A study using natural toothpaste (containing green tea ... Thus much research has gone into searching for cures and ... tea bioflavonoids, sanguinarine or triclosan on oral bacterial biofilm ...
Camellia sinensis (Tea)
(Life; Embryophyta (plants); Angiospermae (flowering plants); Eudicotyledons; Order: Ericales; Family: Theaceae; Genus: Camellia)
Tea is the second most commonly drank liquid on earth after water. It has numerous medicinal benefits mainly due to its antibacterial and antioxidant properties. The cafeine in tea keeps us awake, sometimes too much so. Excessive tea drinking can cause anaemia due to inhibition of iron uptake. (Actually, for post menopausal women and most men, there can easily be an over accumulation of iron, so this can also be beneficial!--"Cheyenne Cin")
Many of us would agree with the ancient Chinese saying: " Better to be deprived of food for three days, than of tea for one" (Ody 1993). Tea has been consumed socially and habitually by people for so long (since ± 3000 BC), that aside from the astringent taste and boost it provides, it’s medicinal properties are often over-looked. However, traditional healers have long believed that drinking tea is a means of prolonging life (Chopra 2000).
Description, origin and distribution
Native to China, C. sinensis spread to India and Japan, then to Europe and Russia, arriving in the New World in the late 17th century (Chopra 2000). As a cultivated evergreen plant, tea is usually trimmed to below six ft. in height. However, if left to grow wild, the bush can reach 30 ft. green, Oolong and black (‘normal’) tea are all made from the leaves of the same plant species, Camellia sinensis (Ody 1993). Their chemical content and flavours are, however, very different due to their respective fermentation processes. Green tea leaves are allowed to wither in hot air then pan-fried to halt the oxidation (fermentation) processes. The leaves of Oolong tea are wilted in sunlight, bruised and allowed to partially oxidise, until reddening of the leaf edges occurs. Black teas leaves are fermented in cool, humid rooms, until the entire leaf is darkened (Chopra: 87).
Chemical constituents
Tea leaves contain many compounds, such as polysaccharides, volatile oils, vitamins, minerals, purines, alkaloids (eg.caffeine) and polyphenols (catechins and flavonoids). Although all three tea types have antibacterial and free radical capturing (antioxidising) activities, the efficacy decreases substantially the darker the variety of tea is. This is due to lower contents of anti-oxidising polyphenols remaining in the leaves (Chopra 2000).
- Flavonoids (polyphenols). Proven medicinal properties include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, antibacterial and antiviral effects. They also have the ability to strengthen veins and decrease their permeability. It is widely believed that the antioxidising effects of both black and green varieties are reduced when taken with milk.This is thought to be due to the effective binding of flavonoids by proteins (Chopra: 2000). However, a recent ex vivo study concluded that flavonols are absorbed from tea and their bioavailability is not affected by milk.7
- Tea tannins - called catechins (polyphenols). Appear to be the most potent therapeutic plant-derived chemicals, in that, aside from their antiseptic and antioxidant properties, they are able to form complexes with other molecules, thereby detoxifying the system (van Wyk et al). Catechins include gallocatechin, epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin gallate (EGC) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Catechins make up approximately one-quarter of fresh dried green tea leaves, of which EGCG comprises 60 % (Chopra 2000).
- Vitamin C. A recent study by du Toit et al, showed that Black, Green and Oolong tea are all extremely good sources of vitamin C. They found that 1 or 2 cups a day provide the equivalent of three glasses of orange juice or two capsules (200mg) of vitamin C.
Medicinal benefits
Benefits of all tea varieties
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Benefits of green tea |
One study involving an in vitro plasmid DNA system and radiolytically generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) under constant scavenging conditions, showed that all four catechins (EC; EGC; ECG and EGCG), moderate free radical damage sustained by DNA - even when present in low concentrations. EGCG was the most effective of the catechins, with activity seen at micromolar concentrations. The antioxidant activity of catechins is thought to occur by the mechanism of electron transfer from catechins to ROS-induced radical sites on the DNA 1.
Inoue et al examined the association between regular green tea consumption prior to diagnosis and subsequent risk of breast cancer recurrence. The results indicated that regular intake of green tea, in the early stages of breast cancer, may prevent the recurrence thereof. Furthermore, the incidence of prostate cancer among Chinese men was found to be the lowest in the world and correlated with their tea consumption (Chopra: 2000).
Stomach cancer is the second most common form of cancer worldwide. Thus much research has gone into searching for cures and treatments thereof. One such study, conducted in China15, aimed at investigating the effect of green tea consumption on chronic gastritis and the risk of stomach cancer. Their sample included 133 stomach cancer cases, 166 chronic gastritis cases and 433 healthy controls. Results showed an inverse association between green tea drinking and both diseases. Furthermore, dose-response relationships were observed, with years of green tea consumption being more effective in combating both stomach cancer and chronic gastritis.
A study11 using 8552 residents, representative of Japan’s population, tested whether or not Green tea was an effective anti-carcinogenic. Results showed a decreased relative risk of cancer incidence for those consuming over ten cups, compared with those consuming below three cups of green tea per day. The risks decreased by 57 % for women, 54 % for men and 59 % for both sexes. In addition, increased consumption was associated with a significant delay in the onset of cancer.
