INDEX:
- What is green tea?
- Effectiveness of green tea
- Possible benefits of green tea
- Precautions and side effects of green tea
What is green tea?
As we have heard before, green tea is prevalent and known for its health benefits. For those who haven’t heard about green tea, it’s a unique type of tea made from the plants of Camellia Sinensis(1). The buds and leaves of this plant are dried and used as green tea. There are many side effects of green tea too.
Green tea is prepared by boiling these leaves. This tea is taken by mouth to improve concentration, mental alertness, immunity, and thinking. It is also used to fight depression, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, bowel diseases, Crohn’s disease(2), weight loss, and even treat stomach disorders like vomiting Diarrhea.
Some people also believe that green tea fights and prevents many types of cancers like breast cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, gastric cancer, solid tumor cancers, leukemia, and skin cancer. Some women even drink green tea to prevent or fight the Human Papilloma Virus. But, also though it has a lot of benefits, it comes with some side effects too. But, let’s look at a few more advantages of green tea.
Green tea is also used to treat Parkinson’s disease, low blood pressure, and even some conditions related to heart and blood vessels. Besides drinking it, many people apply green tea bags on their skin to prevent skin cancer and melanoma. It also helps in reducing dark circles and headaches.
But, in the end, some people drink green tea as a beverage too. Now, let’s look at the effectiveness of green tea.
Effectiveness of green tea:
Even though there is no proof that green tea is entirely valid, according to research, green tea can improve thinking skills, and might also help lower cholesterol levels. As mentioned above, green tea might be useful in delaying Parkinson’s disease and possibly preventing cancers of the bladder, esophagus, and pancreas.
But, there is no proof that it helps treat kidney disease, heart disease, kidney stones, tooth decay, and others.
Possible benefits of green tea:
- Genital warts: The FDA approves green tea extract ointment for treating genital warts. Applying this green tea ointment for approximately ten weeks clears genital warts in at least fifty percent of the patients. There are no side effects of green tea observed while using this.
- High cholesterol: People who take in higher amounts or dosage of green tea witness a decrease in their cholesterol, and even a reduction in the lipoprotein or bad cholesterol. Consuming 150 mg to 2500 mg of green tea per day for around 24 weeks reduces total cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol in people with high levels of blood fats or cholesterol.
- Abnormal cell development in the cervix: Taking green tea orally or applying it to the skin seems to decrease or reduce cervical dysplasia.
- Clogged arteries: According to research, it is shown that drinking green tea is linked to a reduced number of cases of clogged arteries. There are no side effects of green tea when taken.
- Low blood pressure: Drinking green tea might increase blood pressure for older adults who have low blood pressure just after eating.
- Oral leukoplakia: Drinking green tea might help decrease leukoplakia’s effect, which affects the mouth by forming white patches.
- Osteoporosis: A population study reveals that drinking green tea for more than ten years is directly linked to an exponential increase in the bone mineral density. Research even revealed that taking a green tea compound having more than 500 mg of catechins improves bone strength in postmenopausal women with low bone density.
- Ovarian cancer: Women who drink green tea appear to reduce the risk of developing ovarian cancer. But, it doesn’t prevent cancer from recurring in people who were diagnosed with cancer earlier.
- Parkinson’s disease: As discussed, drinking one to four cups of green tea daily reduces the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
Precautions and side effects of green tea:
Green tea is safe for most adults when consumed in a moderate amount. It is very beneficial when taken regularly, and you won’t see any side effects of green tea. But, when taken for short amounts of time, whether orally or applying on the skin, it may cause constipation.
You can witness some side effects of green tea when you consume high dosages. These side effects can range from mild to very high, including headaches, nervousness, dizziness, insomnia, ringing in the ears, confusion, Heartburn, constipation and many more. It is proved that green tea reduces the absorption of iron from food.
Special precautions:
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, it is safe to consume a maximum of two cups per day. However, drinking more than this can cause serious side effects of green tea. Consuming more than two cups might result in cases of miscarriage and other adverse effects. This is because green tea has moderate amounts of caffeine content.
Besides this, green tea might even increase the risk of congenital disabilities, such as folic acid deficiency.
Besides this, the side effects of green tea may also include:
- Anemia
- Anxiety disorders
- Diabetes
- High Blood Pressure
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Glaucoma
- Kidney and liver diseases
