in understanding the power of tea, we must first start with green tea. Many historians believe that green tea was first cultivated in China and India before spreading to other Asian countries like Thailand and Japan. Dried and cured leaves Camellia sinensis are used to make green tea beverages and although there are so many ways to include green tea in your diet, it is historically used by letting the unique healing properties seep out into the boiling water. These healing properties are widely known and some scientific studies are helping to get green tea to be used in medical treatments. Green tea health benefits The power of tea, especially green tea, is seen within the antioxidative properties. The word antioxidant is just jibber jabber for a nutrient or substance that cleans up the by-products our bloodstream creates. Historically, green tea is known to regulate body temperature, control blood sugar, help heal wounds, control bleeding, and promote good digestion. However, other green tea health claims include the prevention and treatment of cancer, multiple sclerosis, increasing levels of HDL (the healthy cholesterol in the blood), and promoting overall health of the cardiovascular system. I call these claims because despite being used for thousands of years in traditional medicine, current science has been failing to meet the research guidelines necessary to prove the benefits are real. The Food Drug and Administration (FDA) of the US has officially said that there have not been enough studies done correctly to show that green tea has all of these benefits. In other words, some studies show there are real benefits, but not “enough” for green tea to be backed by almighty science. In spite of this, the power of green tea is not limited to just a beverage. As of October 2006, the FDA approved an ointment now sold as Veregen to treat external genital and perianal warts. Woohoo! Another score for alternative medicine! Green tea commercialized The power of tea is evident in its’ popularity in the commercial market. While there are many kinds of green tea available on the market, green tea mixed with jasmine flower, seems to be the most popular and readily available at your local grocery store. However, as mentioned before, the use of the leaves as part of a caffeinated morning tea ritual is not the only way companies have marketed the power of green tea. These days you can find the plant leaves used as green tea gum, extracts, soaps, diet pills, breath mints, and many others! The Consumer demand continues to grow for green tea despite the lack of “scientific evidence.” Not that all the claims are true, but still one has to wonder why the consumer demand for such products. I think people want alternatives…and natural alternatives seem to just make sense! So... should you drink green tea? So when making the decision to include green tea in your life, think about this. For thousands of years people have used green tea for many different reasons. Modern science seems to be slowly agreeing with its use, but is still lagging behind in accepting the power of tea or alternative remedies in general. Despite this, it is certain that the more research is done, the more evidence seems to be in support of green tea promoting good health. With this, it might NOT be a good idea to wait until 2050 when the all the research is in and the powerful FDA says we should drink it. The evidence is already there, in our human history on this planet and co-existence with nature!

Fact or Myth? Antibacterial soap keeps your hands cleaner than regular soap.

Answer: Myth
If you can get to a sink and wash your hands with regular soap for 15-20 seconds followed by a good rinsing, that is the most effective method for shedding unwanted germs.

Washing with soap and water doesn't remove all of the microbes present on our hands, but that's actually a good thing. Some of those littler germs are and important part of our skin, and even if we did kill them, they would return.
Given that regular soap and water removes germs, there is no need for an antibacterial agent, and it probably doesn’t work anyway. The speed of action of the ingredients added is rather slow, so they are really not on our hands long enough to make a significant impact.
In fact, the presence of antibacterial agents in soaps may present more problems than solutions. Stay tuned for more.

Most people don’t quite get the health benefits of drinking water yet. They usually think that water is only needed when you feel thirsty and there couldn’t be a bigger mistake than that. About 66% of our bodyweight is water. Our muscles contains about 75% water, our brain tissue contains about 85% water, 83% of our blood is water and even 22% of our bones is water. Because our body contains so much water, it’s vital to keep drinking plenty of water. Without water we would dehydrate. And dehydration can result in our organs not functioning properly which can end in death.

1. Keep your brain healthy

As described in the introduction of this post, our brain tissue contains about 85% water. Drinking water regularly will keep the brain functioning properly. Studies have shown that not drinking enough water, dehydration, can be a key element in causing headaches, migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome and depression.

2. Water regulates body temperature

Water helps regulate body temperature, especially during exercise. When you exercise, you lose water through your breath and by sweating. As the sweat evaporates, your body cools. Replenishing water loss during exercise is crucial for physical performance and good health. Too much water loss will increase your risk of heat exhaustion. In addition to your normal six to eight glasses of water each day, drink a glass before you exercise. Then, for each 20 minutes of exercise, drink another cup or more. Be sure to drink a cup or two after you finish.

3. Flush out the toxins

The function of our kidneys is to remove waste from our bodies. They help to lush toxins such as uric acid, urea and lactic acid the kidneys out of our blood stream. These are the toxins that make us feel sluggish and unwell. The toxins can also put a harmful burden on the other systems in the body. Drinking water regularly lessens the burden on your kidneys keeping us pollution free.

4. Decrease risk of heart attacks

Researchers at the Loma Linda University in California studied more than 20,000 healthy men and women and found that people who drank more than 5 glasses of water a day are less likely to die from a heart attack than people who drink less than two.

5. Raise your metabolism

As described in the post about metabolism, metabolism is the means by which the food we consume is turned into energy. The first chemical process that takes place is digestion. This process will prepare the nutrients in the food to be absorbed by the body and transformed into energy. Drinking plenty of water is essential to maintain a good digestion which in turn keep your metabolism going. The health benefit of water is better utilization of the nutrients you consume resulting in more energy.

6. Fresh and healthy skin

Water primarily stimulates the circulation of blood, fluids, and the necessary elements inside our body. Additionally, it also controls and regulates the skin’s natural balance. When water is warm, it has the power to hydrate, revitalize, detoxify, and oxygenate the skin. Warm water also gets rid of blackheads and makes large pores smaller. Drinking water makes the body more relaxed and invigorated. It also replaces the moisture lost due to everyday activities. Simply put, these are all the benefits of drinking water for skin.

7. Lose weight by drinking water

Drinking water is important if you’re trying to lose weight, some studies have shown that thirst and hunger sensations are triggered together. If there is a slight dehydration the thirst mechanism may be mistaken for hunger and one may eat when the body is actually craving fluid. As most food contains some water, if one doesn’t drink much they may be subconsciously driven to eat more to gain the necessary water supply however, you also gain the undesired effects of increased calorie consumption. Drinking more water can help to prevent overeating and benefit weight loss.