Can Green Tea Be Harmful?

To answer this question we have to understand that like anything in life, too much of something, is not good. Green Tea is thought to be a healthy and beneficial hot beverage that can increase your life quality and make you generally healthier, although this seems to be generally right, consuming it in large quantities can also mean consuming a large amount of caffeine, although it contain only quarter of the amount found in a regular cup of coffee drinking 4-5 cups a day might cause some side effects - especially for those who are sensitive to caffeine. The tea should be drank only freshly brewed out of fresh leaves - Drinking any other kind of tea (like instant tea from powder) can be harmful because industrial processing can remove the nutrients and increase the amount of metal particles like aluminium and manganese that the plant's leaves naturally store.

The Green Tea origin brings us back to around 4000 years ago when all the regions in east Asia like China and Japan began to drink this hot beverage, and besides drinking it they started using it as a medicine for everything from a light stomach ache to treating wounded after battle. Green Tea has many uses in the eastern culture and is revered. In eastern cultures it is not uncommon to see rituals that have been developed around drinking tea over the years.

Green Tea benefits are abounded, here are some of the benefits you will enjoy if you start consuming it on a regular basis. Studies show that consuming it regularly will reduce you chance for a heart disease, your blood pressure and blood sugars will change for the better and has shown to have an effect on weight loss and dental health also there are claims that believe it can be used as a treatment for cancer and for multiple sclerosis. If drinking the tea leaves is not to your taste you can always look for the alternatives in the market like it's products and like green tea extract.

In conclusion, drinking around four cups of freshly brewed green tea daily can improve your overall health and life quality, although there are some harmful effects if consumed too much, especially for those who are sensitive to caffeine, the benefits are greater than the drawbacks.

Drink, enjoy this beverage in moderation and enjoy all the health benefits in brings you.

This news article is brought to you by WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SALADS - where latest news are our top priority.

Hibiscus Tea For Your Health

Hibiscus tea, an herbal infusion made from the calyces of the Hibiscus sabdariffa flower, has actually been shown to lower blood pressure as reported throughout the years by people who practice traditional medicine or herbal medicine. There is also evidence that it helps in the efforts to lower cholesterol. Such evidence makes it clear that its daily consumption is beneficial to ones health.

Hibiscus is also known as sorrel, roselle, karkade and flor de Jamaica, depending on the region. In early 2008 there was a study that showed hibiscus tea actually reduces blood pressure almost equal to some prescription strength medications; the "how" it works is not quite clear. It was clear however that Hibiscus tea certainly appeared to beneficially lower the blood pressure in people with pre-hypertension or mild hypertension.

In another study, hibiscus tea was compared with black tea in relation to blood pressure; it was really no surprise that hibiscus tea came out the winner. One very interesting result is that the group that drank black tea actually had an increase in blood pressure.

I found a study on how Hibiscus tea also affects cholesterol which was published by the Journal of alternative and complementary medicine; this one appears to be quite valid. The study consisted of 60 patients with type II diabetes which were randomly divided into two groups. One group was provided black tea and the other hibiscus tea. The participants were told to drink one glass equal to 1 tea bag steeped for 20-30 minutes twice a day for 30 days. The hibiscus test group realized several improvements to their cholesterol levels. The total cholesterol count went down from 236.2 to 218.6 mg/dL. HDL (your good cholesterol) increased from 48.2 to 56.1 mg/dL, while LDL (your bad cholesterol) decreased from 137.5 to 128 mg/dL. Triglycerides - a type of lipid (fat) circulating in the blood which accounts for almost 95% of the fat in the body went down rather dramatically from 246.1 to 209.2 mg/dL. A count less than 150mg/dL is considered normal but was not expected to be achieved in this study because of the existence of the diabetes. Also within this study the reference to other studies were made depicting similar results in humans and even animals. One study consisted of a group of healthy men and women taking a Hibiscus extract. This group also showed a reduction in LDL cholesterol levels with no significant differences notated between each sex. This comparison between the diabetes group and healthy subject group provide for a sound premise that consuming Hibiscus tea is beneficial whether you are seemingly healthy or are a diabetic patient.

The group which consumed the black tea did not show any significant improvement in any of the measured parameters. None of the changes in total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides and lipoprotein were statistically significant to notate.

Hibiscus flowers have a lot of different fido chemicals which provides the dark red color; they also have a lot of antioxidants thus they may have some other health benefits like preventing certain forms of cancer. They also help with your overall health including cardiac functions, your blood flow and blood vessel flexibility to mention a few.

