Only recently has green tea become more widely available and consumed in the United States. All tea comes from the Camellia sinensis bush, a small flowering evergreen, native to China and India which is related to the common camellia. During manufacturing of green tea, preservation of the intact green leaf is of utmost importance. Green teas are not fully fermented like black teas, or partially fermented as oolongs. This process yields a chemical composition in green tea similar to the fresh tea leaf.
Green tea has a high content of vitamins and minerals.
Green tea also contains several B vitamins which are water soluble and quickly released into a cup of tea. Green tea is also high in fluoride. A cup of green tea provides approximately 0.1 mg of fluoride, which is higher than in fluorinated water. The naturally occurring chemical compounds in tea, called 'polyphenols,' are powerful antioxidants. The primary polyphenols found in tea are called 'catechins' which account for 30 to 40 percent of dry tea weight.