Does Green Tea Offer the Prescription for Beating Cancer?

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Article Title:

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Does Green Tea Offer the Prescription for Beating Cancer?

Article Description:

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With early detection, cancer is no longer an automatic death

sentence. However, an initial diagnosis still brings with it a

host of questions: What is the best course of treatment? Are

conventional approaches best? Or are non-traditional therapies

preferable†& quot;particularly if the cancer does not seem to

respond to chemotherapy and radiation.

Additional Article Information:

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811 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2006-12-01 10:24:00

Written By: Marcus Stout

Copyright: 2006

Contact Email: mailto:Marcus.Stout@...

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Does Green Tea Offer the Prescription for Beating Cancer?

Copyright © 2006 Marcus Stout

Golden Moon Tea

http://www.GoldenMoonTea.com

With early detection, cancer is no longer an automatic death

sentence. However, an initial diagnosis still brings with it a

host of questions: What is the best course of treatment? Are

conventional approaches best? Or are non-traditional therapies

preferable " " particularly if the cancer does not seem to respond

to chemotherapy and radiation.

In recent years, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on

unconventional therapies for cancer. For instance, in an article

in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Kaegi of

the Task Force on Alternative Therapies of the Canadian Breast

Cancer Research Initiative discussed the fact that cancer

patients are trying a number of intriguing therapies, including

Essiac, Iscador, hydrazine sulfate, vitamins A, C, and E, and

714-X. But perhaps one of the most popular therapies that has

been tried is green tea. In fact, go to your local convenience

store and you may find jug after jug of green tea in assorted

flavors. Still, you may be wondering what makes green tea so

special " " and if it really can help to combat cancer.

Green Tea " " The Basics

Green tea is produced by steaming or frying the leaves of the

shrub known as Camellia sinensis. The leaves, which are not

fermented, are then dried. For 5,000 years, families in China

and Japan have hailed green tea as a valuable stimulant and an

effective remedy for stomach ailments. You can even purchase

green tea in capsule form now, although the actual medicinal

benefits from such capsules have yet to be established.

Dried tea leaves are far more complex than you might think.

Specifically, they are made up of phytochemicals, plant

alkaloids, proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, phenolic acids, and

minerals. Of course, the exact composition of the leaves varies,

depending on when the leaves are harvested and how they are

processed. You should also be aware of the fact that the

composition of green tea varies from that of black tea, since

black tea has fewer polyphenols because of the fermentation

process.

Side Effects

Green tea can contain anywhere from 10 to 80 milligrams of

caffeine " " the actual amount depends on how it has been produced

and stored. Since caffeine is a known stimulant, green tea may

lead to a racing heart rate and insomnia. As a result, heart

patients, pregnant women, and nursing mothers should ideally

drink no more than two cups of green tea a day.

Cancer Prevention

Numerous scientific studies have explored the use of green tea as

a cancer preventative. According to Kaegi, digestive cancers

appear to be particularly responsive to green tea. In fact, such

tea appears to somewhat decrease the risk of experiencing cancer

of the digestive tract. Given the fact that such conclusions are

the result of a number of epidemiological studies, it appears

that the idea that green tea can prevent cancer has some merit.

News from the Lab

But what about treating cancer? Can green tea be as effective in

treatment as it is in prevention? There has been some limited

lab work investigating the possibility that green tea can be used

as an alternative form of cancer treatment. However, at this

point, there have only been a few animal studies and no human

studies. The results of these studies are, at this point,

inconclusive.

Yet, it should be noted that one study showed that, if extracts

of green tea are applied to mouse skin, it appears to stop the

development of skin cancer when known carcinogens have been

applied to the skin. Other research indicates that green tea can

stop the growth of tumors or decrease the number of tumors in

animals that have been exposed to cancer-causing agents.

In some animals, green tea and tea extracts prevented cancer

cells from metastasizing. There are also indications that green

tea extracts can prevent chromosomal abnormalities that can lead

to cancer, as well as reduce the size of breast and prostate

tumors.

The Magic of EGCG

Green tea contains an antioxidant known as epigallocatechin

gallate, or EGCG. This substance appears to inhibit enzymes

which are responsible for cell replication, stop the adhesion of

cells, and disrupt the communication pathways which enable cell

division to occur. However, EGCG seems to be most critically

important as an antioxidant.

Final Conclusions

Researchers believe that there is evidence to suggest that green

tea can be used to treat cancer. However, scientists add that

additional research is absolutely essential in order to determine

the full range of treatment that green tea might provide. For

instance, researchers must determine which cancers are most

likely to be abated through the use of green tea or green tea

extracts.

Since there is also evidence to indicate that green tea can

prevent cancer as well, drinking green tea is not only

safe " " it " s also highly recommended by some medical experts.

Therefore, green tea may not just be a thirst-quencher " " it may

also be a key ingredient of a healthy diet.

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Marcus Stout is the President of the Golden Moon Tea Company. Golden Moon Tea

carefully selects the finest rare and orthodox teas, which are processed slowly

and handcrafted with extreme care. At their website, you can learn more about

their current tea offerings, including their exceptional green tea

(http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea), white tea, black tea, oolong tea (also

known as wu-long and wu long tea - http://www.goldenmoontea.com/wu-long) and

chai. Visit http://www.goldenmoontea.com for all details concerning the Golden

Moon Tea Company's fine line of teas.