GREEN CHAI TEA AND MATCHA

We have now talked about GREENS COD LIVER OIL RAW HONEY HEMP HEARTS CHIA SEED GOJI BERRIES PSYLLIUM SEED and CELTIC SEA SALT.

Next on the list of the BASICS is Green Chai Tea. I am also going to talk about another form of green tea called Matcha in this blog.

As I said many writings ago, I believe there are a few very important items that we would all do well to include in our lives either daily or a few times a month or a couple of times a year. I have called these items THE BASICS. There is a complete list in one of my first blog writings. What I have written about so far are included in the DAILY LIST! Green Chai Tea and Matcha are a part of that DAILY LIST as well.
I drink between 3&5 cups of Green Chai Tea a day, sometimes mixing in Matcha. The following will explain to you why.

Tea consumption had its origin in China almost 5,000 years ago. Green tea has been used as traditional medicine in areas such as China, Japan, India, and Thailand to help everything from controlling bleeding and helping heal wounds to regulating body temperature, blood sugar and promoting digestion.

The Kissa Yojoki (Book of Tea) written by Zen priest Eisai in 1191, describes how drinking green tea can have a positive effect on the five vital organs, especially the heart. The book discusses tea's medicinal qualities, which include easing the effects of alcohol, acting as a stimulant, curing blotchiness, quenching thirst, eliminating indigestion, curing beriberi disease, preventing fatigue, and improving urinary and brain function.

How does Green Tea work?
Green Tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, particuarly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. the reason Green Tea and White Tea have more polyphenol antioxidants than other teas is because of the way they are processed. The process prevents the degradation of the cell membranes by neutralizing the spread of free radicals (which occurs during the process of oxidation.).
The health benefits of these teas are derived from the light processing of the leaves which maintain the ingredients like Catechin that research is now demonstrating to be beneficial. White and Green tea are often steamed or pan fired rather than being semi-fermented (oolong) or fermented (black tea). Fermentation leaches out some of these beneficial ingredients in the same way that frying food tends to reduce nutrient value that steaming does not. It should be no surprise that steamed green tea also maintains more of its polyphenol antioxidant profile than pan-fired green tea as well.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)has rejected claims of health benefits for green tea!
"There is no credible scientific evidence that drinking green tea reduces the risk of heart disease".
The FDA previously has said that green tea likely does not reduce breast, prostate or any other type of cancer risk.

In spite of the FDA's claims, Green Tea's medicinal benefits have been described for over 1000 years. Objectively speaking, skepticism of green tea's medical benefits would not be the first time an ancient medical remedy practised successfully in Asia was initially called into question by the Western Medical establishment.

RISKS: To date the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine.
However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee, there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six to eight ounces of tea compared to over one hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.
I am quite caffeine sensitive and cannot drink stimulating beverages past early afternoon. I do not have a problem going to sleep when I drink Green Chai Tea in the evening, which I do most evenings.

Chinese Green Tea has been researched and linked to help all of the following conditions.

* rheumatoid arthritis
* high cholesterol levels
* cardiovascular disease
* infection
* impaired immune function
* cognition ( a study in the February edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded "A higher consumption of green tea is associated with a lower prevalence of cognitive impairment in humans.")
* stopping certain neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimers
* treating arthritis
* treating MS

Preventing lowered T-Cells due to HIV
In lab tests, EGCG found in green tea, was found to prevent HIV from attacking T-Cells. Scientists in Japan have found a component of green tea can stop HIV from binding to healthy immune cells, which is how the virus spreads. Their laboratory tests suggest a chemical called Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) protects cells. Writing in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the scientists said the discovery would lead to new treatments to fight the disease. It is not known if this has any effect on humans yet.

Cancer
In 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. In fact they said many laboratory studies have demonstrated inhibitory effects of tea preparations and tea polyphenols against tumor formation and growth. This inhibitory activity is believed to be mainly due to the anti-oxidative and possible anti-proliferative effects of the polyphenolic compounds in green and black tea.

Weight Loss
New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In November 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo. Green Tea increases fat oxidation (helps the body use fat as an energy source) and raises metabolism. These two things are predictive of weight loss.

