Perhaps there is no person in the world who would not hear about the beneficial properties of green tea. This drink is consumed in many families; it is customary to serve it in restaurants and cafes. In offices, he takes pride of place next to coffee and black tea. Some drink it for medicinal purposes, others do it to maintain vitality, while others simply follow fashion. But far from everyone knows how to properly use green tea, what its benefits are and how to avoid harm. What effect does the drink have on the main filter of the human body - the liver? “Green tea is good and bad for the liver at the same time,” many say. Is it so?
A bit of history
China is rightfully considered the birthplace of green tea. The appearance of this drink is associated with many beautiful legends. But still more believable talks about the following. Chinese ruler Yang Di ordered his servants to boil a pot of water. At that time, a wind blew, and several leaves fell from the tea tree under which the water stood. The servants did not notice this and served the drink to the emperor. Having tried it, he was delighted. So the tradition of drinking green tea was laid.
At the beginning of his journey, it was not accessible to everyone. Only reigning persons could afford it. Sometimes, as a sign of the highest mercy, the emperor could give it to his subjects. Centuries later, this drink became available to everyone: nobles and poor people.
It was then that he began to be used as a cure for all diseases. It was believed that green tea relieves fatigue, gives visual acuity, invigorates the heart, cleanses the intestines, treats rheumatism with leaves. But even then, the Chinese tried to consume no more than two cups of tea a day, fearing to harm their body. Until now, scientists have no clear answer, what color is tea more beneficial, how does a traditional black drink affect the body, and what is the effect of green? Tea definitely affects the human liver. This is an inexhaustible topic for debate and controversy. It’s worth understanding all this before falling in love with this delicious drink.
A few words about the composition
It is worth noting that it is really unique. It contains almost all the vitamins known to science, as well as a large number of chemical elements and organic compounds.
Its leaves contain many alkaloids, in which there is a substance such as thein, which replaces caffeine, but acts softer. Thanks to him, a person experiences vigor and a surge of strength throughout the day. Tannin, in addition to being responsible for the taste of tea, giving it a peculiar hue, also has antimicrobial properties, improves digestion, strengthens blood vessels and removes such unnecessary radioactive elements from the body. Various amino acids improve the nervous system.
The benefits and harms of green tea for the liver are found in catechins. They improve metabolism, prevent the development of diabetes. But the most basic element for the proper functioning of the liver is vitamin P. It is able to stop inflammatory processes, protect an important organ of any person from cancer and harmful effects.
Everyone knows that the liver cleanses the human body of toxins that are found in alcohol and drugs. Here it is appropriate to recall another legend. One of the Chinese emperors was very concerned about the health of his people. Therefore, he tried on himself the effect of all drugs and poisons. One day he was lying under a tea tree, dying from the test of a new poison. But a drop of juice fell from one of the leaves and fell on his lips. So the emperor was cured and realized that he was saved by the miraculous property of the tea tree.
It is through the liver that all poisons pass, for which it is a kind of barrier. It maintains sugar and fat levels. And now we can say how green tea affects the liver, is there any benefit in its use. It is most of the above substances that make up its composition that help this body to cope with the performance of its work.
How does help
Even eminent scientists find it difficult to answer this question accurately. Here you can notice the following. When the liver works, it produces bile. But it’s worth the debugged mechanism to go astray, and everything goes awry. The liver got sick and the bile ducts fluttered. This means that vitamin metabolism has been disrupted. And since green tea has a beneficial effect on the liver, it comes to the rescue as a true adjuvant. It is actively used even in the treatment of hepatitis. In a single cup of green tea, the entire daily norm of vitamin P is present, which is simply necessary for the liver.
In one of the ancient Chinese works it is written: "Tea strengthens the spirit, softens the heart, removes fatigue, arouses thought and does not allow laziness to settle ...". After reading these lines, you should not immediately rush to brew a drink if there are health problems. First you need to find out about its effect on the work of some organs. It may be ambiguous. After all, green tea is a benefit and harm to the liver. Doctor's advice will help determine what is really important for a particular person.
What medicine says
Most of the doctors in the question of how green tea affects the liver, talk about its usefulness. As mentioned earlier, it is recommended for many diseases.
For example, oncology patients are unanimously advised by doctors to give preference to this drink. So, during chemotherapy, a large amount of toxins accumulate in the liver, from which the organ fails. It is a green drink that can help in its restoration. A similar situation occurs with various types of poisoning, hepatitis and cholecystitis. And again, doctors advise this freshly brewed miracle drink.
Not one scientist has created the scientific work “Green Tea: Benefits and Harm to the Liver”. Contraindications are a very important aspect that takes place in the application of a green drink. Everyone must know them, so that, wishing to improve their health, they will not receive the opposite effect in response. If Chinese doctors believe that taking green tea, a person will forever forget the way to the pharmacy, then doctors from other countries do not consider this a panacea. Although they also recognize that it is good for health.
It is worth knowing that in the same way as green tea affects the liver of a healthy person, it also undergoes serious tests for people suffering from other diseases.
People with cardiovascular problems with this drink should be careful. If you drink more than 4 cups, then there will be problems with sleep (therefore, it is not recommended to drink it at night in principle), a rapid heartbeat will appear . Such tea should be excluded for diseases of the duodenum, with problems with the stomach. Excessive consumption may result in kidney stones. In diseases of the thyroid gland, it is better to refrain from taking it daily and even remove it from the diet. But most importantly: the composition of tea includes the so-called polyphenols, which, accumulating in the body, cause poisoning and disrupt the liver. Imagine a situation: a person drinks green tea in liters. The benefits and harms for the liver will be clearly unequal. It is worth remembering the golden rule: in order not to poison the tea, and not to earn other diseases, on the day it can be consumed no more than 2-3 cups, or 500-600 milliliters. This opinion is not only of Russian doctors, but also of doctors in the USA, Great Britain and China.