- Decreases risk of cardiovascular disease. Coronary artery disease is associated with increased oxidative stress and dysfunction of the endothelium(cells lining the heart, blood and lymphatic vessels and various other cavities). Some antioxidants are known to reverse endothelial dysfunction4. Thus numerous studies have aimed at determining whether or not the antioxidant polyphenols (flavonoids and catechins) present in tea, can perform the same function. Although results tended to be equivocal, several findings were quite common. Various case studies show that tea does not decrease blood pressure, nor plasma lipids (cholesterol) ex vivo 13 and while tea catechins do inhibit the peroxidation of LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol in vitro, the effect ex vivo is small12,13.
Catechins are absorbed from tea but low plasma concentrations are attained and easily excreted, unless they are rapidly absorbed or metabolised 18. This may explain why other studies only revealed effectiveness at high dosages. A study on 8 552 residents, representative of Japan’s population, revealed a decreased relative risk of death from coronary disease as 82 % for women, 58 % for men, and 72 % for both sexes consuming over ten cups of green tea per day11.
Amongst other findings, a study by Riemersma et al concluded that although the plasma antioxidant potential increases post green tea consumption, this is not so for black tea. However, a more recent (July 2001) paper4 revealed increased plasma flavonoids after short- and long-term black tea consumption and improved vasomotor functioning (endothelium-dependant flow-mediated dilation) of the brachial artery.
While mild cholesterol lowering has been documented in mice and green tea consumption has been shown to reduce the development of aortic atherosclerosis (hardening, thickening and elasticity-loss of arteries) in rabbits, it is more difficult to show in humans and results are inconsistent. While most epidemiological studies support the suggested role of tea in decreasing the risk of coronary artery disease, there is much debate as to the mechanisms of benefit. However, the potential benefits of tea consumption are worthy of confirmation by more human trials.
Possible health risks
- Although all tea varieties possess far less caffeine than both coffee and coke cola (with green having the least), it can induce insomnia and nervousness in sensitive and over-indulgent individuals.
- It should also be noted that the antioxidant action of (phenolic-rich) tea extracts has been shown to reduce the ability of humans to utilise dietary iron. Thus excessive intake of tea should be avoided by people who are prone to anaemia14.
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... colonization of these animals by the corresponding bacterial ... member who created an HSI Forum thread titled "Any natural cures for ... This type of cell organization is called biofilm.
- Location, location, location
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Clearly, we're up against some very clever E. coli. So... what to do?
In response to Delaney's HSI Forum request for natural UTI treatments, several members offer methods that have worked for them. But among those treatments, one stands out. And a member named Les boils it down to a simple sentence: "D-mannose is the answer for UTI." Les is absolutely on the right track.
Many women know that when the first signs of a bladder infection appear, a few quarts of cranberry juice can sometimes head the problem off at the pass. According to Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., the ingredient in cranberry juice that makes it effective is the bacteria-fighting sugar Les recommends: D-mannose.
In the Health eTips e-letter "Inside Out" (9/11/03), Amanda Ross (Managing Editor of Dr. Wright's Nutrition & Healing newsletter) shared Dr. Wright's explanation about how D-mannose works. She wrote, "D-mannose... has the ability to detach E. coli from the walls of the bladder without upsetting the balance of the friendly bacteria necessary for good health. After being loosened from bladder walls, the bacteria are rinsed away by normal urination. The E. coli aren't killed; they're simply relocated - 'from the inside to the outside' - and the infection is gone."
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Cranberry... without the cocktail
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But before you run out to stock up on cranberry juice, you should know that Dr. Wright says there's not really enough D-mannose in the juice to be significantly effective. And in her article, Amanda adds that the extra sugar that comes with most brands of cranberry juice just creates other unneeded problems.
Fortunately, D-mannose is available from compounding pharmacies and many natural food stores. Dr. Wright says that almost any bladder infection caused by E. coli can be eliminated with 1/2 to 1 teaspoonful of D-mannose, dissolved in water and taken every 2 to 3 hours. And there's no need to worry about the sugar aspect of D-mannose; it's a simple sugar, so very little of it is metabolized by the body. Large doses are washed away in the urine, and the amounts not excreted into the urine are so small that they do not affect blood sugar levels - even in diabetics.
And for a personal testimonial about the effectiveness of D- mannose we'll go back to the HSI Forum thread where a member named Rosie shared this experience: "I finally decided to try the D-Mannose that Dr. Wright raves about for UTI's. I took one half teaspoon a day, less than what the directions say to use. In two days the UTI was gone, but I continued the D-Mannose a few more days."
Judging from the Washington University study, Rosie had the right idea to continue the treatment for a few days to continue fighting any remaining bacteria that the E. coli pods might try to reintroduce in the bladder. - ====================
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Just ask Delaney, a member who created an HSI Forum thread titled "Any natural cures for urinary ... Intracellular Bacterial Biofilm-Like Pods in Urinary Tract Infections" Science 2003 301: 105-107, 7/4 ...
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