Teeth and Skin
Meanwhile skin preparations containing green tea- from deodorants to creams, are starting to appear on the market. Scientists have even discovered that applying green tea to the skin can help cure and prevent some forms of skin cancer and other skin disorders, protect the skin from long and short term damage from the suns ultraviolet rays and act as an antibacterial agent when applied to skin infections. Many of the broad health benefits of green tea are derived from its rich supply of plant nutraceuticals called polyphenols, of which EGCG is the most powerful.
The consumption of green tea has been linked to reduced incidence of tooth decay.

WHY CHAI GREEN TEA ???

For one thing CHAI turns wonderful for you GREEN TEA into WONDERFUL GREEN TEA!

The CHAI ingredients individually offer their own health benefits. There is an amazing synergy when you put them all together. I will give you my own recipe.
I buy ground organic spices and mix them together in large batches in order to have lots on hand for my household and for sharing.

Traditional Chia Spice Mix:

CARDAMON- This spice relieves indigestion and aids in the digestive process as a whole as well as cleansing the kidneys and bladder. Cardamon is so good for the colon.

CINNAMON- I have spoken at great length in a previous blog called HONEY EVERYWHERE about the benefits of cinnamon. Cinnamon is another natural health booster! Studies have shown that 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon per day can help to lower "bad" cholesterol and may help to regulate blood sugar levels. Cinnamon is also believed to have an anti-clotting effect on the blood and a study from Denmark showed that when combined with honey (another ingredient in traditional Chai Tea), it can reduce the pain caused by arthritis. Cinnamon is good for the bones.

CLOVES- 'eugenol' is the active compound in cloves and it may help to prevent digestive tract cancers and joint inflammation as it is a natural anti-inflammatory substance. Cloves are also a source of anti-oxidants. Cloves is also noted for its benefit to the nervous system.

GINGER- For thousands of years, ginger has been used in alternative medicine. It is known to be beneficial for the digestive system and to help reduce nausea, motion sickness and morning sickness in pregnancy. Ginger is also believed to improve cardiovascular and artery health as well as helping to fight the common cold and flu.

NUTMEG- This spice is believed to be able to lower blood pressure, soothe upset stomachs, relieve stress and help remove toxins from the liver. Nutmeg can help relieve gas in the digestive system. Nutmeg can be toxic in large amounts but you would have to drink a lot of Chai Tea to reach that level!

PEPPER- Another spice that is beneficial for the digestive system. In addition pepper contains several powerful antioxidants which fight free radicals with in the body. Pepper is a known blood purifier.

HONEY- I have shared at great length on my site regarding the benefits of honey, please feel free to go back and read from the archives if you haven't had a chance to already. The proven health benefits of honey are growing all the time and it contains many ingredients we should not live without. We use abundant honey in our Green Chai Tea!!

CHAI SPICE RECIPE:

Cardamon 50 g
Cinnamon 50 g
Cloves 25 g
Ginger 30 g
Nutmeg 50 g
Pepper 10 g

Purchase non-irridated spice powder, organic if you are able to.
Mix spice powders together and seal in jars or bags.

For each pot of CHAI SPICE GREEN TEA:
2-3 teaspoons of green tea leaves
1 teaspoon of spice mix
1 tablespoon or more of raw honey
Put leaves and spice in a mesh basket. Steep tea for 10 minutes or more with honey in pot as well. Stir a couple of times while it steeps. Enjoy!!!

ABOUT MATCHA

Matcha Green Tea contains 137 times more EGCGs than normal green tea. Remember EGCGs are potent anti-oxidants that promote good health and longevity.
Unlike normal tea leaves, Matcha tea is prepared by grinding full tea leaves into a fine powder. When you drink a cup of Matcha tea, you're drinking the entire nutrient -rich leaf! In other words, you ae getting ALL of the health benefits that tea leaves have to offer.
MATCHA green tea is the healthiest tea on the planet.

One cup of Matcha tea has about half the caffeine of one cup of coffee.

Green tea contains a compound called tannin. Tannin slows down the absorption of caffeine into the blood. This means that the caffeine from green tea is gradually released over the course of 6-8 hours, unlike the short burst from coffee.
ON top of that, green tea also contains L-theanine, which has a relaxing effect that reduces stress. L-theanine has been shown to promote alpha brain-wave activity, a sign of relaxation.

