# Retrospecting the Antioxidant Activity of Japanese Match Green Tea-Lack of Enthusiasm?
## 2 Antioxidant Activity of Green Tea
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{1}{c}{Cultivated under sunny conditions} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{Grown in shade (bamboo fabric shade)} \\ \cline{2-3} Growth environment and conditions & All leaves used & Only young leaves, the top two leaves in a shoot, are used in the case of the most expensive matcha \\ \cline{2-3}  & Originated from China & Japanese in origin \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Comparative account of green tea versus matcha tea. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{p{108.4 pt} p{108.4 pt} p{108.4 pt}} \hline \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Green Tea**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Matcha Tea**} \\ \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Properties**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Whole leaves are used as such, either as leaves (rolled/unrolled) or packed into tea bags**} & \begin{tabular}{c} Leaves that are rid of stems and veins are \\ stone-ground to a bright green powder \\ known as matcha \\ \end{tabular}  \\ \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{\multirow{4}{*}{Preparation conditions}} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Whole leaves/tea bags are placed into a cup or pot of boiling water and the extraction time kept for 2–5 min. Leaves**} & \begin{tabular}{c} Hot water (about 158 \({}^{\circ}\)F) is added to a \\ bowl and the contents are whisked until \\ it becomes smooth \\ \end{tabular}  \\ \cline{2-3}  & \begin{tabular}{c} Boiling water is used \\ \end{tabular}  & \begin{tabular}{c} Boiling water should not be used \\ \end{tabular}  \\ \cline{2-3}  & \begin{tabular}{c} Should not be boiled in pot, only added \\ to already boiled water \\ \end{tabular}  & \begin{tabular}{c} Should not be boiled too \\ \end{tabular}  \\ \cline{2-3}  & \begin{tabular}{c} Not popularly added to other juices or \\ drinks or food \\ \end{tabular}  & \begin{tabular}{c} Being a powder, it can be added to drinks, \\ spreads, and foods \\ \end{tabular}  \\ \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{\multirow{2}{*}{Physical properties}} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Leaves look darker shade of green**} & \ \begin{tabular}{c} Since grown in shade, the chlorophyll \\ levels are high and so the color is brighter \\ shade of green \\ \end{tabular}  \\ \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{\multirow{4}{*}{Chemical properties}} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**The polyphenol content, specifically**} &
\begin{tabular}{c} Matcha is very high in antioxidants, \\ especially catechins. \\ Epigallocatech  
effects [49; 50; 51]. Green tea is rich in polyphenols (catechins and gallic acid), carotenoids, tocopherols, vitamin C, and Cr, Mn, Se, or Zn. These indirectly function as antioxidants through, retarding redox-sensitive transcription factors and pro-oxidant enzymes (nitric oxide synthase, lipoxygenenses, cyclooxygenenses, and xanthine oxidase). The green tea bioactives are also able to trigger antioxidant enzymes, such as glutathione-transferases (GT) and superoxide dismutases (SOD). The mechanism of how green tea polyphenols are able to bring about the antioxidant effect is through: (i) increasing antioxidant enzyme activity; (ii) inhibiting lipid peroxidation; (iii) scavenging free radicals [52]; and (iv) reducing oxidation via chelation of metal ions [53]. The antioxidant mechanism of phenolic compounds (also catechins) in general is orchestrated via transfer of hydrogen atoms or a single electron transfer through protons [54; 55]. Green tea is reported to exhibit higher antioxidant activity against peroxyl radicals much more than the famous super antioxidant activity vegetables such as: Brussels sprouts, garlic, kale, and spinach [56]. [PERSON] et al. [50] confirmed that the total antioxidant capacity of green tea is much more than that of black tea. Green tea toxicity is also reported, with hepatotoxicity, high caffeine content, and caffeine being passed on to breast feeding infants, leading to insomnia and stomach issues. The harmful effects of green tea have been elaborately discussed by [PERSON] et al., 2018 [57].