Green Tea Benefits - A Big Boost in Antibiotic Effectiveness

As more people become increasingly concerned with their health and nutrition, ma
ny herb and home remedy products are drawing heightened consumer attention. Sho
ppers are becoming much more conscious of natural ingredient products as opposed
to those containing synthetics, unhealthy preservatives, and non-organic ingred
ients.
One specific natural product that is growing quickly in popularity is green tea.
In the past few years, green tea has undergone many medical and scientific stu
dies to determine if the health benefits associated with its use are substantiat
ed.
One fairly recent discovered benefit of green tea is its incredible ability to i
ncrease antibiotic effectiveness in fighting bacteria and some drug-resistant st
rains of infection.
In March 2008, Egyptian researchers discovered that green tea increased antibiot
ic performance by as much as 300% in fighting bacteria and drug-resistant infect
ions.
Dr. Mervat Kassem from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Alexandria University reported
that green tea was tested along with antibiotic medications against 28 disease
causing bacteria in two different classes. In every case, the bacteria-killing
effectiveness of the antibiotics was increased.
Drinking green tea in conjunction with antibiotics showed in nearly every case t
o improve the benefits and power of the medication's ability to fight bacteria a
nd infection as opposed to taking the antibiotics alone.
Cephalosporin, an important antibiotic in the treatment of resistant bacteria st
rains, showed a 20% increase in its fighting ability when used in conjunction wi
th green tea, increasing the bacteria's vulnerability and decreasing its resista
nce factor.
The studies reflected that large concentrations of green tea were not required;
even low concentration levels successfully produced increased infection fighting
power.
Drug resistant infection strains undergo cell transformations in response to ant
ibiotics, causing the medications to become increasingly more ineffective in the
ir ability to combat these mutations.
Dr. Kassem concluded that scientists and researchers must direct their attention
to the natural products available in our world and conduct further research int
o organic compounds in our fight against disease and harmful organisms, especial
ly the drug resistant strains.
New studies indicate that the green tea leaves themselves, not just the steeped
and brewed liquid by-product, offer beneficial health advantages as well. Dieta
ry supplements are available in capsule form, but the green tea leaves in their
natural state are highly preferred because of the EGCG (a form of catechin) comp
ound's properties.
Green tea is not the only tea derived from the Camellia sinensis plant. Other v
arieties include oolong and black tea. The reason why green tea contributes mor
e health benefits is due to the way the leaves are processed.
The EGCG compound in black and oolong teas is converted because the tea leaves a
re fermented. In contrast, the green tea variety leaves are steamed, preventing
 the EGCG compound from being oxidized.
A more natural state of the EGCG compound is much more effective than the oxidiz
ed version. The steam method retains the compound potency, as opposed to deplet
ion in alternative blends and processes.
Based on this research, it stands to reason that if green tea can "join hands" w
ith antibiotic medications to help fight disease, the natural immune system in t
he human body will benefit from its bacteria fighting enhancement as well.
Some avid green tea enthusiasts have found some truly inventive and tasty ways t
o use the tea leaves besides steeping a cup of brewed tea; edible leaves contain
the best levels of compounds for maximizing health benefits. Here are just a f
ew methods of use:
* Thanksgiving turkey stuffing blend
* Chewing and ingesting the leaves and buds that fall into the tea when brewing
(reported in actual user studies to be tasty and comforting)
* Using the leaves in salads
* Simply chewing and ingesting the leaves after steeping tea
* Adding to blended smoothies and shakes
* Served atop grilled fish
* Atop shrimp dishes, using a brewed portion as a cooking sauce
* Homemade crackers
* Cheese spreads (great on the crackers listed above)
When you stop and think about it, green tea is simply a by-product of the leaves
themselves, diluted in the water. The main bulk of beneficial compounds and nu
trients are native to the leaves themselves. The brewed tea has plenty of healt
h benefits of its own, but the leaves are surely packing some powerful infection
-fighting punch.
https://www.sgm.ac.uk/news/releases/MTNG.0308.MK.1.cfm
We invite you to re-post this recipe on your own web site with the following hyp
er-linked attribution
ÒRepublished with permission from <a href="http://www.eatgreentea.com">EatGreenT
ea.com</a>, the original edible green tea.Ó