguese traders. In 1559 AD, a Venetian merchant writes a book called “Voyages and Travels”, which mentions the healthful assets of tea. In the 1657 AD, the London people begin to sell tea in the city.
From the 1600s to now, water is the most popular drink of choice, and tea turns out to be the second most popular drink among people.