Green Tea-A Magical Herbal Therapy

Green tea is one of the commonly ingested drinks in day to day routine. In vitro studies have shown that green tea polyphenols inhibit the growth and cellular adherence of periodontal pathogens and their production of virulence factors. Green tea extract has been used in the form of chewing gums, mouth rinses, gum paints and dentifrices as a part of preventive (proactive) periodontal maintenance regimen. Extracts from green tea have been shown to inhibit bacterial growth. The most important green tea polyphenols are tannins and flavonoids. Polyphenols constitute the most interesting group of green tea leaf components, and in consequence, green tea can be considered an important dietary source of polyphenols, particularly flavonoids. The main flavonoids present in green tea include Catechins. The 4 major catechins are Epigallocatechin-3-gallate of total catechins, epigallocatechin, epicatechin-3-gallate 1 and epicatechin. Green tea also contains gallic acid (GA) and other phenolic acids such as chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid, and flavonols such as kaempferol, myricetin and quercetin. Green tea from the leaves of plant Camellia sinensis has been shown to have wide range of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic and anti-bacterial activity.