Green Tea: Health Benefits and Applications

by: Yukihiho Hara

New York NY: Marcel Dekker 2001, $125.00, Hardbound
ISBN: 0-8247-0470-3

Reviewed by: Jacqueline M. Newman
Summer Volume: 2001 Issue: 8(2) page(s): 26

This timely comprehensive overview of the chemical and biochemical properties of green tea is a welcome addition to the growing literature on this subject. It discusses, among other things, how components in tea function in people and in animals. The author concentrates on the last twenty years of animal studies and examines major health benefits including cancer-fighting properties and the effects on blood sugar levels, to name but two of them.

The book begins with a short history of tea, a mite heavy on Japanese perspectives, and includes chapters about fermentation, radical scavenging, anti-bacterial, anti-cavity, anti-viral, and other pro- and anti-actions the body takes using green tea. There are also chapters about health benefits of black tea, tea toxicology, practical and industrial applications, and about tea in Japan.

The author has done much research, written many articles and books, and received many awards. His doctorate is from Tokyo University, and he is currently Vice-president of Tokyo Techno Co., Ltd. His material is technical and timely.

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