Thanks to the combined effects of caffeine, tannin, and L-theanine, Matcha tea provides:
+ Improved alertness and focus
+ Improved mood
+ Relaxation and reduced stress
+ Increased feeling of well being
+ Cleansing of toxins from the rich chlorophyll

How to use Matcha-

I actually whisk a teaspoon into my cup of Green Chai Tea on occasion.
Other than that, a simple way to use it is to put a teaspoon or more into a drinking dish or cup and whisk or stir hot water into it. Add milk and honey to make it yummy.
There are actually lots of wonderful smoothie recipes and other ways to use Matcha out there. I will consider adding them to my blog sometime!

Ancient Chinese Proverb:

BETTER TO BE DEPRIVED OF FOOD FOR THREE DAYS THAN TEA FOR ONE

SALT IN ABUNDANCE!!!

Believe me I LOVE SALT !!!

How hard it is to be told that salt is the ENEMY. It is wrong to fear salt.
In fact it is down right DANGEROUS to believe to that we should limit our salt intake.

How very grateful I am for the knowledge that came to me a few years ago about SEA SALT. Salt is VITAL for our survival as human beings and also for the survival of all living creatures. Water and salt regulate the water content of the body. Water itself regulates the water content of the interior of the cell by working its way into all of the cells it reaches. It has to get there to cleanse and extract toxic wastes of cell metabolisms. Salt forces some water to stay outside the cells. It balances the amount of water that stays outside the cells. There are two oceans of water in the body; one ocean is held inside the cells of the body, and the other ocean is held outside the cells. Good health depends on a most delicate balance between the volume of these oceans, and this balance is achieved by unrefined salt!

Refined salt causes salt cravings, because the need for real salt is not met. Ordinary table salt has been stripped of its companion elements and it contains additive elements such as aluminum silicate, sugar, or yellow prussiate of soda to keep it powdery and porous, plus different bleaches added to the final salt formula.

Natural sea salt allows liquids to freely cross body membranes, the kidney's glomerulus's and blood vessels walls. Whenever the sodium chloride concentration rises in the blood, the water in neighboring tissues is attracted to that salt-rich blood and the cells then re-absorb the enriched inter-cellular fluid. If the kidney's are functioning properly,they remove the saline fluids easily. In fact there are 92 essential minerals in unrefined sea salt that the body very much needs.

I have read that "The Belgian historian Henri Pirenne observed that during the High Middle Ages, the whole of Europe suffered from a salt famine that was to last almost 500 years. The entire continent was thrown into a Dark Age of human under-development, creating an epidemic of crazed people many of whom died from dehydration and madness.Though mined salt from the depths of the earth was substituted, the lack of live, balanced trace elements in rock salt lowered the mental equilibrium and intellect level almost as much as the absence of salt had."

Dr. Jacques de Langre, Ph.D, who wrote the book "Sea Salt's Hidden Powers", states that naturally and properly SUNSHINE-PRESERVED sea salt is the difference between life and death, health and illness, social sanity and planetary panic and its elements are vital for proper body functions. That natural hand-harvested Celtic ocean salt alone helps to maintain life, neutralizes toxins and detrimental bacteria and enhances all our organic function.

Salt is the single element required for the proper breakdown of plant carbohydrates into usable human food.
In ancient Celts times, salt was used to treat major physical and mental disturbances, severe burns, and other aliments. Today biologists attest that seawater (also called "mother liquor') restores hydro-electrolytic imbalances, a disorder that causes loss of immune response, creates allergies and causes many health problems.

WHY EAT CELTIC SEA SALT???

Quote from Dr. Batmanghelidj, M.D.: ABC of Asthma, Allergies & Lupus

According to Dr. Batmanghelidj salt has many functions other than regulating the water content in the body.