When tea is bad
It is safe to say: medicine supports green tea, but in moderation. This warning is especially true for office workers who, being in the office all day, try to lead the right (in terms of health) lifestyle and endlessly drink, in their opinion, a “healing drink”. And when one of the organs (most often the liver) begins to hurt, they are sincerely perplexed about this. It is worth dwelling on some aspects in which the benefits and harms of green tea for the liver are absolutely unequal.
It is not recommended to drink to pregnant, lactating women, people with serious problems of the nervous system. Do not drink tea on an empty stomach, otherwise you can cause irritation of the mucous membrane. For the same reason, it is contraindicated in exacerbation of gastritis and gastric ulcer.
This invigorating drink is able to raise vascular and intraocular pressure, so you should drink it with caution with hypertension and glaucoma. It has wonderful diuretic qualities, so you should think about it.
And especially it is impossible to mix green tea with alcohol, otherwise no liver can stand it.
And what does traditional medicine say?
Traditional medicine for healing the liver and biliary tract offers its own recipe for drinking, also considering that the benefits and harms of green tea for the liver are equally present. According to people who have tried this composition with tea, the desired result is not long in coming.
The yellow flowers and dandelion stalks collected in the spring should be washed and scrolled through a meat grinder. In half a liter of flower mass, add 2 tablespoons of honey. Mix everything and remove in a dark place for a day, while stirring occasionally. Then the jar with the mixture should be stored in the refrigerator. You need to eat 2 teaspoons of the mixture twice a day, while drinking them with freshly brewed weak green tea. You need to do this on an empty stomach for a week, then take a week break and repeat the course again. Contraindication in this treatment is severe gallbladder dyskinesia, allergies and flu.
Interesting experiment
This drink is not always able to have the same effect on people of different ages. Having considered such a question as the benefits and harms of green tea for the liver of older people, you can see this. Recent medical studies by Japanese doctors have shown that those people who regularly drink green tea after 65 years are in better physical shape compared to their peers.
In their experiment, 14 thousand men and women of older age participated. Moreover, they had to live their usual lives, not to change the diet and treatment regimen, if any. The experience lasted three years. As a result, after a certain time, the well-being of the people participating in it improved: thanks to the same polyphenols, the liver began to work more efficiently. As a result, cholesterol decreased, and the participants in the experiment began to look younger, began to be more optimistic about life. Scientists have kept the exact reason for the manifestation of these signs a secret, but were quite satisfied with the result they saw.
But before you start experimenting with tea, older people should remember about individual contraindications. Despite its obvious benefits, green tea can be harmful, especially in certain diseases.
First of all, do not get carried away with them and drink more than four cups a day. In case of an overdose, this drink will cause dizziness, palpitations, insomnia, and sometimes nausea and heartburn. In diabetics, its excessive consumption can increase blood sugar . Therefore, it is always necessary to remember the special properties of your body and elementary caution.
Thus, it must be recognized that green tea is both good and bad for the liver.
Separately, about the choice
To date, there are no problems with the choice of tea. It is sold both in ordinary stores and in specialized stores. Of course, tea should be above all quality. Various indicators will help to determine this.
First of all, only the one that was assembled this year is considered useful. In real tea, the color is not green at all, but, most likely, pistachio. In this case, the best varieties have golden or silver shades. If a different color is present, then the sheet is of poor quality.
When a lot of broken leaves and cuttings are found in tea, it means that before you is not a fresh crop, but an old one. It will not have an effective effect if it was overdried. If it has a lot of moisture, then such a tea can even be poisonous. To check this, it is worth rubbing the tea leaf between your fingers. If they turned into dust, then safely this type can be put aside.
Particular attention should be paid to tea packaging. It should indicate the country of origin, name and address of the manufacturer, date of manufacture and storage periods. After purchase, green tea should be kept in a dark and cool place. This will help preserve its healing and aromatic properties in the future.
And what do people say?
If you ask yourself this, then on the topic "green tea: the benefits and harms of the liver, reviews" you can find many useful tips and tricks. It should be noted that most of them are positive. People speak of this drink as a loyal assistant and substitute for many drugs. It is worth bringing some.
For example, among older people, reviews prevail that the constant use of green tea works wonders for the body. They note that they began to look younger, more strength appeared, and the work of the liver and intestines improved. People with diabetes notice that regular drinking of green tea reduces blood sugar, improves liver function, adds energy and gives a good mood.
Still, sometimes you can find not the most flattering reviews. But if you read them carefully, you can see one pattern: most people talk about an overdose when drinking a drink. Once again, it is necessary to recall the gradual and moderate.
And there are also such reviews in which the young women who decided to lose weight with the help of green tea (and he possesses this property) did not lose weight at all. But it’s naive to believe that by swallowing tea with cups and not doing anything else, someone will be able to become slim as cypress. In this case, it is desirable, in addition to tea, for example, to enter into your regimen physical exercises or light diets.
The choice is everyone!
So what is green tea? Benefit or harm to the liver from this drink? This issue should be decided individually by everyone. It is worth listening to your body, and he will definitely say about it.