The beverage tea, from the top leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis is one of the most widely used beverages in the world, second only to water. Black and green tea have mostly similar actions. The active components are polyphenols, mainly epigallocatechin gallate in green tea, and the tea leaf polyphenol oxidase mediated oxidation to oolong and black tea, yielding other polyphenols, theaflavi...

Epidemiological studies have suggested that consumption of green tea may decrease the risk of a variety of cancers. In addition, mushroom Ganoderma lucidum has been used for the promotion of health, longevity and treatment of cancer in traditional Chinese medicine. In the present study we show that extract from green tea (GTE) increased the anticancer effect of G. lucidum extract (GLE) on cell ...

Tea is particularly rich in polyphenols, including catechins, theaflavins and thearubigins, which are thought to contribute to the health benefits of tea. Tea polyphenols act as antioxidants in vitro by scavenging reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and chelating redox-active transition metal ions. They may also function indirectly as antioxidants through 1) inhibition of the redox-sensitive t...

After water, tea is the most popular beverage and is consumed by two thirds of the world’s population. Three types of tea are available; they vary in the processes of drying and fermentation. Besides black tea, which is the most prevalent form (78%), green tea (20%) and oolong (2%) are produced. The tea plant Camellia sinensis is native to South China and was brought to Japan by the Zen priest ...

BACKGROUND Antioxidant compounds in green tea may be able to protect against skin carcinogenesis and it is of interest to investigate the mechanisms involved. A study was therefore conducted to determine whether the isolated green tea polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) could prevent ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-induced DNA damage in cultured human cells. This work was then extended t...

The Chinese commonly believe that tea helps maintain clear vision. This viewpoint has been recorded in Chinese medical books also. The key bioactive compounds in green tea leaves, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), L-theanine (theanine) and caffeine, were investigated for their abilities to attenuate the injury of retinal ganglion cells (RGC-5) induced by H2O2 and ultraviolet radiation. Thean...

Lung cancer is one of the cancers that have the highest incidence and the highest mortality rate, and it is of great interest to identify ways to prevent its occurrence. We had established an animal model by using 3,4-benzopyrene intra-pulmonary injection in our previous study, and had observed that the rats lung carcinoma incidence and multiplicity were significantly reduced by green tea admin...

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in American males. For these reasons, it is necessary to intensify our efforts for better understanding and development of novel treatment and chemopreventive approaches for this disease. In recent years, green tea has gained considerable attention as an agent that could reduc...

Herbal tea is essentially an herbal mixture made from leaves, seeds and/ or roots of various plants. As per popular misconception, they are not derived from the usual tea plants, but rather from what are called as ‘tisanes’. There are several kinds of tisanes (herbal teas) that have been used for their medicinal properties. Some of them being consumed for its energizing properties to help induc...

The tea plant Camellia sinesis is cultivated in >30 countries. Epidemiologic observations and laboratory studies have indicated that polyphenolic compounds present in tea may reduce the risk of a variety of illnesses, including cancer and coronary heart disease. Most studies involved green tea, however; only a few evaluated black tea. Results from studies in rats, mice, and hamsters showed that...