* Salt is a strong natural antihistamine. It can be used to relieve asthma by putting it on the tongue after drinking a glass or two of water.
* Salt is vital for extracting excess acidity from inside the cells, particularly the brain cells. If you don't want Alzheimer's disease, don't go salt free.
* Salt is the best diuretic that exists.
* Salt is vital for the kidneys to clear excess acidity and pass the acidity into the urine.With out sufficient salt, the body will become more and more acidic.
* Salt is essential in the treatment of emotional and affective disorders.
* Salt is essential for preserving the serotonin and melatonin levels in the brain. When water and salt perform their natural antioxidant duties and clear the toxic waste from the body, essential amino acids will not be sacrificed as chemical antioxidants.
* Salt in my opinion, is vital for the prevention and treatment of cancer. Cancer cells are killed by oxygen; they are anaerobic "organisms" dehydration- shortage of water and salt, suppresses the immune system and its disease -fighting cells' activity.
* Salt is vital for maintaining muscles tone and strength. Lack of bladder control in those who suffer from involuntary leakage of urine could be a consequence of low salt intake.
* Salt is effective in stabilizing irregular heartbeats and contrary to the misconception that it causes high blood pressure, it is actually essential for the regulation of blood pressure--in conjunction with water.
* Salt is vital for sleep regulation.
* Salt is a vitally needed element in the treatment of diabetics. It helps balance the sugar levels in the blood and reduces the need for injected insulin.
* Salt is vital to the communication and information processing of nerve sells the entire time that the brain cells work--from the moment of conception to death.
* Salt is essential for the absorption of food particles through the intestinal tract.
* Salt is vital for clearing the lungs of mucus plugs and sticky phlegm, particularly in asthma, emphysema and cystic fibrosis sufferers.
* Salt on the tongue will stop persistent coughs.
* Salt is vital for clearing up catarrh and sinus congestion.
* Salt is essential for the prevention of muscle cramps.
* Osteoporosis, in a major way is the result of salt and water shortage in the body.
* Salt is absolutely vital to making the structure of the bones firm.
* Salt is vital for maintaining sexuality and libido.
* Salt is vital for preventing varicose veins and spider veins on the legs and thighs.
According to Dr. Batmanghelidj "As a rule of thumb, you need about 3 grams of salt -half a teaspoon for every 10 glasses of water or a quarter teaspoon for each quart of water.

The Celtic Sea Salt that we use is awesome!! Truly the SALT OF LIFE.

Le Paludier (Salt Farmer) sea salt has a pleasing natural taste.
It is harvested ecologically from a pristine clean shore and dried without artificial heat. All the trace minerals found in nature's own salt have been left undisturbed and in delicate balance.
Le Paludier salt chemically resembles almost exactly amniotic fluid, the 'mini-ocean' for the human fetus.
Le Paludier salt comes from the region of Guerande-Brittany, on the North West coast of France. It is cultivated and harvested without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides and packed under pharmaceutical conditions.
Paludiers, or salt farmers, use wooden tools and follow the ancient tradition of the early Celtic people, allowing the sea water in a series of canals to evaporate on natural clay beds. It is then gently raked into piles and allowed to dry slowly in the sun.
The Le Paludier salt contains about 80 mineral elements that the body needs. Some of these elements are needed in trace amounts.
The following is a partial chemical analysis carried out by the University of Bordeaux. Per 100g of salt

Mineral Matter: Trace Elements

Sodium 37.2g Iron 2.5mg
Magnesium 550mg Manganese 0.55mg
Calcium 40mg Zinc 0.44mg
Potassium 160mg Copper 0.4mg
Sulphur 125mg Cadmium 0.02mg Iodine trace

Unrefined sea salt is a better choice of salt than all other types of salt on the market. It is packaged in coarse and fine ground. It is grey in color and slightly damp. It is vital that the salt retain its natural moisture to hold the magnesium salts. The magnesium salts hold the other minerals in balance.
To use the fine salt requires a dish and spoon or a large holed shaker such as one used for spices. There are some wonderful coarse salt grinders available for the coarse sea salt.

A WORD OF CAUTION !!
Some supermarket or health food store "SEA SALT" has been totally refined. At its origin, it may have come from the sea, but:
* It has been harvested mechanically from dirt or concrete basins with bulldozers and piped through metal conduits
* It has been put through many degrading artificial processes
* It has been heated under extreme heat levels in order to crack its molecular structure
* It has been robbed of all of its essential minerals that are essential to our physiology- these elements are extracted and sold separately to industry, bringing more profit than the salt itself
* It is further adulterated by chemical additives to make it free-flowing , bleached and iodized.
To call what remains "SEA SALT" would be quite misleading!

If you are in need of help to access the salt please feel free to email me.