Green Tea Health Benefits
If you haven’t been living in a cave, you’ve probably heard a little about the potential health benefits of green tea in regards to fat burning/weight loss, health, cancer, and antioxidant effects. This post is a review of a recent article from the American Family Physician – a Journal of the American Academy of Family Practice.
Green tea is derived from Camellia sinensis by lightly steaming and drying the leaves. Green tea, black tea, and oolong all come from the same plant but are prepared in different ways.
Green tea contains a variety of substances that are believed to provide the health benefits: Read more
Guarana – just another Caffeine?
Paullinia cupana (P. crysan, P. sorbilis). Native to the Amazon basin, especially in Brazil. It has a fruit about the size of a coffee berry & contains approximately twice as much caffeine. The caffeine is a defense mechanism for the plant which repels pathogens. Read more
Ginseng overview
Ginseng has a number of health, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects and benefits.
Ginseng is actually any of 11 different species of the Panax genus. It is found in Asia (China, Korea, Siberia) and usually in cooler regions. It is characterized by ginsenosides. Ginseng translates “man root” due to its forked shape. Panax is from the Greek meaning “all-heal” and became so named due to Linnaeus’ awareness of the root’s use in Chinese medicine as a muscle relaxant. It is used as adaptogens (increases resistance to stress), aphrodisiacs, stimulants, treatment of type II diabetes, & male sexual dysfunction. It is typically available in a dried form. The leaf is also available in a dried form. Read more
Green Tea Extract
Typically, I compile my own information. However, I think they did a fantastic job.
There are three main varieties of tea from Camellia sinensis — green, black, and oolong. The difference between the teas is in their processing. Green tea is made from unfermented leaves and reportedly contains the highest concentration of powerful antioxidants called polyphenols. Read more
Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo biloba is a unique species of tree with no close living relatives. The ginkgo is classified in its own division, the Ginkgophyta, comprising the single class Ginkgoopsida, order Ginkgoales, family Ginkgoaceae, genus Ginkgo and is the only extant species within this group.
Ginkgos are very large trees, normally reaching a height of 20–35 m (66–115 feet) Read more