Green Tea

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Has anyone got good/bad experiences of drinking green tea? I'm wary of it cos of the caffeine - according to Wikipedia - more caffeine than coffee! But its also meant to have a lot of health benefits.

nicole's picture
nicole

It is not the same type of caffeine as coffee.  Green teas contain two caffeine metabolites (caffeine-like substances): theophylline, which is stronger than caffeine, and theobromine, which is slightly weaker than caffeine.
Theobromine has a similar effect than caffeine, but about 10 times weaker. Theobromine has diuretic, stimulant and relaxing effects. Theobromine can lower the blood pressure because it can to dilate blood vessels. Theobromine has stimulant properties, similar to caffeine. Unlike caffeine theobromine does not affect the central nervous system. Theobromine can also relax bronchi muscles in the lungs. Theobromine can be used as cough medicine. Studies indicate that theobromine acts on the vagus nerve, which runs from the lungs to the brain.Theobromine is mainly found in cocoa beans (about 25 g/kg), and consequently in chocolate. Theobromine levels are highest in dark chocolates (about 10 g/kg). Milk chocolates contains about 2 to 5 g theobromine per kg. (1-5 g/kg). Theobromine is also present in tea and cola nuts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theophylline
I would not worrie about this at all so many great benifits to drinking green tea. I would still drink it if not for the caffiene gives me too much anxiety. My anxiety is too intense. I miss it terribly and it helped my bladder pain a lot.

Honeybee's picture
Honeybee

Have you tried it yet? It didn't seem to bother me too much maybe a tiny bit but I haven't tried it in awhile- it had less of an effect on me than coffee which used to be a little intense for me but I drank it anyway. 

janejones's picture
janejones

I tried 2 types, one called lotus and one gunpowder but I didn't like the taste - like water that seaweed has been heated in - yeuch! I've had some lovely green tea in a Chinese cafe so I know it can taste fine, need to find the right variety.