Tea in a pill - Goodnews: essential natural health news - Brief Article

The catechins in green tea may prevent the cell damage that causes cancer. According to a 1999 study published in Preventive Medicine, men who drink 10 cups of green tea a day have a 32 percent lower cancer rate than those who drink less than 3 cups daily. But let's face it. With that kind of consumption, you may never get out of the washroom.

There is, however, a green tea pill, and some researchers believe that green tea's catechins are just as effective in pill form.

Manufacturers brew the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant and extract the catechins--the antioxidants that earned green tea its reputation as a health drink. One pill has about the same amount of catechins as 2-4 cups of tea.

Drinking at least some of the tea may be smarter, however, The caffeine in tea may have antioxidant properties beyond what the catechins provide.

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