Origin and Healing Properties of Green Tea

The custom of drinking tea is believed to have begun more than 4,000 years ago in China. It was probably introduced in Japan during the Nara era by Buddhist monks who had gone to China for studies. The possibility that native tea trees existed in Japan is supported by some old documents, but it seems that the tea seeds also were brought to Japan from China by the monks.
Nowadays, tea is drunk by about half of the world's population. Japan is among the five major tea producers in the world (along with China, India, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka).
Besides its merits as a flavored, tasty social drink, tea has numerous positive effects on health. A Chinese proverb says: "It is better to drink green tea than to take medicine." In Japan also green tea is known as the source of "Everlasting Youth and Longevity." These benefits have been specified in various books, journals, newspapers, and TV reports. In Japan, Eisai's (a famous monk) book "Maintaining Health by Drinking Tea" is among the first works on the topic.
The healing properties of tea derive from its richness in vitamins and similar elements. These properties act on health in various manners, as indicated in the excerpt below, taken from the work of Dr. Tiara Iguana, Professor of Food Science at the Department of food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Japan.
	1. Green tea prevents cancer. 2. Green tea restricts the increase of blood cholesterol. 3. Green tea controls high blood pressure. 4. Green tea lowers the blood sugar level. 5. Green tea retards aging. 6. Green tea refreshes the body. 7. Green tea deters food poisoning. 8. Green tea stops cavities. 9. Green tea fights virus. 10. Green tea acts as a functional food.
Sources consulted: Daisan Inc. IS Business Section, Xianju Green Tea, London Calling.