Legend tells us that a Chinese emperor sitting under a tea bush around 2700 B. C. had the good fortune of having tea leaves fall into the cup of hot water from which he was drinking, giving birth to what is now known as green tea. Unfermented tea leaves, more commonly known as green tea, are an important part of everybody's diet who desires a healthy system. New research has shown that certain compounds in green tea are believed to provide protection against some cancer and some forms of heart disease. The fluoride in green tea is a wonderful preventative against tooth decay.

Green tea is made by a simple process of steaming leaves from the tea plant to kill the enzymes which would ferment the tea. These leaves are then rolled and dried producing green tea. According to recent studies, green tea contains some of the most promising anticancer compounds found to date. Research has show that people who drink green tea once a day for six months show a decrease in the rate of cancers such as colon, rectal and pancreatic. The potency of green teas main antioxidant, epigallocatechin-gallate or EGCG for short, protects cells from being damaged and steps up the bodies production of antioxidant enzymes. According to research, EGCG is one hundred times more powerful than vitamin C and approximately twenty five times stronger than vitamin E.

It has also been shown that the antioxidant effects of the polyphenols produced in green tea can help to protect the heart by suppressing damage to LDL cholesterol which is believed to cause plaque in the arteries. Another study suggest that the antibacterial effects of green tea linked with the production of fluoride may help protect against tooth decay. Vitamin K is another asset produced by green tea if taken in pill form. This is because the steeping or boiling of green tea leaves tends to destroy the vitamin K

Although all tea has hefty amounts of caffeine, there is very little caffeine in the green tea supplements. This is good news for nursing mothers and people with high blood pressure who certainly do not need excess caffeine. Taken as a beverage, green tea contains approximately 35 to 40 mg of caffeine. It is best to take green tea supplements right before meals with a full glass of water. Brewed green tea, using one teaspoon of tea per cup of hot water and steeped for 4 to 5 minutes, can be drank before or with a meal.