Green Tea

[IronFist]

If you cut open a bag of green tea and poured the contents into capsules and took them would you get the same health benefit? Or is there some magic process through steeping the tea which causes all the health benefits to be derived?

[Starchaser107]

Is it really that cumbersome and time consuming to boil a cup of tea?

[joedoe]

The steeping process releases all sorts of magical compounds, including chi!

In all seriousness, I don't know. However, I find that I prefer to drink a cup of tea to taking a capsule

[IronFist]

I don't mind drinking it, I'm just worried that I never get it strong enough even when I let it seep for 5-10 minutes. I drink it for health more than for taste.

[norther practitioner]

Not everything is about pills man...

[IronFist]

but I was wondering if it was ok to actually ingest the leaves and stuff or if you were just supposed to drink the water they touched.

[joedoe]

Originally posted by IronFist
but I was wondering if it was ok to actually ingest the leaves and stuff or if you were just supposed to drink the water they touched.

There shouldn't be any problem with ingesting the leaves - the Japanese actually grind the leaves up and make the tea from the powder, then drink the lot.

I think you get just as much benefit out of just drinking the tea though.

[FuXnDajenariht]

Get sum Green Tea Plus......

http://www.weightlosshealthbenefits.com/?s=g&p=gt

http://www.greenteaplus.com

[David Jamieson]

the boiling process activates the tea. You will get some small benefit if you eat tea, but not much as a lot of the goodness gets through digestion.

steeping, draughting, de-concocting all are an extraction process which expose the individual aspects of an herb.

so, take the 3 minutes out of your life to get the best benefit.

[IronFist]

Originally posted by Kung Lek
the boiling process activates the tea.

How? What if the water's not boiling and it's just "hot?" At work we have a tap that produces 190 degree water (it's labeled that way). It's not boiling. Will it still work?

You will get some small benefit if you eat tea, but not much as a lot of the goodness gets through digestion.

Eating = digestion.

steeping, draughting, de-concocting all are an extraction process which expose the individual aspects of an herb.

Can you define "draughting," and "de-concocting," please?

Thanks.

[Starchaser107]

I'm no chemist but I think the hot water activates the anti-oxidant properties in the tea leaves...
Or you could smoke it, but that probably won't do much good , for your lungs , sooo it defeats the purpose

[FuXnDajenariht]

ur after the polyphenols no? thats the big scientifical name for the antioxidants in green tea..... and if tea is not ur thing try the 'plus' stuff i linked to.. its real good. you get 80-90% polyphenols in a couple droppers of the stuff. you put it in water, hot or cold.

[IronFist]

So it does require water? Can someone explain the chemical process of this to me? Thanks.

[IronFist]

Originally posted by IronFist
So it does require water? Can someone explain the chemical process of this to me? Thanks.

Wait, I think I figured it out.

Tea bag + H2O ----> antioxidents

[FngSaiYuk]

Originally posted by IronFist
So it does require water? Can someone explain the chemical process of this to me? Thanks.

A quick google finds the following-
http://www.teatalk.com/science/chemistry.htm
http://www.teatalk.com/general/watertemp.htm
http://www.theteashop.com/prepare.htm