Drinking about three cups a day, with a meal, may be enough to gain some health benefits, he said, although some of the studies were made on up to 10 cups a day. Any tea is included in the recommendation made by many health professionals to consume six to eight cups of water per day. Tablet and capsule forms of green tea that contain the leaf, not just epigallocatechin gallate extracts, appear to have medicinal qualities similar to the tea form. Studies of green tea have been conducted through numerous organizations, including the National Cancer Institute, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the University of Kansas, Case Western Reserve University, the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, and numerous Asian sources, such as the Shanghai Cancer Institute. To gain the most benefits with the lowest risk, Slade suggests using organic teas, since the tropical growing environment in India, China and elsewhere in Asia may lead some cultivators to use pesticides and other agricultural chemicals.
All green teas come from one species of camellia bush.
Black teas come from the same leaf, but they are processed differently. Then you increase the caffeine and you lose some of the polyphenols. He acquired much of his knowledge about teas and herbs through self-training, spurred by his own success in treating a botched knee operation. He recovered several weeks before his doctor said he would, and became convinced of the merits of herbs. He has since acquired the titles of master herbalist and certified nutritional consultant, through correspondence courses, and won an award in 1995 from a trade journal for an energy supplement he formulated.