Green tea: benefits and harms for the human liver

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Perhaps there is no such person in the world who has not heard about the beneficial properties of green tea. This drink is consumed in many families, it is customary to serve it in restaurants and cafes. In offices, it takes pride of place next to coffee and black tea. Some drink it for medicinal purposes, others do it to maintain vitality, others simply follow fashion. But not everyone knows how to use green tea correctly, what are its benefits and how to avoid harm. What effect does the drink have on the main filter of the human body - the liver? "Green tea is good and bad for the liver at the same time," many people think. Is that right?

A bit of history

China is considered to be the birthplace of green tea. Many beautiful legends are associated with the appearance of this drink. But still more plausible tells about the following. The Chinese ruler Yang Di ordered his servants to boil a cauldron of water. At this time, the wind blew, and several leaves fell from the tea tree, under which there was water. The servants did not notice this and served the drink to the emperor. Having tried it, he was delighted. So wasestablished the tradition of drinking green tea.

At the beginning of his journey, he was not available to everyone. Only roy alty could afford it. Sometimes, as a sign of the highest mercy, the emperor could give it to his subjects. Centuries later, this drink became available to everyone: both the nobles and the poor.

It was then that it began to be used as a cure for all diseases. It was believed that green tea relieves fatigue, sharpens eyesight, invigorates the heart, cleanses the intestines, and cures rheumatism with leaves. But even then, the Chinese tried to consume no more than two cups of tea a day, fearing to harm their body. Until now, scientists do not have a clear answer, what color tea is he althier, how does the traditional black drink affect the body, and what is the effect of green tea? Tea definitely affects the human liver. This is an inexhaustible topic for disputes and contradictions. It's worth figuring it all out before falling in love with this delicious drink.

A few words about the composition

It is worth noting that it is really unique. It contains almost all vitamins known to science, as well as a large number of chemical elements and organic compounds.

Its leaves contain many alkaloids, which contain a substance such as theine, which replaces caffeine, but acts softer. Thanks to him, a person experiences vivacity and a surge of strength throughout the day. Tannin, in addition to being responsible for the taste of tea, giving it alsoa peculiar shade, also has antimicrobial properties, improves digestion, strengthens blood vessels and removes such unnecessary radioactive elements from the body. Various amino acids improve the nervous system.

The benefits and harms of green tea for the liver are found in catechins. They improve metabolism, prevent the development of diabetes. But the most basic element for the proper functioning of the liver is vitamin P. It is able to stop inflammatory processes, protect an important organ of any person from cancer and harmful effects.

Everyone knows that the liver cleanses the human body of toxins contained in alcohol and drugs. Here it is appropriate to recall another legend. One of the Chinese emperors was very concerned about the he alth of his people. Therefore, he tried on himself the effect of all drugs and poisons. One day he was lying under a tea tree, dying from testing a new poison. But then a drop of juice fell from one of the leaves and fell on his lips. So the emperor was cured and realized that he was saved by the miraculous property of the tea tree.

It is through the liver that all poisons pass, for which it is a kind of barrier. It maintains sugar and fat levels. And now we can say how green tea affects the liver, is there any benefit in its use. It is most of the above substances that make up its composition that help this body cope with its work.

How help happens

Even eminent scientists find it difficult to answer this question accurately. Here you can see the following. When the liverworks, she produces bile. But as soon as the well-oiled mechanism goes astray, everything goes awry. The liver got sick - and the bile ducts went haywire. This means that the vitamin metabolism was disturbed. And since green tea has a beneficial effect on the liver, it comes to the rescue as a sure aid. It is actively used even in the treatment of hepatitis. A single cup of green tea contains all the daily requirement of vitamin P, which is simply necessary for the liver.

In one of the ancient Chinese works it is written: “Tea strengthens the spirit, softens the heart, removes fatigue, awakens the thought and does not allow laziness to settle …”. After reading these lines, you should not immediately rush to brew a drink if you have he alth problems. First you need to learn about its effect on the work of certain organs. It may be ambiguous. After all, green tea is good and bad for the liver. A doctor's advice will help determine what is really important for a particular person.

What medicine says

Most of the doctors in the question of how green tea affects the liver, talk about its usefulness. As mentioned earlier, it is recommended for many diseases.

For example, doctors unanimously advise cancer patients to give preference to this drink. So, during chemotherapy, a large amount of toxins accumulate in the liver, from which the organ fails. It is a green drink that can help in its restoration. Similar situationoccurs with various kinds of poisoning, hepatitis and cholecystitis. Once again, doctors recommend this freshly brewed miracle drink.

Not one scientist created the scientific work "Green tea: benefits and harms for the liver." Contraindications are a very important aspect that takes place in the use of a green drink. Everyone must know them so that, wanting to improve their he alth, they do not get the opposite effect in response. If Chinese doctors believe that by taking green tea, a person will forever forget the way to the pharmacy, then doctors in other countries do not consider this a panacea. Although they also recognize that it is good for he alth.

It is worth knowing that just as green tea affects the liver of a he althy person, it also puts people suffering from other diseases to serious tests.

People with cardiovascular problems should be careful with this drink. If you drink more than 4 cups, then there will be problems with sleep (therefore, it is not recommended to drink it at night in principle), a rapid heartbeat will appear. Such tea should be excluded for diseases of the duodenum, for problems with the stomach. Excessive consumption can lead to kidney stones. In diseases of the thyroid gland, it is better to refrain from taking it daily and even remove it from the diet. But most importantly: the composition of tea includes the so-called polyphenols, which, accumulating in the body, cause poisoning and disrupt the liver. Imagine a situation: a person drinks liters of green tea. The benefits and harms to the liver will be clearly unequal. It is worth remembering the golden rule: so as not to get poisoned by tea, and not to earnother diseases, it can be consumed no more than 2-3 cups per day, or 500-600 milliliters. This is the opinion of not only Russian doctors, but also doctors from the USA, Great Britain and China.

