Green Tea is often quoted by many of my friends as being a wonder drink and it has had its fair share of celebrity endorsement over the last few years.  However if you’re like me you’ll probably be a bit woolly on the actual benefits of Green Tea.

As with many of the herbal teas that are experiencing revival at the moment Green Tea has been around for a long time.  The ancient Chinese herbalists knew all about the healing qualities of this tea and used it extensively to treat ailments from minor headaches through to cases of depression.

Today there is hard and fast scientific evidence developing to support some of these claims – such as green tea lowers cholesterol as well as balancing good and bad cholesterol in the blood. As a guideline the tea has been said to be helpful with the following conditions:

• Cancer
• Cholesterol
• Infections & inflammation
• Depleted immune system
• Cardiovascular disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis 

There is also research being carried out into how it can help people to lose weight.  Researchers found at the University of Geneva that men given a mixture of caffeine and green tea tested as burning more calories than those that were given only caffeine or a placebo.

Its also great for preventing tooth decay due to anti-bacterial properties and is also being added to more skincare products due to its anti-inflammatory qualities.