10 Wild Health Benefits of Matcha
There are various health benefits to drinking Matcha tea that many people only sometimes consider, thinking of it as a novelty item or something you can only enjoy at specialty shops. Below, we'll discover precisely what Matcha is, ten wild health benefits, and a bonus recipe for making your own Matcha Boba Tea.
What Is Matcha?
Matcha, also called "matcha" in some places, is a bright, emerald-green tea. It is finely ground into a powder and is most commonly used in Japanese pastries, candies, and drinks.
Matcha has been in use in Japanese tea ceremonies for over 900 years. The Buddhist monks of the time favored Matcha for its health benefits, calling it a "health elixir."
Matcha originated in China around the 9th Century, and like many other herbal supplements of the day, Matcha was used as a medicinal drug for curing various ailments.
Largely thanks to this, around the 12th Century, Japanese Buddhist monks discovered Matcha's potential for use in ceremonial and medicinal teas.
Matcha is still uncommon to grow as its yield accounts for just 0.06% of the world's total tea cultivation. Matcha is grown as a high-quality tea leaf known as sencha – these tea bushes are shaded from direct sunlight, so they grow much slower than regular tea.
This shaded cultivation helps encourage the growth of many nutrients as well as the chlorophyll content of the leaves, aiding the green color and amino acids found in the plant.
High in Antioxidants
Matcha green tea is incredibly high in antioxidants, a much-needed factor to balance what is called 'free radical cells, or cells that have oxidized. These oxidized cells are responsible for the symptoms and look of aging, especially premature aging. Various life habits like poor diet, poor sleep, and lack of exercise can spur on these cells.
Free radical cells require antioxidants to de-oxidize and return them to neutral cells. Our natural antioxidants are reduced as we age, leaving us with unbalanced free radical cells.
High Nutritional Value
One of the significant benefits of Matcha tea is its nutritional value.
It is a beverage that has withstood the test of time and culture, where people would value medicines over leisure and medicines.
Matcha contains incredibly beneficial compounds like polyphenols and catechins, known for their powerful health benefits. Matcha tea catechins are known for helping everything from cardiovascular issues to metabolic diseases like Crohn's.
Additionally, some helpful vitamins and minerals help you stay awake and alert throughout the day as a less harsh alternative to the type of caffeine in coffee. Matcha has shown potential evidence for increasing your happiness throughout the day.
Keeps You Mentally Alert
Traditionally, Matcha is known to help induce mental clarity in those who drink it, so Buddhist monks of the 12th Century regarded it mainly as a health elixir. The caffeine in Matcha is combined with L-theanine, a sort of "brain food" to help your brain relax, remember things more clearly, and stay more alert to your surroundings.
In several studies, many people showed improvement in demanding, long-duration cognitive tasks. There were significant effects on the improved cognitive performance shown at the low dosage of 40 mg and reportedly improved relaxation, tension, and calmness at 200mg.
Helps Boost Your Immune System
This tea is an excellent source of powerful antioxidants like vitamins A, C, E, K, and B-complex, along with trace minerals. These vitamins are an excellent source of nutrition to help boost your immune system and help manage your skin care problems like rosacea, acne, and psoriasis.
Matcha green tea has been shown to aid in various ailments concerning the immune system and strengthen the immune system itself, which can help you get over a cold and prevent it from happening in the first place. This is one of the significant reasons why Japanese and Chinese cultures regarded Matcha as a ceremonial drink for health and medicine.
Aids Heart Health
Many places regard Matcha as a superfood in today's world. With cardiovascular disease ranking as one of the top 5 causes of death globally, there's no question why people would want something as beneficial as Matcha.
Drinking Matcha regularly has been proven to help reduce the risk of heart disease in healthy individuals and repair damage that has already been done with the additional healthy diet changes, sleep habits, and exercise routines.
These heart health benefits are mainly due to compounds in Matcha called catechins. These catechins also show potential benefits for diseases like Type II Diabetes or reducing the risk of coronary disease.
Helps You Maintain a Healthy Metabolism
Matcha tea has been shown to help reduce the risk of metabolic diseases and ailments, including lesser-understood diseases like Crohn's and inflammatory bowel disease.
While further studies are needed on this subject, the catechins and various polyphenols abundantly found in Matcha show real promise for helping reduce the symptoms of these diseases, which would ease many people's lives in today's world.
Matcha still contains caffeine, which can irritate these conditions. Finding a decaffeinated Matcha powder would be best if you have a health condition like Crohn's disease or irritable bowel syndrome.
Natural Stress Reliever
Matcha is a natural stress reliever thanks to the abundant compound L-theanine, which is unique to all tea plants. Combined with caffeine, the effects provide mental alertness and clarity far less harsh than coffee.
Thanks to the brain's reaction to the compound, the L-theanine found in Matcha helps reduce anxiety, stress, and potentially depression and insomnia by promoting a sense of calm and relaxation.
This is the perfect drink for someone studying or working long hours, lowering their stress levels and mental clarity, unlike other teas like chamomile, which may induce drowsiness.
Fights Infections
Thanks to its antioxidant properties, Matcha tea has been shown to help fight infections. Various vitamins, like Vitamin A, C, D, E, and B-complex, provide these antioxidants.
These antioxidants help boost your immune system, which keeps your body healthy by fighting off various colds and unwanted bacteria, and even nasty infections, topical or internal.
It's essential to remember that Matcha is not a replacement for modern medicine or hospital visits, so if you sustain a severe injury, you must still get proper medical care.
Keeps You "Regular."
Matcha helps encourage your bowels, keeping you a little more "regular." This helps your body correctly dispose of waste products from your food, whether indigestible organic matter or excess nutrients.
Reduces Fatigue, Elevates Energy Levels
One of the most important benefits people find in Matcha tea, at least in today's fast-paced, modern world, is how it helps reduce symptoms of fatigue and elevates low energy levels, keeping you mentally alert and aware of your surroundings. Caffeine and L-theanine work together to boost energy and reduce fatigue without the jitters and crashes that can accompany too much coffee.
Bonus Recipe: Iced Matcha Boba Tea
Serving Size: 1
Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- Matcha green tea powder (1 ½ tsp)
- Hot water (2 tbsp)
- Unflavoured honey (2 tbsp or to taste)
- Whole milk (1 cup)
- Ice cubes (Roughly ½ cup, or to fill a quarter of your glass)
- Giant black tapioca pearls (¼ cup, cooked)
- Boba tea straw
Directions:
- Tapioca pearls should be cooked per the package's instructions.
- Add your matcha powder and hot water to a small bowl, stirring until dissolved.
- Add your Matcha and water mixture, honey, milk, and ice cubes to a blender bottle. Shake well.
- Add your tapioca pearls to a glass of choice, and add your matcha tea blend.
- 5) Enjoy with a boba tea straw!
Tip: Add dark chocolate nibs over the top for a delicious, chocolatey aftertaste.
