Green Tea — Are the health benefits for real?

Green tea is native to China and was discovered sometime in 2737 BC during the reign of Emperor Shen Nung. It is now a popular beverage and produced all over Asia, including South East Asia, Japan and India.

The discovery of tea is a story of random chance. But thank God for that! During one of Emperor Shen Nung’s travels, the Emperor’s caravan stopped to rest. The Emperor asked for some hot water to refresh himself when it seems that a few green leaves fell into his bowl. The water turned colour, which the Emperor failed to notice. When he drank this water, he found it to be incredibly refreshing. He requested the members of his caravan to find out what had happened and asked for the same beverage to be prepared for him henceforth through his travels.

This event is widely known as the first recorded instance in history, of tea consumption as a beverage. That the Emperor used it as a refreshment and felt energised after drinking this “cha” or tea helped seal its fate and popularity. The world would experience the joys of drinking tea for years to come. Today, tea is amongst the world’s most consumed beverages, second only to water. 

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization states that the world drinks about six billion cups of tea a day.

SIX BILLION CUPS A DAY! Well, the population of China and India, the two largest tea producing and consuming countries in the world, has something to do with that fact, for sure. But still, it is a staggering fact.

It is now a well-recognised and well-researched fact that tea has many health benefits. Amongst the health benefits known, includes boosting of our brain’s cognitive functions, increasing concentration and energy levels, assisting with weight loss and providing anti-inflammatory effects.

Research states that green tea can assist with weight loss by boosting our metabolic rate and hence increasing fat-burning in our bodies.

Green tea is more than just hydrating. As one of the least processed tea varieties, green tea contains a heap of antioxidants and catechins. These medicinal compounds support your body when fighting colds and infections and are high in protective polyphenols. Green tea also widely used in traditional medicines.

The multitude of health benefits and delicious taste should convince you to give green teas a try.

Rujani Silver Pearl Green Tea steeped in a Gaiwan

While more research on the health benefits of tea is needed, one thing is for sure. Some of us who add milk, whipped cream and sugar can turn tea from a healthy beverage into an unhealthy one. Unsweetened, straight up brewed tea contains minimal calories and loads of health benefits!

Green and white tea also contains minimal caffeine compared to black tea, and of course, coffee. So, if you’re trying to reduce your caffeine intake but enjoy a warm, soothing drink, green or white tea might be the way to go.

Less caffeine in green tea is likely to give you a gentler caffeine buzz and without the ‘crash’ that often comes with coffee. Your energy levels may be more stable, helping you maintain your productivity levels and giving you more energy for a longer time frame.

Herbal tea, including green tea, has been recognised for centuries as a natural sleep remedy. Research has shown that drinking up to four cups of low-caffeine green tea during the day can improve your sleep quality and help to reduce stress and fatigue.

You can whip up a delicious cup of green tea in no time. However, the steeping time, type of tea used, and temperature of the water can all impact the antioxidant levels of your brew. We suggest allowing boiling water to slightly cool before pouring and steeping for the time recommended on our product labels.

All our single-origin Rujani loose-leaf teas are grown in our 122-year-old tea farms in Assam, India. We use traditional tea production methods mastered over four generations, to ensure the leaves remain whole and retain maximum flavour. Assam is well known for its black teas, and is increasingly producing unique green and white tea varieties. At Rujani, we aim to offer an authentic farm-to-cup tea experience.

In a previous blog, we’ve talked about making cold brew tea. The health benefits we’ve touched on here are maintained when cold brewing. What’s more, cold brews contain less caffeine and yet more antioxidants than the traditional hot teas.

Rujani’s loose leaf green teas, as well as our white and black teas, are all delicious and provide maximum flavour when cold brewed.

Our popular Exotica Flat Whole Leaf Green Tea is a traditional green tea that is enjoyable at any time of the day. Picked when tender, hand-crafted with the utmost care and artisanal in every sense, this ‘connoisseur’s choice’ is mellow, refreshing, energising, and lives up to its flawless reputation.

Rujani’s delicious Rose Green Tea is the ideal morning or afternoon cuppa, and the organic dried rose petals from this beautiful tea are sourced locally from Australia. Our Rose Green is enjoyable as a non-alcoholic digestif after a meal.

Visit our range of Rujani Green Teas or try our sample packs of White, Green and Black Teas.

Taking the time to steep your beverage using loose-leaf tea allows you to slow down and enjoy the moment. We all know we can do with some me-time, the benefits of which have been amply evident in this current pandemic situation.

So take the time to enjoy your cuppa!