Future of us
Matcha and Mental Health
By- Riya Patel
What is Matcha?
Matcha is a type of green tea that is made by taking tea leaves and grinding them into a green powder. Then depending on how you like your tea, you would either whisk it with hot water or even add some cream and ice. Matcha leaves are grown in a unique and different way. The green tea bushes are kept under shade because the shade increases the amount of chlorophyll (a natural compound present in green plants that gives them their color) in the leaves. The origins of matcha can be lead all the way back to the Tang Dynasty in China. The history behind this is very fascinating. It all goes back to the 8th century, when the new method was making powdered tea from dried up tea leaves. That is also when a Buddhist monk, Myoan Eisai , discovered it and brought it to Japan. Although it originated from China, matcha has been a piece of the Japanese culture for over 800 years.
What are the benefits of drinking Matcha?
Matcha has recently become very popular everywhere: from ice creams to lattes. But what most people don't know is that matcha is actually very healthy for you and your body. It is high in antioxidants, meaning it helps stabilize dangerous free radicals, which are compounds that can harm cells and cause complications. Matcha may also help protect your liver. Since the liver is vital to health and plays a major role when purifying nutrients and getting rid of toxins, a study has shown that drinking green tea has decreased the risk of liver disease. It's known to also boost brain function because it contains something called L-theanine, which has shown to increase alpha wave activity in the brain, which helps influence relaxation and decrease stress levels. Numerous experiments have been done proving that matcha may help prevent cancer, promote heart health, and help you lose weight.
How much should I consume?
Even though there are numerous benefits of consuming matcha, it's never good to take in too much. You should only be putting in 1 or 2 teaspoons of matcha powder into your cup and it's best to stick to 1-2 cups a day. Consuming too much matcha may give you some side effects. Even though they aren't significant, you may experience headaches, insomnia, diarrhea and even irritability. Although matcha tea is relatively safe to consume, drinking too much in a day could be dangerous.
Conclusion
Overall study and research has shown that matcha has been shown to improve memory attention and as well as reaction time. Matcha contains L-theanine and caffeine which improves various functions of the brain.