Green tea extract comes from the leaves of Camellia sinensis — the same plant used for everyday green tea — but in a standardised, concentrated form that
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What is green tea extract? Green tea extract is a natural supplement derived from the Camellia sinensis plant, which is the same plant used to make green tea. The extract is made by steeping the leaves of the green tea plant in hot water, then removing the leaves and concentrating the remaining liquid into a standardized extract. How does it work? Green tea extract is believed to work by providing antioxidants, which can help neutralize free radicals in the body and reduce oxidative stress. It also contains polyphenols, which have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. What are the active ingredients that are important for its medicinal properties? The active ingredients in green tea extract include polyphenols, catechins, and epicatechins. The most well-known polyphenol in green tea extract is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). What forms does it come in? Green tea extract is available in various forms, including capsules, powders, and liquid extracts. When was it first used for medicinal purposes? The use of green tea for medicinal purposes has been documented in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. However, it wasn't until more recently that the specific health benefits of green tea extract have been extensively studied and documented through clinical trials and studies.
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What does Green tea extract (Camellia sinensis) help with? Green tea extract is a concentrated form of the green tea leaf, Camellia sinensis. It is rich in catechins, mainly EGCG, along with caffeine and L-theanine. Green tea has long been used in Chinese medicine. The human research is real, but it is uneven. Heart, blood fat and liver markers have the best trial support. Claims about weight, focus and skin rest on smaller or mixed studies. High cholesterol and triglycerides Good evidence — human trials of regular daily use; no trial sizes or doses listed in the file. In human trials, regular use lowered LDL ('bad') cholesterol and triglycerides. HDL ('good') cholesterol stayed steady or improved. In lab work, the catechins cut how much cholesterol the gut took up. Evidence grade B · Traditional tier T3 High blood pressure Good evidence — human trials with small but repeated effects; sizes and doses not listed in the file. Across human trials, green tea extract lowered both the top and bottom blood pressure numbers. The drop was small, and showed up most in people whose readings were already high. In lab studies, the catechins relaxed blood vessel walls. Evidence grade B · Traditional tier T3 Fatty liver (non-alcoholic) Good evidence — clinical trials in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; sizes and doses not listed in the file. In these trials, green tea extract lowered liver fat and liver enzyme levels. Markers of liver swelling also fell. Very high doses are a different story, and have been linked to liver stress. Evidence grade B · Traditional tier T3 Blood sugar and insulin resistance Early evidence — small and mixed human studies of EGCG. In some human studies, EGCG helped the body respond better to insulin. Blood sugar spikes after meals were easier to manage. Results vary from study to study, and this is not a stand-in for diabetes care. Evidence grade C · Traditional tier T3 Weight loss and stubborn belly fat Early evidence — short human studies of fat burning, with small effects. In human studies, green tea extract raised the rate at which the body burned fat, most of all during exercise. In lab work, it kept fat-releasing hormones active for longer. Some longer studies reported less belly fat, but the amounts were small. Evidence grade C · Traditional tier T3 Focus, attention and memory Early evidence — short human trials, mostly of caffeine plus L-theanine rather than whole extract. In short human trials, caffeine with L-theanine improved attention, working memory and reaction time. People described a calm, alert state. The trials were brief, and tested the single parts more than the whole extract. Evidence grade C · Traditional tier T3 Feeling calm without the caffeine jitters Early evidence — small human brain-wave studies of L-theanine. In small human studies, L-theanine raised alpha brain wave activity. That brain pattern goes with relaxed focus. When caffeine was paired with L-theanine, people reported less of the anxious edge. Evidence grade C · Traditional tier T3 Skin ageing, redness and sun damage Early evidence — small clinical studies, both taken by mouth and applied to the skin. In clinical studies, green tea catechins reduced skin redness and swelling. Some studies reported better skin stretch and fewer signs of ageing. In lab work, the catechins guarded skin cells from UV damage and supported collagen. Evidence grade C · Traditional tier T3 Body-wide inflammation and oxidative stress Long traditional use · not yet tested in trials — lab and cell studies only; no human trial on file for this use. In lab studies, EGCG switched off several key inflammation signals. In cell tests, it also mopped up free radicals, the particles tied to cell ageing. Whether any of this changes how a person feels has not been tested in the studies on file. Evidence grade insufficient · Traditional tier T3 What Green tea extract (Camellia sinensis) has not been shown to do It has not been shown to reliably improve
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