Green tea is a famous traditional herbal tea for maintaining health, and contains various antioxidants, group B vitamins, caffeine, and a variety of minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and manganese. It has been cultivated in Iran since the 19th century, and therefore included on the list of medicinal herbs in Iran. Different types of green tea have unique growth conditions, cultivation, gardening, and production methods and harvest times. This plant was originally imported to Iran from China through the silk road but has adapted to Iran’s climate over time, and today Iranian green tea is one of the most popular herbal teas in the world.
Various researches claim that habitual drinking of this tea has a positive impact on maintaining health. This type of tea has a pleasant aroma and taste, and also has a considerable effect on improving food digestion.
What Are the Medicinal Properties of Green Tea?
This herbal tea has a significant impact on health since it contains various antioxidants, flavonoids such as Flavon, Anthocyanidin, as well as Catechin, and other compounds such as fluoride, polyphenol and caffeine. In the following, we list some of the medicinal properties of green tea in traditional medicine:
Improves Food Digestion
The proper function of the digestive system relies on the presence of antioxidants that are found in green tea. In addition, drinking this herbal tea can treat digestive tract inflammation and reduce the risk of inflammatory bowel diseases. In addition, green tea is effective in boosting the digestion of food in the stomach and therefore reduces the risk of stomach cancer.
Is Green Tea Good for Fat Loss?
The Flavan-3-ol flavonoid called catechin and other flavanols in green tea inhibits digestive enzymes that break down carbohydrates and milk proteins. Therefore, it decreases the absorption of calories in the digestive tract which can significantly help with fat loss.
Impact of Green Tea Cardiovascular Health and Performance
Green tea contains antioxidants such as flavan and anthocyanin that boost metabolic activity and alter lipid metabolism. As a result, consuming green tea has a positive effect on heart health and improves cardiovascular functions. In addition, these antioxidants help reduce blood pressure, triglycerides and cholesterol in blood, and prevent the risk of heart diseases closely associated with such issues.
Green Tea Effect on Oral Health
Since green tea contains fluoride, it can reduce gum inflammation and prevent tooth decay, therefore green tea mouthwash can be effective in maintaining oral health.
Green Tea Can Prevent Lung Cancer!
Green tea contains micronutrients known as polyphenols that are effective in preventing different forms of cancerous cell growth, including lung cancer. The consumption of these compounds shows significant results in inhibiting the growth of other forms of cancer in skin , breast, liver, colon and pancreas. Green tea is rich in antioxidants that prevent the growth of cancer cells and reduces the risk of genetic malfunction in damaged cells.
Remove Periorbital Dark Circles Around the Eyes
The caffeine content in green tea increases the blood flow in the vessels around the eyes, and can help remove the dark circles around the eyes. To benefit from the healing effects of green tea, put green tea leaves in a teabag, soak them in hot water for 5 minutes and place the bags on the dark circles around the eyes for 10 to 20 minutes.
Green Tea Processing Method
Green tea is obtained by processing the leaves and buds of the Camellia sinensis plant. In the first step of processing green tea, the leaves and buds of this plant are collected before withering and oxidation (fermentation). In this method, the chlorophyll content of the plant is preserved by heating and drying the leaves. Chlorophyll is a natural compound in plants that is responsible for photosynthesis. It contains the green pigmentation that gives most plants their green color.
So green tea infusion, one of the traditional medicinal herbs of Iran, must have a greenish color. If this tea has a brown or golden color, either the tea has low quality, or bad preparation has damaged the chlorophyll content.
How to Brew Green Tea Right
If this herbal drink is not brewed properly, it tastes bitter and loses its healing properties and nutritional value. Like regular tea, this type of tea should not be brewed over direct heat or exposed to boiling water.
For traditional preparation of this herbal tea, bring water to a boil and remove it from the stove until the temperature drops to around 80 degrees Celsius. Then, add two cups of hot water to a teaspoon of dry green tea. Let the infusion rest for 5-8 minutes, longer exposure will ruin the tea’s taste and make it bitter.
Learn More About Green Tea and Medicinal Herbs
Iranian traditional medicine introduces green tea as one of the essential traditional medicinal herbs. Green tea leaves retain their chlorophyll content after processing and contain many antioxidants, and can have a significant impact on the treatment and prevention of diseases.
Various types of herbal teas are cultivated in most regions of Iran, especially the northern provinces of the country. If you travel to the north of Iran on an Iran tour package or by yourself, you can see traditional and modern methods of processing teas, such as green tea. Destination Iran aims to present different types of traditional medicinal herbs in Iran as part of our effort to promote Iranian food culture and traditional medicine.
