A Cup of Green Tea a Day Benefits Stop Smoking and Prevents Lung Cancer

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A lot has been said and documented about the health benefits of green tea. Some say it’s a wonder drink while Jason Busell in his book titled: “The Asian Diet: Simple Secrets for Eating Right, Losing Weight, and Being Well” says green tea is the greatest beverage in the world. According to him, “the more I learn about this tea plant, the more I am convinced that it came either directly from God, or from aliens! It is the only plant of which I am aware that stimulates both the sympathetic nervous system (a.k.a the fight or flight response) with caffeine, but also stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system(the calm and relax response) with the compound L-Theanine. So it is a balanced substance: it wakes you up and calms you down, Yin and Yang.”

On her part, Mutsuko Tokunaga author of “New Tastes in Green Tea: A Novel Flavor for Familiar Drinks, Dishes, and Desserts”, says “ as a drink that heals the spirit as well as the body, green tea can indeed be called a “green treasure.”

She opines that “green tea can be a useful part of our daily life-it can be drunk and enjoyed for its soothing effect, and it can be used as a herb in savory dishes and desserts to make full use of its distinctive flavor and aroma.”

What Is Green Tea?

For some years now, green tea has received widespread media coverage as one of the reasons for the longevity of the Japanese, which ranks among the highest in the world. It’s an herbal tea that is full of antioxidants that keep the human body in good health. Various researches have revealed that green tea can be used for weight loss, to lower high blood pressure, reduce the level of cholesterol in the body, prevent lung cancer, aids digestion and prevents aging.

Even though there are other teas like white, oolong and black tea, green tea is said to be the most effective because its’ leaves are not fermented. Linda Page explains better in her book titled: Healthy Healing – 12th Edition: A Guide to Self-Healing for Everyone.

According to her, “all black, white, green and Oolong teas come from one plant, camellia sinensis, an incredibly productive shrub that ranges from the Mediterranean to 6 to 14 days for 25 to 50 years!”

While maintaining that tea is defined by the way its leaves are processed, Page explains that green tea leaves are not fermented while those of white, oolong and white teas go through fermentation.

Can Green Tea Help You Quit Smoking?

Research indicates that green tea can help you quit. A recent study by Chinese researchers says consuming green tea can help smokers overcome the urge to smoke.

The study titled ‘A Revolutionary Approach for the Cessation of Smoking‘, and available in Science China Life Sciences, a peer-reviewed open-access journal, mentions how investigators used custom-developed cigarettes with components of green tea as filters in a bid to treat or cure cigarette addiction.

How Exactly Does Green Tea Assist Smoking Cessation?

Green Tea Relaxes: Many smokers they smoke because of stress, so, when they quit, they can use green tea as a stress-buster. This will greatly reduce their urge to smoke each time they are under pressure. You can read this for more effective stress relief tips.

Phinse Philip, a lecturer in the Community Oncology Division of the Malabar Cancer Centre, collaborates this. According to him, “a majority of users smoke as it purportedly gives them some form of relaxation. The oral intake of the amino acid L-Theanine, uniquely found in green tea, is known to have anti-stress effects and acts as a relaxing agent. The study conducted in China shows that green tea may be an alternative to quit this addictive habit.”

Green Tea Prevents Lung Cancer: In January 2010, a Taiwanese researcher, I-Hsin Lin, discovered that consuming a cup or more of green tea a day may neutralize the effect of smoking on lung cancer, particularly in smokers who may not be hereditarily prone to the disease.

Linda Page corroborates this in her book titled: “Healthy Healing – 12th Edition: a Guide to Self-Healing for Everyone.” According to her, “a recent large Japanese study recorded that drinking several cups of green tea on a daily basis was effective in reducing lung cancer death rates even in men who smoked two packs of cigarettes a day. Smoking is far more prevalent in Japan than in the U.S. but the instance of lung cancer is much lower, indicating to researchers that green tea protects against lung cancer.”

In the same vein, Thomas Varughese, head of surgical oncology and reconstructive surgery at Kochi`s Lakeshore Hospital and Research Centre, said consuming green tea after cessation could help invalidate the possibility of lung cancer and help heal the lungs.

Green tea can boost the body’s immune system: By nature, Green tea is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help to defend the body against diseases and infections. Drinking green tea will therefore result in a healthy and strong immune system which can help in balancing the oxidant/antioxidant equation among those who have completely quit cigarettes.

Green Tea Fights Free Radicals: In her book titled: Quit Before You Know It: The Stress-Free, Guilt-Free Way to Stop Smoking – By Planning Your Relapses, Dr Sandra Rutter says “Green tea has more polyphenols, which help to scavenge those unhealthy free radicals in your body. Drinking green tea on your quit day is a good way to remind yourself that you’re doing something wonderful for your health. Some people drink a lot of green tea for its benefits, but even a cup or two can help your body.”

Now that You Know, What’s Next?

Heed this advice by Jason Busell in his book titled: The Asian Diet: Simple Secrets for Eating Right, Losing Weight, and Being Well.

“If you do not smoke, the best thing you can do is to have one cup of cup of regular green tea a day. Quitting smoking and drinking green tea are on the same order of magnitude in terms of their respective.”

Because some tea manufacturers use chemical processes to decaffeinate their tea, Bussell recommends we use green tea in its regular form instead of the decaffeinated form.

References:

“The Asian Diet: Simple Secrets for Eating Right, Losing Weight, and Being Well”; Jason Busell ; 2009

“Healthy Healing – 12th Edition: A Guide to Self-Healing for Everyone”; Linda Page; Ph.D.; Healthy Healing, Inc.; September 2004

“Quit Before You Know It: The Stress-Free, Guilt-Free Way to Stop Smoking – By Planning Your Relapses”; Sandra Rutter; M.D.; Hazelden Publishing; Aug 30, 2006

“New Tastes in Green Tea: A Novel Flavor for Familiar Drinks, Dishes, and Desserts”; Mutsuko Tokunaga; Kodansha International; Apr 9, 2004

Want to quit smoking? Drink green tea!

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