Green Tea for Health and Beauty by Diana Rosen, adapted from The Book of Green Tea, Storey Books, 1998
Green tea does so much more for us than provide a few minutes of
tea-sipping pleasure! Did you know that green tea has been shown to
have many health benefits, including fighting the effects of aging
and reducing the risk of some cancers? And green tea can also be
used externally to make your skin glow, heal blemishes, cuts, and
rashes, soothe strained or tired eyes, fight body odor, and
more.
We'll tell you more about the health benefits of drinking green
tea, and give you the formula for a wonderful all-purpose Green Tea
Soother Spray (you can use it as a mouthwash, a blemish-healer, and
a whole lot more), as well as a great tip for keeping shoes and
feet fresh. Learn the secrets of green tea for better health and
body care. It's all right here:
Green Tea for Health
According to Professor Takuo Okada, "Vitamin E reduces the
number of peroxide lipids, which slows down cell degeneration and
the aging process. Green tea has been shown to be twenty times more
active in this respect than Vitamin E."
The polyphenols in green tea appear to reduce the risks of
certain cancers. These powerful antioxidants help control the
activity of free radicals, the unstable compounds that can destroy
cells and are implicated n a host of diseases, not just cancer.
Researchers in Great Britain discovered that drinking four or
five cups of green tea a day might help reduce both high
cholesterol and high blood pressure, and that both black and green
teas were shown to inhibit ultraviolet B light-induced skin
cancers.
Green tea fights against flu and other viral diseases,
strengthens capillaries, and prevents infection.
Green Tea for Beautiful Body Care
Green Tea Soothing Spray
This great soother has many uses
(see below). Use unflavored, unscented plain green tea.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup green tea leaves
1 quart spring water
1. Steep the tea leaves in boiling
water for 20 minutes.
2. Cool and strain the liquid into a
sterilized bottle and refrigerate.
Uses for Soothing Spray:
1. As a cooling, refreshing bath
splash.
2. As a perk-up for tired feet.
3. As an anti-fungal foot soak. Soak
feet in a quart of soother and do not rinse.
4. Use as a mouthwash.
5. For minor cuts, rashes, or
abrasions: saturate a cotton pad with soother and apply to injury
for five minutes. Repeat. This can be done up to 4 times a day.
6. To soothe minor sunburn, soak a
cloth in the soother and place on sunburned area. Keep on for about
15 minutes.
7. To freshen strained or tired
eyes, soak cotton pads in green tea solution, squeeze out excess,
and lay gently on eyelids. Let pads rest on lids for about 10
minutes. Repeat if necessary. This reduces puffiness and red
eyes.
8. Use as a blemish remedy. Splash
on face or dot on blemish with pure cotton. Do not rinse.
Great Idea for Fresher Shoes and Feet
A great use for leftover leaves
after brewing:
Allow spent tea leaves to dry, then
crush them and sprinkle in shoes and socks to help keep feet
healthy. Or fill an old nylon stocking with the dried leaves and
place in your shoes.
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