Antioxidants in tea

Tea

The tea, white, green, oolong or black tea – they are all made out of the same plant, known as the tea or Camelia sinensis. People usually take the leaf buds and leaves of this plant to make this refreshing drink. Chinese were the first ones to use the tea, and they have transferred that ritual to all parts of the world. These days tea is one of the most used drinks in the world, right after the water. Many people don’t drink coffee, but almost everyone drinks tea.

Free Radicals

Process of oxidation in the body is considered responsible for aging, diseases and death. Oxidation is a normal process, but pollution, cigarette smoke, alcohol and sunlight increase the amount of toxins produced in these reactions. These toxins are better known as free radicals. They damage healthy cells in your body and change the DNA. The buildup of these changes over time causes health problems. Antioxidants stop free radicals, neutralizing them.

Antioxidants in Tea

Natural food is rich in highly efficient antioxidants such as, vitamins C and E, beta carotene and selenium. They could be found in fruits, vegetables, meat and nuts. Phenols are also powerful antioxidants. They are found in grapes, berries and also in tea.

Tea is full of antioxidant polyphenols like flavins, catechins, epicatechins, which make it a perfect drink for your body.

In just one cup of black tea, there is 239mg of vitamin C, while the green tea contains almost twice that amount – 436mg of vitamin C. So, when talking about antioxidants, green tea is more powerful then the black tea. A cup of green tea also contains about 200mg of catechins, which is the amount found in 8 apples.

Tea Benefits

Three or more cups of tea every day will rescue your fine weight, and decrease the risk of heart problems, strokes and cancers. This powerful drink also protects us from Alzheimer’s disease. Antioxidants from the tea present advanced defense mechanism, able to battle free radicals and the DNA damage.

White tea, made of leaf buds is also equally rich in antioxidants as the green tea.

Drinking the Tea

Boil some water to 100 degrees Celsius. Take some tea leaves and place them in a cup and pour hot water over the leaves. Wait for 2 minutes and the tea is ready. This is the easiest process of making tea. Many follow strict traditional rules of making and serving the tea. Japanese have a whole tea ceremony, celebrating the moment and people drinking tea.