Health Benefits of Matcha - Green Tea Powder
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Matcha, A Powdered Green Tea
Health Benefits of Matcha Green Tea Powder
A variety of sites claim that just one cup of matcha tea is equivalent to 10 cups of regular steeped green tea. After my research, I can see why. The health benefits of matcha tea far exceed regular green tea benefits. When you drink matcha you ingest the whole leaf, not just the brewed water. What is inside the leaves is very impressive and beneficial to our health. - MissOlive
Health Benefits of Matcha Green Tea Powder
Matcha Basics - Why you should drink matcha - green tea powder
WHY drink matcha? Matcha is very nutritious and contains a high level of antioxidants with an impressive ORAC score of over 1380. This is higher than blueberries and acai berries. Studies have shown matcha to contain amazingly high levels of; amino acids, vitamin c, and catechins. Here are the impressive findings. Studies have confirmed; reduced physical and psychological stress, improved mood and alertness, a boost in the immune system, reduction of bad breath, prevention of some cancers, a reduction of 21% of strokes, promotes oxidation of fats, improvement of metabolism and assists in the stabilization of insulin. (I will cite the studies and identify the respective findings further down in this article)
WHAT is Matcha? Matcha is a finely ground and powdered high quality green tea grown in the shaded misty mountains of Japan. It is commonly known for its use in the traditional Tea Ceremony (1). The highest quality of organic matcha green tea is certified by JAS (Japan Agriculture Standard) and JONA (Japan Organic and Natural Foods Association), which claim to follow stricter regulations and higher standards than North American certification associations. However, some sites argue that JONA or JAS endorsed matcha is not properly made, therefore, not necessarily of better quality. Nevertheless, the intention of this article is not to dispute that claim – it is to introduce you to matcha and its notable benefits.
HOW is matcha grown and harvested? Matcha is made from tea leaves which are shade-grown. A few weeks before harvesting, tea bushes are covered to further prevent direct sunlight. The lack of light slows down growth and turns the leaves an even darker shade of green. This step is said to promote the production of amino acids. After harvesting the leaves of highest quality they remain shaded or indoors and laid out flat to dry. The dried leaves will crumble and become known as tencha. Tencha is stone ground to the fine, bright green, talc-like powder known as matcha. Matcha of the highest quality will be a VERY bright green. If the color is slightly brown, yellow or beige it is of poor quality and has oxidized – hence, losing all of its benefits.
WHERE do I find matcha? You will be pleased to find many matcha vendors on the internet. However, you can usually find it at whole food stores or Japanese markets. There are a variety of brands, but I have always been satisfied with the color, taste and quality of Maeda-en. This is not to say that there aren’t better brands, it’s just what I can find locally and have been pleased thus far. Besides, if my authentic local Japanese market carries it, then it is almost certainly acceptable.
NOTE; If it is in a tea bag - it is NOT matcha. Matcha is a bright and vivid green powder. It is usually sold in small canisters.
Matcha inhibits tumor growth and removes free radicals
The natural ingredients of matcha include; EGCG, tannin, catechin and more...
The amazing benefits of these natural ingredients...
Catechin (Tannin)
Catechin is also known as tannin. It is a bioflavonoid that has both antiviral and antioxidant qualities. Benefits of catechin include;
- EGCG and Breast Cancer (epicgallocatechin gallate) is the catechin with the most potent cancer-fighting properties. 60% of catechin content of matcha is EGCG. In a 2008 study conducted by researchers at the University of Mississippi researchers found that consuming EGCG significantly inhibits breast tumor growth in female mice. Researchers believe these findings can help lead to new therapies for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer in women.
- Removing free radicals
Free radicals are powerful oxidizing agents in the body which are known to cause a wide variety of diseases, aging, and wrinkles. - Reducing cholesterol
High cholesterol levels are known to cause arteriosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke. - Reduce fat
It has been reported that Catechin is absorbed into the blood stream and promotes fat metabolism in the liver. - Antibacterial, sterilizing and oral care
Catechin has strong antibacterial and sterilizing effects on germs and bacteria as well as those which cause periodontal disease and bad breath. Catechin also works to protect the enamel and keep your teeth healthy and strong. - Antiviral and Prevention of the H1N1 infection (this really amazed me) Studies have shown that Catechin can also avert viral infections such as influenza and the common cold. Hiroshi Yamada, doctor of internal medicine at Shizuoka General Hospital and professor of medicine at Shizuoka University, published a study concerning the effectiveness of Catechin against the new influenza - H1N1. Through his research experiments he proved gargling with Japanese green tea can help prevent the influenza infection.
