Difference between revisions of "Matcha"

Revision as of 13:24, 9 December 2013

Matcha

See also : Green Tea
A green tea known as matcha—a finely milled, emerald green variety from Japan—has long been claimed to have greater health benefits than other green teas. Finally, a study from the University of Colorado validates these claims and explains them as being due to matcha's exceptionally high concentration of EGCG. The study's authors wrote: Results indicate that the concentration of [EGCG] available from drinking matcha is 137 times greater than the amount of EGCG available from China Green Tips green tea, and at least 3 times higher than the largest literature value for other green teas. The reason matcha provides such a concentrated dose of EGCG is that when you drink matcha, you are consuming the entire tea leaf. Matcha is made from only the very youngest, greenest, and finest leaves at the tip of the tea plant. These leaves are then dried and pulverized using stone grinders until the powder is extremely fine (approximately 9 microns). The Tea of Choice Among Japan's Royalty and Zen Buddhist Monks Historically, brilliant green matcha has been valued almost as highly as if it were, quite literally, ground from emeralds. For centuries, matcha was reserved exclusively for Japan's royalty and religious elite. Matcha has the unique ability to sustain mental alertness, increase alpha wave generation in the brain, and calm the central nervous system—all at the same time. This makes matcha an ideal drink to facilitate meditation. For that reason, matcha has been used by Zen Buddhist monks for almost 1,000 years. Matcha's lofty lineage kept prices prohibitively expensive for the North American market until only recently. Thanks to improvements in manufacturing efficiency, the cost has dropped enough to make matcha affordable for most people. Make Your Own Matcha As noted, matcha is remarkably potent, and every person's unique biochemistry will respond to it differently. In Japan, the average rate of consumption is 1-2 cups a day. Many prefer to drink a cup in the morning to prepare for the day, and a cup in the afternoon as a pick-me-up. Experts say there's no level at which matcha becomes toxic or dangerous. While it is possible for you to make your own matcha tea powder, it could prove to be labor intensive because you would need a considerable amount of hand-picked tea leaves and have to stone-grind them into a fine powder. It's more convenient to purchase the matcha green powder from tea vendors and online retailers. Teavana carries premium, ceremonial grade matcha tea powder, which is traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies. Ceremonial grade matcha reportedly has a creamy, sweet taste compared to the food grade matcha, which has a bitter taste. To prepare a cup of matcha, simply combine 2 ounces of matcha green tea powder with 6 ounces of hot water, and stir until dissolved.

Special Precautions of Matcha

• See also preacutions : Green Tea
• Although matcha is generally considered safe, the National Institutes of Health warn that green tea may cause stomach upset and constipation in some cases.
• Additionally, the NIH cautions against consuming more than five cups of green tea daily. Due to the caffeine content, excessive consumption of matcha or other forms of green may trigger certain side effects (such as headache, insomnia, irritability, diarrhea, and heartburn).

The benefits of Matcha are

Some proponents claim that matcha contains more antioxidants than other forms of green tea. In addition, matcha is purported to promote weight loss, lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure, support detox efforts, enhance mood, reduce stress, increase energy, keep blood sugar in check, and stimulate the immune system. Although there is a great deal of scientific evidence for the health benefits of green tea, very few studies have specifically focused on matcha.

• The available research on matcha includes a preliminary study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food in 2009. In tests on rats with type 2 diabetes, researchers found that treating the animals with matcha led to decreased levels of cholesterol, blood sugar, and harmful blood fats. What's more, matcha appeared to protect the rats from liver and kidney damage. According to the study's authors, matcha may contain higher amounts of epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate (a potent antioxidant) than other forms of green tea.
• While research on the specific health benefits of matcha is currently lacking, some studies suggest that regular consumption of green tea may offer a wide range of health benefits. For instance, green tea appears to prevent age-related cognitive impairment, reduce risk of stroke and diabetes, keep blood pressure in check, and strengthen bones.
• There's some evidence that green tea may help prevent several forms of cancer, including prostate cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and colorectal cancer.