There is more than one component that is beneficial to your health in green tea.
Green tea is the nonoxidized, unfermented product of the leaves from the
evergreen plant. Green tea is also known to have twice as much fluoride to help
prevent tooth decay than black tea. Green tea is also rich in flavonoids (catechin),
antioxidants, theanine and saponin. In the body, green tea helps to reduce free
radicals which cause mutations in cells leading to cancers. Catechins, the most
abundant of which is Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG), are responsible for the
majority of health benefits of green tea.
It is believed that EGCG is responsible for the vast array of presumed health
benefits green tea possesses, such as the prevention of cancer and
cardiovascular disease. Several studies have reported that EGCG may have a
protective effect against HIV infection. Researchers do not suggest the use of
green tea to counter HIV infection or as an alternative therapy to current
anti-viral agents now used. The concentrations of EGCG used to demonstrate these
inhibitory effects in laboratory studies are many times over the blood
concentration that could be achieved by normal green tea consumption. However,
the current findings call for additional research into the clinical application
of green tea catechin as an anti-HIV drug.
http://www.aaaai.org/media/news_releases/2003/11/111003.stm
