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A recent study has shown that the addition of citrus juice to your green tea increases the absorption of catechins, one of the therapeutic components, by up to 80%.

Any citrus juice helps your body absorb more catechins, but lemon juice was found to be the most effective, then orange, lime and grapefruit.  I can’t say I’ve ever tried adding grapefruit juice to my tea, but lemon juice has long been a favourite.  In fact, I have a handy little gadget that’s just the right size for squeezing the juice out of a lemon wedge without even getting my fingers wet!

I also have a theory that the rituals surrounding the making of tea are good for you.  And I don’t mean jiggling a bag in a cup of hot water and dripping all over the kitchen floor.  Warming the pot, brewing the tea and then sitting to share it help introduce a few moments of calm and of social contact into your day, and that has to be good for you too.

If you don’t have anyone to share your cuppa with, check out what’s happening in the world of tea at http://tealeafmagic.com

I like to buy locally grown food as much as I can and we are lucky to have Madura Tea Estates in northern NSW, in Murwillumbah.  I’ve always fancied living in Murwillumbah, just to hear my family and friends from overseas try to pronounce the name of the place, but that’s got nothing to do with green tea.

Madura’s vision is stated on their website: “Madura’s vision is to foster and protect the natural environment within which its tea is grown.”  They import some of their teas, but only from estates that share their philosophy.

We have drunk and enjoyed their green tea for a long time now.  I think it’s nice that even the packet it comes in is green.  It’s made of recyclable card but it’s designed so that you can re-use it before you recycle it - under the picture of the estate is a handy “to do” list.  So now I can feel really good when I drink my green tea.

You can find Madura Tea at http://maduratea.com.au and you can read more about tea at http://tealeafmagic.com

The Benefits of Green Tea Extract: Anti-Aging, Anti-Cancer, Weight Control

One of the great advancements in nutrition in the twenty-first century is the scientific confirmation of the many benefits of green tea extract. Here are just a few. Green tea:

Lowers cholesterol

Slows arthritis

Prevents the growth of cancer cells

Assists weight loss

What accounts for the health benefits of green tea extract? Over 1,800 scientific studies have found that the active constituents in green tea are powerful antioxidants. These are called polyphenols (catechins) and flavonols. Epigallocatechin gallate (you can just call it EGCG) is the most powerful of these antioxidants.

Milligram for milligram, EGCG has 25 to 100 times the antioxidant power of vitamins C and E. A cup of green tea has more antioxidants than a serving of broccoli, spinach, carrots or strawberries.

These abundant antioxidants power the benefits of green tea extract. They keep DNA intact and they stabilize the membranes of cells.

These effects of green tea make it a powerful support in many health conditions. Let’s look at the benefits of green tea supplements in more detail.

Green tea has been shown to lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels.

Who would have imagined that simple green tea could be as potent as Lipitor or Zocor or Crestin with none of their side effects? Scientific studies show that middle-aged men and women in Japan who drink 2 or more cups of green tea a day almost always have normal cholesterol. Scientists have also recently reported that if you drink green tea after you eat a fatty food, less cholesterol will go into you bloodstream.

And if you have high cholesterol when you begin taking green tea supplements, your body will convert less of it into a form that clogs your arteries.

Green tea protects your joints against osteoarthritis.

This is one of the least known but most beneficial effects of green tea extract. Green tea prevents inflammation. When there is less inflammation, there is less wear and tear on your joints.

Green tea prevents the growth of cancer cells.

The EGCG in green tea prevents cancer cells from growing by binding to a specific enzyme. This health benefit of green tea is especially Read the rest of this entry »

The raspberry is a well known fruit that is grown around the world. The leaves of the raspberry plant have been used as a medicinal herb for centuries. It is notably beneficial for pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.

A significant number of pregnant women take some form of raspberry leaf to help with shortening labour and make the birth easier. The use of raspberry leaf for remedial purposes dates back many centuries and its benefits in childbirth have been recorded in ancient herb medecine books.If taken regularly through pregnancy and the labour raspberry leaf can:

•  Ease the symptoms of morning sickness.  
• Relieve the pain and soreness of bleeding gums experienced by many pregnant women.  
• Assist with the birth of the baby and the placenta.
• Reduce cramping of the uterus. 

Raspberry provides a rich source of iron, calcium, manganese and magnesium. The magnesium content is helps with strengthening the uterine muscles. Raspberry leaf also contains vitamins B1, B3 and E which are valuable in pregnancy. 

Raspberry leaf is also used for the following:

• To boost fertility. 
• To treat diarrhoea. 
• Promoting the supply of breastmilk. 
• Reducing bleeding after birth. 
• To regulate irregular menstrual cycle and decreases heavy periods. 
• To relieve sore throats. 
• To reduce fever. 

 Find out more about the benefits of tea from http://www.tealeafmagic.com/

Green tea has been used as a medicine in China for several thousand years.

Generally, the benefits of green tea are thought to arise because it is rich in beneficial antioxidants, in particular ECGC (epigallocatechin gallate). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant that can inhibit, or even stop, the growth of cancer cells without harming normal healthy tissue.

Several studies have suggested that green tea and extracts of the beverage have cancer-fighting abilities, possibly because to the tea’s concentration of antioxidants such as EGCG help minimize the cell damage that can lead to cancer. A recent study conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, , Minnesota, has indicated that green tea may also help to treat leukaemia in adults.

In addition the green tea antioxidant EGCG has also been shown to be effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots that are the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes. Learn about the benefits of green tea at www.tealeafmagic.com