Hello. Sign in to personalize your visit. New user? Register now.  
ICCMR 2010
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Medicinal Benefits of Green Tea: Part I. Review of Noncancer Health Benefits

To cite this article:
Raymond Cooper, D. James Morré, Dorothy M. Morré. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. June 2005, 11(3): 521-528. doi:10.1089/acm.2005.11.521.

Full Text: • PDF for printing (86.1 KB) • PDF w/ links (163.9 KB)


Raymond Cooper, Ph.D.
PhytoScience, Inc., Los Altos, CA.
D. James Morré, Ph.D.
Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.
Dorothy M. Morré, Ph.D.
Department of Foods and Nutrition, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.

Tea, in the form of green or black tea, is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. Extracts of tea leaves also are sold as dietary supplements. However, with the increasing interest in the health properties of tea and a significant rise in scientific investigation, this review covers recent findings on the medicinal properties and noncancer health benefits of both green and black tea. In Part II, a review of anticancer properties of green tea extracts is presented. Green tea contains a unique set of catechins that possess biological activity in antioxidant, anti-angiogenesis, and antiproliferative assays potentially relevant to the prevention and treatment of various forms of cancer. Although there has been much focus on the biological properties of the major tea catechin epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) and its antitumor properties, tea offers other health benefits; some due to the presence of other important constituents. Characteristics unrelated to the antioxidant properties of green and black teas may be responsible for tea’s anticancer activity and improvement in cardiac health and atherosclerosis. Theanine in green tea may play a role in reducing stress. Oxidized catechins (theaflavins in black tea) may reduce cholesterol levels in blood. Synergistic properties of green tea extracts with other sources of polyphenolic constituents are increasingly recognized as being potentially important to the medicinal benefits of black and green teas. Furthermore, due to presumed antioxidant and antiaging properties, tea is now finding its way into topical preparations. Each of these aspects is surveyed.

Free first page

This paper was cited by:

Changes in the Composition of Raw Tea Leaves from the Korean Yabukida Plant during High-Temperature Processing to Pan-Fried Kamairi-Cha Green Tea
Mendel Friedman, Carol E. Levin, Suk-Hyun Choi, Seung-Un Lee, Nobuyuki Kozukue
Journal of Food Science. Jul 2009, Vol. 74, No. 5: C406-C412
CrossRef
Absorption and pharmacokinetics of green tea catechins in beagles
Maria de Lourdes Mata-Bilbao, Cristina Andrés-Lacueva, Elena Roura, Olga Jáuregui, Elvira Escribano, Celina Torre, Rosa M. Lamuela-Raventós
British Journal of Nutrition. Oct 2008, Vol. 100, No. 03
CrossRef
Influence of green and black tea on folic acid pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers: potential risk of diminished folic acid bioavailability
N. Ceren Alemdaroglu, Ulrich Dietz, Siegfried Wolffram, Hildegard Spahn-Langguth, Peter Langguth
Biopharmaceutics & Drug Disposition. Oct 2008, Vol. 29, No. 6: 335-348
CrossRef
Consumption of green and roasted teas and the risk of stroke incidence: results from the Tokamachi-Nakasato cohort study in Japan
N. Tanabe, H. Suzuki, Y. Aizawa, N. Seki
International Journal of Epidemiology. Jul 2008, Vol. 37, No. 5: 1030-1040
CrossRef
Medical Journal Watch: Context and Applications
Jack Challem
Alternative and Complementary Therapies. Jun 2008, Vol. 14, No. 3: 155-160
First Page | Full Text PDF | Reprints & Permissions
Treatment of mild to moderate seborrhoeic dermatitis with MAS064D (Sebclair®), a novel topical medical device: results of a pilot, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial
S Veraldi, A Menter, M Innocenti
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. Apr 2008, Vol. 22, No. 3: 290-296
CrossRef
Phytoceuticals: the new ?physic garden? for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Sumalatha Grandhi, Louise E Donnelly, Duncan F Rogers
Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine. Nov 2007, Vol. 1, No. 2: 227-246
CrossRef
Nutritional and nutraceutical considerations for dyslipidemia
Cesare R Sirtori, James W Anderson, Anna Arnoldi
Future Lipidology. Jul 2007, Vol. 2, No. 3: 313-339
CrossRef
Effects of Green Tea Fractions on Oxygen-Induced Retinal Neovascularization in the Neonatal Rat
Yuta Saito, Yasuko Hasebe-Takenaka, Toshihiko Ueda, Takako Nakanishi-Ueda, Shotaro Kosuge, Masaki Aburada, Tsutomu Shimada, Yukinobu Ikeya, Hidetoshi Onda, Hirotsugu Ogura, Yoko Taguchi, Hajime Yasuhara, Ryohei Koide
Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition. Feb 2007, Vol. 41, No. 1: 43-49
CrossRef
A Randomized Controlled Study on the Effects of Gargling with Tea Catechin Extracts on the Prevention of Influenza Infection in Healthy Adults
Hiroshi YAMADA, Takashi DAIMON, Katsuhiko MATSUDA, Masayuki YOSHIDA, Norikata TAKUMA, Yukihiko HARA
Rinsho yakuri/Japanese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Feb 2007, Vol. 38, No. 5: 323-330
CrossRef
Is coffee or tea good for your liver?
W Ray Kim
Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology & Hepatology. Oct 2006, Vol. 3, No. 9: 482-483
CrossRef
Gargling with Tea Catechin Extracts for the Prevention of Influenza Infection in Elderly Nursing Home Residents: A Prospective Clinical Study
Hiroshi Yamada, Norikata Takuma, Takashi Daimon, Yukihiko Hara
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Sep 2006, Vol. 12, No. 7: 669-672
Abstract | Full Text PDF | Reprints & Permissions
HPLC Analysis of Catechins, Theaflavins, and Alkaloids in Commercial Teas and Green Tea Dietary Supplements: Comparison of Water and 80% Ethanol/Water Extracts
Mendel Friedman, Carol E. Levin, Suk-Hyun Choi, Etsuko Kozukue, Nobuyuki Kozukue
Journal of Food Science. Sep 2006, Vol. 71, No. 6: C328-C337
CrossRef
Regulation of interleukin-1β–induced chemokine production and matrix metalloproteinase 2 activation by epigallocatechin-3-gallate in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts
Salahuddin Ahmed, Angela Pakozdi, Alisa E. Koch
Arthritis & Rheumatism. Sep 2006, Vol. 54, No. 8: 2393-2401
CrossRef
Developmental Therapeutics: Review of Biologically Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Therapies for Potential Application in Children With Cancer-Part II
Steven J. Melnick
Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. Jun 2006, Vol. 28, No. 5: 271-285
CrossRef
LMC International Food Congress 2006: Nutrigenomics and Health - From Vision to Food
Scandinavian Journal of Food & Nutrition. Apr 2006, Vol. 50, No. 1: 3-53
CrossRef
Medicinal Benefits of Green Tea: Part II. Review of Anticancer Properties
Raymond Cooper, D. James Morré, Dorothy M. Morré
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Aug 2005, Vol. 11, No. 4: 639-652
Abstract | Full Text PDF | Reprints & Permissions
All articles
Previous Next