Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years, you must have heard the name matcha. Regarded as the darling of the tea world, this wonderful Japanese concoction has several health benefits. Since it also has a rich and earthy taste loved by many, it is gaining momentum around the world as a super-beverage and elixir for good health. Experts also believe that the good health associated with the Japanese comes as a result of the daily consumption of the matcha tea. The interest in this wonderful beverage has spread across Europe and North America like wildfire! However, are the claims that it helps with inflammation true? Inflammation is regarded as the body’s natural response to an injury or sickness, and while it sometimes helps, most of the time, it causes unbearable pain! In case you don’t already know what it is, here’s a look at what Matcha is, how it is made, and whether it helps reduce inflammation.
Does Tea Have Medicinal Properties?
Civilizations have made use of plants and herbs as medicines for centuries. Most of these compounds contain naturally occurring phytochemicals that help prevent oxidative damage to your body and its tissues. Since plants contain large amounts of antioxidants, they have a lot of anti-inflammatory properties, which help with pain relief. They also help prevent diseases that are caused due to inflammation. One of the best ways you can make use of these medicinal benefits offered by plants is by drinking tea containing these plants and herbs.
How to Have Matcha
Though Matcha is a type of green tea, you don’t necessarily have to drink it. In case you aren’t a big tea fan or don’t like the taste of Matcha, you can always infuse it with your food. For instance, a lot of wellness instructors have put out baking recipes that make use of a lot of Matcha. Therefore, you can make matcha bread, matcha ice cream, matcha cake, or even matcha mint cookies, all of which tastes amazing, and still enjoy the health benefits that it provides.
How Drinking Matcha Can Help You
Matcha is often regarded as the healthiest green tea available as it contains a lot of phytonutrients and antioxidants. Furthermore, since it is composed of tea leaf powder, you get to ingest the leaf directly, rather than just drinking water infused with the leaves. Doing so helps make it easier for your body to attain more natural nutrients and essential substances like polyphenols and caffeine. Since you are consuming the whole leaf, Matcha contains 137 times more antioxidants than regular green tea. It also tastes much more vibrant and earthier than regular tea, making it a delicious and healthy drink that you need to try out! Significant health benefits that drinking matcha brings is as follows:
- Increase in energy and focus
- Improvement in memory and concentration
- Reduction in Arthritis symptoms
- Reduction and relief of inflammation and related illnesses
- Improves the immune system
- Helps with weight loss and maintenance
- Prevent and subdue the effects of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
Matcha Tea Against Inflammation
The tea family, consisting of the plant Camellia sinensis, has excellent anti-inflammation properties. Therefore, both green and black tea contains these properties as they come from the same plant. The only difference is that green tea leaves undergo less oxidation than the black kind, helping them retain their green color. The anti-inflammatory components of such tea are regarded to be polyphenols, of which the most potent is epigallocatechin-3-gallate, better known as EGCG. EGCG’s anti-inflammatory properties help aid with pain relief when it comes to inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
Some researches did a 56-day study involving people suffering from ulcerative colitis. While they did not respond to conventional medication, the researchers found that EGCG-based medication helped improve their condition by over 58%. Furthermore, Matcha also helps with reducing occurrences of inflammation-driven ailments like cardiac disease, Alzheimer’s, and
Matcha Against Arthritis
Specific studies and a lot of daily users have stated that drinking matcha regularly helps in alleviating arthritis symptoms and keeping other inflammation-related diseases at bay. It helps in pain relief while also reducing the swelling and inflammation in the joints. This has also been linked to the massive amounts of EGCG that Matcha contains, as it helps in removing chemicals that cause inflammation. Therefore, drinking a cup of Matcha before your workout will help you reduce inflammation and the chances of falling prey to arthritis.
How to Reduce Inflammation
Joint inflammation is a significant issue that a lot of people struggle with daily. While you can’t always see it, you can definitely feel the aching and stinging pain that accompanies inflammation. It makes it hard for you to even enjoy things as simple as a small run or trek. So, how do you beat inflammation, and make sure it doesn’t keep coming back?
- Exercise – While it might seem like exercise will make the pain worse, it does, in fact, help you reduce the pain. Not only does exercise strengthen your muscles, but it also improves blood circulation and supports your immune system. Therefore, the pressure you feel on your joints reduces, and as a result, your inflammation subsides. While you might not feel all that great while exercising, I promise that you will feel a lot better after your session. Regular exercise also helps with weight loss, which puts less weight on your joints, making them feel healthier and more durable. Focus on your core and back exercises, and do some focused stretching, to help reduce the chronic inflammation. However, in case you feel severe pain, make sure you consult a doctor before starting on an intensive exercise routine to be on the safer side.
- Fat Intake – Another great way to combat inflammation is by taking in enough healthy fats. While this does not mean you can eat pounds of fried chicken, you also shouldn’t deprive your body of all fats. Natural omega-3 fats and monounsaturated fats are healthy and essential to your body. Go for foodstuffs like salmon, avocados, and nuts to take in healthy fat, which helps ease inflammation. Furthermore, omega-3 fats help in preventing cardiac problems by slowing the formation and deposition of plaque in arteries.
- Have a cup of Matcha Tea – One of the lesser-known benefits that matcha tea provides is in the fight against inflammation. As it is rich in powerful flavonoids, matcha tea helps boost your immune system, which reduces unnecessary inflammation. That’s another feather added to Matcha’s illustrious cap of health benefits!
In case you are looking for simple ways to improve your health, then switching to Matcha might be one of the best decisions you make. Not only will this simple change help you improve your health, but it will also prevent many ailments and diseases. Also, since it is so healthy, you can drink it without any guilt, even though it contains a little caffeine. Therefore, switch over to Matcha and say hello to a healthy life, free of aches, joint pains, and inflammation!