The conclusion here is that the healthy benefits of herbal teas is no longer just a theory. Evidence is clear that all this data showing the blood pressure lowering effects and the cholesterol improving abilities of hibiscus tea supports the benefits of its daily enjoyment. Who thought some efforts to maintain a healthy being could actually taste so good and be as easy as having a cool glass of Hibiscus tea!

This news article is brought to you by EVERYTHING ABOUT COFFEE - where latest news are our top priority.

How to Make a Perfect Cup of Tea?

Tea has always played a crucial role in the mornings and evenings with or without refreshments. Green or black, milk or ginseng - tea has certain inherent qualities which can energize you quite instantly. Well, I believe a perfect cup of is possible only if ingredients are used in adequate proportion. Tea leaves, milk, sugar or spices- every single ingredient is used according to requirements. Since my childhood, I have been drinking a tumbler full of this brown beverage. While staying in a cold environment, it gave a lot of warmth.

I would like to present the procedure actually followed in my place for the preparation. As my uncle worked in one of the famous gardens of Assam- India, he often recollected and shared his views about how the Englishmen and women discussed about the method of making good tea. A beverage which could give you total satisfaction at any hour of the day should be made using the correct method.

Boil a cup of water. Once the water starts boiling, add a teaspoon of tea leaves. Close the lid instantly after switching off the burner. Keep it closed for half a minute. This is important for leaves to leave its color and aroma in entirety. Remove the lid and add sugar. At least two teaspoons of sugar would sweeten the beverage. Since milk tea is quite popularly drunk throughout the world,it is best to add few drops of milk for taste. I have used the words "few drops" because the beverage would retain its originality in case little milk is added to it. I don't advise on re-boiling. The milk should be warm before pouring in the container. Take a strainer and remove the liquid to a cup. Take a deep breath followed by a sip to savor the real taste.

People who have a complete and thorough knowledge about the ingredients would make sure everything is added perfectly. In a country like India, people prefer to add spices to give a tangy and spicy appeal to beverage. A tinge of powdered spices is added just after adding leaves to the water. Spices like cloves, dry ginger, basil leaves, cardamom, black pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon are crushed in a grinder and used afterwards.

In many villages, people prefer to add raw ginger, mint and basil leaves in boiling water. This method is deemed to carry health benefits for throat and other body parts. It is important to drink the beverage when it's warm else might lose its benefits. It is best to avoid re-heating. For a perfect cup of tea, it is important to serve in the best cup with a tinge of love and affection added to it.

This news article is brought to you by TAXES BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.

Choose Your Free Pattern To Crochet A Tea Cozy

Many of us are into crafts and this is a great way to be creative. Crochet has been around for many, many years and is often quicker than knitting, which is why I like it. Crocheting a small item like a tea cosy, for example, could be done in a matter of hours! Did you know that it is easy to find free patterns to crochet a tea cozy?

Here are a few websites that offer free patterns - some just have links you have to click on and others have the actual picture you can click on, which saves you some time.

Crochet Pattern Central, for example, has a whole page with almost 200 links to choose from. Not all of them are for teapots. Some are for mugs, for coffee pots, certain fruit, candles and even a laptop. Also if you're looking for a cover for your Kindle, Nook or Kobo you can find it here! Still the majority are the ones we are looking for. They have very unique ones, like Sugar'n Cream - Chicken Tea Cozy and usually the instructions how to make them are very good.

Tipnut.com has images you can click on so right away you get to see if you would like it or not. There is also a small description of the item next to the picture. With this site, knitted, crocheted and sewn items are all on the one page, so you have to look carefully at the description to see if it is one you would consider. They also have some knitted ones with crocheted flowers on top, for a nice effect. They have some unique items such as a cupcake one, even an aromatherapy one with inner pockets where you can put sachets which have either dried herbs or cotton wool soaked in your essential oil of choice.

Allcrafts.net has over 100 free crocheted cozies patterns to choose from. However, on more careful perusal, I see that there are not that many that are actually for tea! Still their Classic Wool looks nice and is actually to cover your teapot! Another is Cosy in Tricot which looks really good and is a pop over one. Obviously their Geisha Girl pattern could serve green tea! Also, from these 100 patterns, you can get ideas to make your own.

An important tip when looking at these sites and instructions, is to make sure the size is right for you. Some patterns mentions the actual size of the teapot while others go with how many cups of liquid it will hold - some do both.

As you see there are so many free crochet patterns to choose from that there is definitely something for everyone.

This news article is brought to you by TEA - where latest news are our top priority.