Theanine increases dopamine levels
Theanine (Teanin)
- Tea is the only plant that makes the amino acid Theanine, also known as Teanin or L-Theanine. Thus, it is the origin for the word “tea”.
- Theanine stimulates alpha brain waves, which are associated with a relaxed but alert mental state. It helps relax the mind while allowing one to focus on mental tasks. Which incidentally brings up another find – monks drank matcha prior to long periods of fasting, prayer and meditation (1).
- Controlled experiments have shown that Theanine has a positive effect on the mind and improves memory by increasing dopamine levels. Also, the alpha brain waves increase 40 minutes after consuming Theanine, making this a great study drink for scholars and students alike.
- Incidentally, matcha is especially rich in Theanine due to the tea leaves being grown in the shade before harvest.
Vitamins and Minerals
- Matcha is rich in minerals including manganese, selenium, zinc, chromium, potassium and calcium, which alkalizes the blood, regulates the heartbeat, and build strong teeth and bones. Matcha tea also contains vitamin C, tocopherols, carotenoids, and several phytochemical compounds.
ORAC levels in Matcha and the benefit of chlorophyll
Chlorophyll
- A Renowned Detoxifying Agent - Chlorophyll, the pigment which gives leaves their green color, helps to remove heavy metals and chemical toxins from the body. Matcha tea is a chlorophyll rich food. Its vivid green color is due to growth and harvesting process, which supports the natural infusion of chlorophyll.
ORAC
- ORAC is a measure of antioxidant value. The USDA recommends 3,000- 5,000 ORAC units per day. One teaspoon of matcha tea, contains approximately 2600 ORAC units. (I add 2 teaspoons to my morning smoothie – easily fulfilling my ORAC recommendations)
Do You Drink Green Tea?
Why Isn’t Everyone Drinking Green Tea or Taking Green Tea Supplements?
by TotalHealth
With reported benefits ranging from reducing the risk of cancer and diabetes to increased metabolism and mental clarity, green tea seems like the ultimate late night infomercial snake oil product.
Matcha Recipes
There are a variety of ways one can consume matcha. I personally enjoy it in my morning smoothies. If you'd like a HUGE variety of ideas you might want to consider reading 100 Matcha Recipes.
100 Matcha Recipes - Recipes include everything from matcha eggnog, matcha cookies, matcha smoothies, matcha brownies to matcha martinis!
Clinical Studies of Matcha Support the Health Benefits
Health Benefits of Matcha Green Tea Powder - Studies and Links
- · l-Theanine reduces psychological and physiological stress responses http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301051106001451
- · The effects of l-theanine, caffeine and their combination on cognition and mood- http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301051107001573
- · Antigens in tea-beverage prime human Vγ2Vδ2 T cells in vitro and in vivo for memory and nonmemory antibacterial cytokine responses http://www.pnas.org/content/100/10/6009
- · Tea fights bad breath http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-05/uoia-tfb051403.php
- · Skin cancer http://www.smartskincare.com/treatments/topical/greentea.html
- · Reduce stroke http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/139794.php
- · Increase fat loss / oxidationhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18326618
- · Increase overall metabolism http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10584049
Footnotes
1. The Japanese Tea Ceremony known as Chanoyu is a highly ritualized practice of drinking matcha tea. The Zen monks were the first to introduce matcha to Japan, and their influence is seen throughout the ceremony. Most notably is the emphasis on a calm mind, serene settings and awareness of nature.
Suggested MissOlive HUBS
Health Benefits of Matcha Green Tea Powder
Have you ever had chai?
What is Chai? Benefits and Preparation of Chai Tea
All MissOlive hubs on HubPages are authored by,
marisa hammond olivares, copyright 2011
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Hi, amazing stuff, really interesting, thanks
One question you don't answer - what does it taste like? I'm also wondering - you say you ingest the whole leaf, not just the liquid. Does that mean it tastes powdery or gritty?
Love your copyright notice by the way.
I have never heard of Matcha until now. I would love to try this. The health benefits are amazing. I do have one question though. Since it is a fine powder, can you mix the powder into hot water?
Welcome to Hubpages. I'm a tea drinker so I really enjoyed reading this hub filled with intersting info. Thanks for sharing. BTW-you may want to edit this and identify the source of your photos. :)
Thanks Missolive! I'm going to check that out now!
I love green tea. I have ordered Matcha over the internet and I like to add soy milk to mine. Great Hub!
FYI, I purchased some matcha tea and I absolutely love it! Thanks again!
Wonderful article - thanks for all the useful information. I love green tea and I had no idea that you could buy it as a powder and use it in recipes.