When tea is bad

It's safe to say: medicine supports green tea, but in moderation. This warning is especially true for office workers who, being in the office all day, try to lead a correct (in terms of he alth) lifestyle and endlessly drink, in their opinion, a “healing drink”. And when one of the organs begins to hurt (most often the liver), they are sincerely perplexed about this. It is worth dwelling on some aspects in which the benefits and harms of green tea for the liver are absolutely unequal.

It is not recommended to drink it to pregnant women, lactating women, people with serious problems of the nervous system. Do not drink tea on an empty stomach, otherwise you can cause irritation of the mucous membrane. For the same reason, it is contraindicated in exacerbation of gastritis and gastric ulcer.

This invigorating drink is able to raise vascular and intraocular pressure, so you should drink it with caution in case of hypertension and glaucoma. It has wonderful diuretic qualities, so it's worth considering.

And especially you can't mix green tea with alcohol, otherwise no liver can stand it.

What does traditional medicine say?

Traditional medicine for improving the liver and biliary tract offers its own recipe for drinking the drink, also considering that the benefitsand the harm of green tea to the liver are present in equal measure. According to people who have tried this composition with tea, the desired result is not long in coming.

Yellow flowers and dandelion stems, collected in the spring, must be washed and scrolled through a meat grinder. In half a liter of flower mass, add 2 tablespoons of honey. Mix everything and put it in a dark place for a day, while stirring occasionally. Then the jar with the mixture must be stored in the refrigerator. You need to eat 2 teaspoons of the mixture twice a day, while washing them down with freshly brewed weak green tea. You need to do this on an empty stomach for a week, then take a week-long break and repeat the course again. Contraindications for this treatment are severe gallbladder dyskinesia, allergies and influenza.

Interesting experiment

This drink is not always able to have the same effect on people of different ages. Having considered such a question as the benefits and harms of green tea for the liver of the elderly, one can be convinced of this. Recent medical studies by Japanese doctors have shown that those who regularly consume green tea after 65 years of age are in better physical shape than their peers.

14,000 older men and women participated in their experiment. At the same time, they had to live their usual life, not change their diet and treatment regimen, ifthere was such a thing. The experiment lasted for three years. As a result, after a certain time, the well-being of the people participating in it improved: thanks to the same polyphenols, the liver began to work more efficiently. As a result, cholesterol decreased, and the participants in the experiment began to look younger, began to be more optimistic about life. The scientists kept the exact cause of these signs a secret, but they were quite satisfied with the result they saw.

But before you start experimenting with tea, older people should be aware of individual contraindications. Despite the undeniable benefits, green tea can be harmful, especially for certain diseases.

First of all, do not get carried away and drink more than four cups a day. In overdose, this drink will cause dizziness, heart palpitations, insomnia, and sometimes nausea and heartburn. In diabetics, its excessive consumption can increase blood sugar. Therefore, it is always necessary to remember the special properties of your body and elementary caution.

Thus, it must be recognized that green tea is good and bad for the liver at the same time.

Separately about the choice

Today, there are no problems with the choice of tea. It is sold both in ordinary stores and in specialized ones. Of course, tea must be first of all of high quality. Various indicators will help determine this.

First of all, only the one that was collected in the current year is considered useful. In real tea, the color is not green at all, but, most likely, pistachio. At the same time, the bestvarieties have golden or silver hues. If there is another color, then the sheet is of poor quality.

When a lot of broken leaves and cuttings are found in tea, it means that in front of you is not a fresh crop, but an old one. It will not have an effective effect even if it was overdried. If there is a lot of moisture in it, then such tea can even be poisonous. To check this, it is worth rubbing a tea leaf between your fingers. If they turned into dust, then safely this species can be put aside.

Special attention should be paid to tea packaging. It must indicate the country of origin, the name and address of the manufacturer, the date of manufacture and the shelf life. After purchase, green tea must be kept in a dark and cool place. This will help preserve its healing and aromatic properties in the future.

What do people say?

If you set such a goal, then on the topic "green tea: benefits and harms for the liver, reviews" you can find a lot of useful tips and recommendations. It should be noted that most of them are positive. People speak of this drink as a faithful assistant and substitute for many medicines. Worth bringing some.

For example, among the elderly, opinions prevail that the constant use of green tea does wonders for the body. They note that they began to look younger, more strength appeared, the work of the liver and intestines improved. Diabetic patients notice that regular drinking of green tea reduces blood sugar, improves liver function, adds energy and gives a good mood.

Still, sometimes you can find not the most flattering reviews. But if you read them carefully, you can see one pattern: most people talk about an overdose when drinking a drink. Once again, it is necessary to recall the gradualness and moderation.

And there are also such reviews in which the young ladies who decided to lose weight with the help of green tea (and it also has this property) did not lose weight at all. But it is naïve to believe that by drinking tea in cups and doing nothing else, someone will be able to become slender, like a cypress. In this case, it is advisable, in addition to tea, for example, to introduce physical exercises or light diets into your regimen.

The choice is yours

So what is green tea? Benefit or harm to the liver from this drink? This question must be solved individually. It is worth listening to your body, and it will definitely tell about it.