Is green tea the new miracle cure for RA?
Published May 8, 2007
It seems you see green tea articles, products and by-products everywhere these days. It’s available powdered, loose, bagged, flavored and decaffeinated. For several years, we’ve been reading about the anti-oxidant qualities of this interesting beverage. Grown from the same plant as black tea, it is processed differently, bypassing the fermentation process of black tea. This processing or lack of it, allows green tea to retain the healthy polyphenols, which many, including integrative medicine guru, Dr. Andrew Weil, believe have anti-cancer effects. It is also believed to aid in lowering high cholesterol, preventing Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and now, may also play a role in preventing and helping rheumatoid arthritis. Many studies have been conducted for several years. There was an article in “Arthritis Today,” March/April 2005 which suggested hopeful results from green tea in the treatment of cancer, heart disease, brain deterioration and skin cells, as well as arthritis.
More recently, they have been conducting studies of green tea at the University of Michigan Health System, in Ann Arbor. It’s too early to jump to conclusions, but the preliminary findings are hopeful. According to Forbes.com, the scientist “isolated cells called synovial fibroblasts from the joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. These cells form a lining of tissue surrounding the capsule of the joints.”
In this study, the researchers cultured the synovial fibroblasts and then exposed those cells to ECGC. At that point they introduced a protein known to cause damage in arthritic joints. In early studies, they observed that the cells which had first been exposed to ECGC were able to repel the destructive protein. There is another study being conducted at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. In this study, they have discovered hopeful results for autoimmune disease, specifically Sjogren’s Syndrome and lupus. They also believe it is too early to tell how effective it can be, but it does look hopeful.
There have been other studies which indicate green tea can have a healing effect on the skin and would be effective for the treatment of psoriasis.
That’s a lot to expect from a cup of tea, but many studies are being conducted. Scientists from the U.S. and U.K., working together at the University of Sheffield, discovered epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in green tea, which is believed to prevent HIV. They also believe it may slow down the disease process. Apparently, it is believed that ECGC binds to cells in the immune system and prevents HIV from binding. These same scientists emphasize that it is too soon to tell the final result and that more advanced studies with animals are needed; but they still remain hopeful.
If you’re concerned about the caffeine in green tea, as many of us are very sensitive to caffeine, rest assured it has less than coffee or black tea. Green tea is available decaffeinated or as it is suggested by Dr. Andrew Weil, you can brew much of the caffeine out of it by seeping the tea leaves in a hot cup of water, discarding that cup along with most of the caffeine. It’s apparently okay to add lemon or honey to the tea without affecting the positive ingredients. If you are concerned about the tannic acid in tea, its effect on the teeth or the mucosa in the mouth, you can add a bit of milk to it.
Apparently, to be considered effective, you would have to drink 6-8 large cups of tea each day because the blood levels of the “good” ingredients fall after two hours. That’s a lot of tea, but it doesn’t appear to do any harm. You might want to try it. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, try the decaf version. I think that’s what I’m going to do. With all of that extra liquid, be prepared to visit the bathroom frequently.
You might also enjoy looking up some of the following sites to learn more for yourself. They are: drWeil.com, Forbes.com, JapaneseGreenTeaOnline.com and the TEA women network.