Excellent information about the matcha green tea powder I never heard of this, I utilize a great deal of Chinese products for health because they are so advanced, I am surprised I never knew about this one, thanks for the information and sharing. Excellent!, Vote-up, Interesting, Beautiful, and useful. I hope you have a great evening.
Miss Olive - if this tea improves memory - I need it! I love the hub - it looks beautiful and the info is great. I find it really interesting that it especially interesting that it stimulates alpha brain waves. I wonder why? Hmmm! I am going to have to try it - maybe it will make me smarter! A girl can dream:)
Up and everything!
Hi missolive. Thanks for a very informative hub, I am about to search the internet now to buy my first batch of matcha. : )
Miss Olive. THANK YOU for this education on Matcha tea!! I am excited to add this to my daily life. Am off to read your hub on the recipes!! You are a treasure of wonderful health tips!
I drink green tea everyday but haven't heard of matcha. I'll have to give it a try.
I just bought a bowl of strawberries and blueberries! Now I just need that tea!
Missolive - Wow, I'm impressed! this is truly a well written and very educational hub on matcha!
I love to mix my matcha in my smoothies as well. So healthy! Furthermore, I add it into my baking, to give it a fun and interesting green color and get some of the matcha teas health benefits into my pound cake or cup cakes.
Thanks! Up, up and away on this one!
Wow this is a very well presented Hub filled with great information about Matcha. Frankly speaking i was totally unaware of what matcha is but now i know :) i will look forward to try out matcha tea some day.
Thanks for sharing,voting up and useful!!!
I will be checking this out. I like my teas sweet, will adding gobs of sugar affect the benefits of this tea? Thanks so much Missolive. If this has the benefits that you say I hope I feel every last one. Ha!
Hahaha Thank you missolive i also fell for the cuteness of the picture :)
Hi Miss Olive,
Thank you for such an informative hub, including your research reference section at the end. Ordered a small cannister of the Matcha Tea from Amazon just now and am looking forward to trying it. I imagine that the taste is a little intense? If so, I'll put honey in it.
what a great hub. I did not know that Matcha tea was so much better than green tea. I will try it.. I have one question? Is it all right to drink it all the time or just once a day?
I voted up and awesome
Merry Christmas debbie
I cant drink a lot of caffeine too. Thanks for sharing.. Debbie
Mmmm...I'm really into herbs and teas and now I'm going to add this to my list! Green tea is my drink of choice in the mornings, so I have every reason to try matcha. Thanks for sharing. :)
I have tried green tea numerous times for the health benefits at work. However, these are the tea bags. I am really interested in trying the macha (powder). The health benefits are quite good it seems. Thanks alot for sharing.
missolive ,
I am taking green tea as someone suggested for weight loss.I did not know about Matcha tea it is better than green tea. I will try it.So your hub is full of knowledge for me.
Voted up and Interesting.
I had very heard of matcha before I saw your hubs. I thought at first it was the same as green mate tea, but I see that’s not the case. I have never seen it in the UK, but maybe that’s because I haven’t been looking. I have massive sensitivity to caffeine, so I’d only probably only be able to have a little of it. But you’ve inspired me to have a look next time I’m at my health food store! Thanks for the hub.
Wow! this is a great Hub. I've been drinking Matcha for about four months now and I have been looking for the right information about this tea. I really like the way you have supported your writing. You provided precise scientific researches. Thanks very much for a great article, and thanks for the links.
MissOlive, I drink Matcha tea when I visit my brother in NYC each year. He is a big believer. I love it. Also, I take L-Theanine for anxiety and to help the "wheel stop spinning" when I go to bed. I am a believer. I love tea and need to get some Matcha! Wonderful information!
Votes and shared! :-)
Very interesting and informative article. I was wondering if there are any warnings about interaction with pharmaceutical medications listed on the box or canister of this tea. I am interested but have to be careful with what I consume.
Miss Olive, I am glad to have found this hub. I am really into whole foods and anything that contributes to optimum health. I have tried a few green drinks that I could not handle .. Yuck, but I keep searching because I understand the huge health benefits of greens. This hub is full of great information and reasons to drink Matcha tea.
Thanks you for doing the research and sharing it!
Blessings!
Mekenzie
I have actually not ever heard of matcha before. It sounds great. I think I'm going to have to try it. Now checking out your smoothie recipe. I love smoothies!
Wow MO ~ I'm glad I took the time to read this. The research you put in to this is awesome. My lil sister and her entire family drink tea. She is very much into what is healthy for her four boys. I am definitely sending her this link. And also I believe I am going to add a new board to Pinterest too called HEALTHY OPTIONS. Thank you so much!
