Green Tea Question

[Carpe_Diem]

Ok, so hammahamma and myself are green tea fans. Today when he was drinking green tea, he asked if it would be healthier to just consume the actual tea leaves instead of throwing the tea bag out afterward. So we cut open a tea bag and ate the contents. Do you guys think it is healthier to eat the tea straight out of the tea bag or just drink tea the normal way? I know how goofy this question must sound.

[SinewySam]

Haha wow, what you need is matcha or ground sencha, tea leaves for steeping arent meant for eating really.

But with the ground teas mentioned above, you are consuming the whole leaf.

[Carpe_Diem]

Haha wow, what you need is matcha or ground sencha,

???

tea leaves for steeping aren't meant for eating really.
But with the ground teas mentioned above, you are consuming the whole leaf.

Is it a bad thing to do this?

[hammahamma]

"So we cut open a tea bag and ate the contents."

haha too funny carpe.

[Icicle]

i did that once and gave me the ****s. dont know why, but wont try it again

[Big Yellow]

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/node/2576

it says "think outside the bag."

I guess it means it's NOT unhealthy to eat the contents of the bag.

[Big Yellow]

I got the following from

http://www.amazing-green-tea.com/saf...m-tea-bag.html

Q:
I don't care for tea (of any kind) but want the benefits of green tea. I have been dumping my organic tea bags into smoothies, salads and cereal. There isn't much flavor to speak of. I'm just wondering if it's effective and/or safe.

Answer:

TRM, if the tea doesn't taste like anything, then chances are there are fewer health benefits.

In tea bag, the leaves have been chopped into small pieces, and with possible long shelf life, it means the antioxidants can easily oxidise away.

Green tea antioxidants such as egcg are extremely active and do not store easily. Good quality loose tea is freeze stored in air-sealed bag and keep fresh for only up to 12 months.

And it is these compounds that give green tea its taste.

As for eating tea leaves, doing it occasionally is fine, but I do not recommend.

Many people say by eating the leaves whole you are getting all the health benefits. This is not true.

This is because important tea compounds such as the catechins (antioxidants), caffeine and theanine (a relaxant that gives tea its characteristic taste) are all water soluble. So are many of the lesser compounds.

What is not water soluble are some of the pesticides and other unknown compounds. Because they are not water soluble, they have greater chance of accummulation in the body.

So it turns out that in green tea the safest way to consume it is the old trial and tested way - by steeping the leaves in hot water.

I hope this answer helps.

[labradarep]

Why not just take one of the Green Tea products listed on this link:
http://search.bodybuilding.com/searc...restrict=store

[Carpe_Diem]

Thanks for the responses guys.

[Catchol]

Why not just take one of the Green Tea products listed on this link:
http://search.bodybuilding.com/searc...restrict=store

Because those are worthless.

[lift.iron]

actualy there are restuants in china and tiwan that only serve and cook fresh tea leaves in different maners
Try finding a small tea tree or adding FRESH leaves in your regular salad
But dont eat the stuff in the tea bag