Sharyn
I've never heard of this, but I think I'll get some!!! Voted up and very useful! Thanks, Missolive!
Anything that green has got to be good for you. The plants do rather well on it so why not us humans.
Hope you hit the 1000.
I've been looking for this-- and I also printed out your recipes. Thanks.
A Japanese friend gave me a large package of matcha. I had used it to make green tea ice cream, but other than that hadn't touched it. I had no idea it provides so many health benefits. Now I'll be sure to drink it!
missolive, Green tea ice cream is high on my Must-Try List of Foods. So far I have not located it locally, but I'll persevere.
As a tea and smoothie lover, I appreciate matcha. And, as you pointed out in your hub on 100 Matcha recipes, matcha is versatile and satisfying in many culinary reincarnations and guises.
Thank you for highlighting this unique ingredient.
I'm happy I read your Hub because I didn't know the Matcha found in tea bags doesn't have many benefits. Voted up, useful, and shared.
Marisa,this is an excellent hub on Matcha green tea. Very well researched and excellently written and very well presented. Other green teas do not match up to the health benefits of matcha.
I am including a link to this hub in my hub on health benefits of tea. It will be published today.
Voted up, awesome and useful.
I am a big fan of green tea but i didnt know about Matcha green tea powder before reading this hub.
Really haven't tried this but it sure looks interesting. Gotta say though that it's unbelievable they have lots of recipes with matcha...sorry read 100 Match recipes first and came here. Voted up.
Well-written hub on matcha. Actually I have not heard of matcha before till now thanks to you. I knew only green tea. I decided to give matcha a try after reading many health benefits of matcha listed by you! I see why monks introduced matcha to Japan and then it slowly spread across the world! It calms the mind! Keep up the wonderful work of introduction to matcha! Well-done!
Thanks for SHARING! Useful. Voted up and socially shared.
Ok... I need to try this for sure. It definately has some good benefits, and I have never been a fan of green tea... so maybe with the recipes, I will be able to enjoy the benefits of green tea without actually drinking it!
Missolive, this is really great information. I have to develop a taste for tea. I don't mind it at all but I love coffee. Hard to break away. I'm so glad you shared a way to BUY this kind of green tea since the local supermarket is unlikely to have it.
Voted up and useful...as all of your hubs are!
Great hub! It something simple and easy to do, but it seems to have a lot of benefits! I will try putting it into my water bottle every day and see what happens!
I have been using honey in mine, taste much better. I have also been using the small tea spoon that came in the tea box, I'm thinking that everyone else is using a regular teaspoon which is bigger?
No, it' s a tiny spoon, smaller then a baby spoon.
I am a 45 years male japanese living and working in Shanghai. I am glad to see more and more europeans discovering the benefits of matcha. I am a big fan of matcha since I was little and have definitely benefits greatly fdrom it. I was often told how much younger i look for my age and I remember my grandmother telling me how matcha can keep us from premature ageing, she was almost wrinkle free at the age of 85 and she swear by her daily matcha ritual everyday without fail. She would often put some left over tea under and around the eye or even pat them all over the face and maybe it woirk, she was free of wrinkles and freckles. My mother on the other hand hates matcha and she develop wrinkles and freckles at 40s. I think it works and hope you all benefits from matcha BUT PLEASE TRY TO DRINK ORGANIC MATCHA, it might be more expensive but it worth the extra. Whenever i can i would buy from www.mercola.com or http://www.yuuki-cha.com, both supply certified organio matcha. Beside green tea, our families drank a lot of white tea too but its hard to buy organic white tea especially those available from China, they claim to be organic but I dont trust them as the Chinese have constant food posoning and exceeding pesticide limits in their produce especially tea.Having lived in China for 10 years, i have never buy chinese made matcha casue i dont think they are reliable.
missolive - Thanks for this info - I love green tea but have never heard of matcha... now to find a local supplier. Thanks
Matcha is very popular here. I haven't tried it yet, but have heard so much about the health benefits - and this hub is a very comprehensive article. Thanks for sharing!



















































Dexter Yarbrough Level 7 Commenter 8 months ago
Hi Miss Olive! I did read this hub the other day but I have been busy at work so I didn't get a chance to comment. You provided some really great information, which has me rethinking using the brewed green tea leaves and instead using Matcha. Now, THIS is a great hub!!!! Thanks!