By Jean Morgan

Green tea is a natural herb that provides many medicinal benefits. It is produced in China and Japan with about 90% coming from China. According to several sources, green tea has been used for medical reasons for at least 4,000 years, so it definitely isn'’t a secret.

When consumed often, it can provide many heath benefits, they are: reduces chance of developing various types of cancer,reduces spread of cancer,reduces damage of cigarette smoking,reduces cholesterol level,reduces spread of infection and various diseases and weight loss.

About 4 or 5 cups per day is recommended to gain the maximum heath benefits. It is unknown whether drinking a greater amount will benefit the person more. Not only can it be used as a beverage, the leaves can also be used for salads and also come in capsule form.

The herb is used either as a beverage or as a medicine recommended to patients. If a person wants to reduce their daily caffeine intake and want a much healthier alternative, green tea may be the best choice. It must be said that it does contain some caffeine; about 30mg per cup is the average amount.

Drinking green tea regularly can also help you reduce weight. Much study has been carried out in this area and there is definitely evidence to support the claim.
Green tea can help you burn fat and calories and also increase the bodies'’ metabolism.Taking it alone will not make a person lose a large amount of weight. However combined with a strict diet and regular exercise, it can definitely give the process a moderate boost.

So how can green tea actually provide all these marvellous heath benefits? The secret is that the leaves contains a great amount of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is a potent anti-oxidant.Even if you add extra flavours to your meal or beverage, you still won'’t lose any of the health benefits; it really is an incredible herb!

If you would like to know how you can prepare your own cup of green tea, please read the following steps:
Place one tea bag inside your cup or if using powder, place 2 to 4 grams
Boil some water and then place it in the cup
Allow the tea to settle for 2-3 minutes (Remove the tea bag if using one)
Allow the tea to cool down - wait a further 2-3 minutes

Unfortunately green tea isn'’t suitable for everyone. People who are fall under the following points should not consume it:
Pregnant (also women who are breastfeeding)
Heart problems
Stomach ulcers
Kidney disorders
Physiological problems
People who have problems drinking caffeine

Please consult your attending physician to get the final word as there are other circumstances where consuming green tea can be harmful to your health.
There aren'’t many health risks documented at this stage. The only known health risk is that the dietary iron level of a regular green tea drinker can reduce, this may be a problem for people who need a high level.
Overall it seems to be a miracle herb and provides multiple heath benefits. With little to no health risks, perhaps we should all be drinking green tea instead of coffee!

About The Author

Jean Morgan is a writer of many articles and e-books concerning Women’’s Health Issues and has a website http://www.honestabouthealth.com which is essential reading for all middle-aged women.

By Della Franklin

I had an upset stomach the other day and after taking a Pepcid which didn'’t fix the problem I thought what else do I have that would make my stomach feel better. Then I remembered Ginger Ale. Yeah, Ginger Ale, that always makes my stomach feel better and it’’s good too.

Then I got to thinking why does ginger ale make me feel better. So after drinking most of the can, I went to the computer and looked up Ginger Ale on
the Internet. Here’’s what I found:

Ginger Ale has been around since 1851 (about 35 years longer than Coca Cola) being first created in Ireland. Then in the 1890s a Canadian by the name of

John McLaughlin, a Pharmacist, started a soda pop business in Toronto. There he mixed carbonated water with fruit juices and flavorings to create different
types of soda pop which was sold at a soda fountain in the business. His version of ginger ale was called McLaughlin Belfast Style Ginger Ale. This Ginger Ale had a rather dark color and a strong flavor.

By the early 1900s, after several refinements to the recipe, McLaughlin improved the Ginger Ale so that it was a much lighter in color and this caused a marked improvment in the extremely sharp taste. This new and improved Ginger Ale was patented by John McLaughlin as Canada Dry Pale Dry Ginger Ale.

Well, it seems there is a challenger for oldest variety of Ginger Ale. That would be a chap by the name of James Vernon, an American in Detroit, Michigan.

Mr. Vernon, who at the age of 15, began working in a drug store and apparently being very bright rose up the ranks, so to speak, eventually sitting for and passing the state’’s pharmacy boards to be come a pharmacist (I see a pattern here.)

Along the way, Mr. Vernon was also experimenting with the golden colored Ginger Ale which was being imported from Ireland and had become a very popular soft drink through the United States. He too, was experimenting with this dark colored ale to come up with a distinctive flavor of his own.

While there were many others experimenting with Ginger Ale in the state during this time, the Vernon’’s brand of Ginger Ale while only sold in a limited area of the country seemed to be very popular.

OK, so we know when it was created, but what is it exactly and why does it make my stomach feel better. It is a blend of sugar, ginger root, lemon juice, yeast and water. Some recipes also include vanilla and an herb called stevia, which is native to Paraguay, is remarkably noncaloric and is extremely sweet.

After a little more investigation I found that ginger root has been known for years to be a valuable drug for disorders of the digestive system (alright here
we go…) It is extremely useful in dyspepsia (upset stomach), colic, vomiting, flatulence, and other pains affecting the stomach and bowels.

I even found a simple recipe for a home remedy which includes:

1/2 teaspoon of fresh ginger juice
1 teaspoon of fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon of fresh mint juice
1 Tablespoon of honey

Mix all the above together and take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day for dyspepsia, nausea and vomiting, indigestion caused by eating heavy non-vegetarian or fried fatty foods, morning sickness, or jaundice.

Apparently, ginger is an excellent remedy for coughs and colds and when ginger juice is mixed with honey can be taken 3 to 4 times a day for coughs. It is
also an excellent pain killer and ginger juice can be used in the ear to stop an earache or by rubbing dry ginger power with a little water to form a paste

can be applied to the forehead to stop a headache or to the outside of the jaw to stop a toothache (I'’m not sure I believe these last two.) Anyway, I'’m
getting away from my original topic.

I do think that I have discovered some things about Ginger Ale and why it always makes my stomach feel better when I drink some. By the way, I prefer
Schwepps Ginger Ale which is also caffeine free (actually I think they all are). I have tried several types and brands of Ginger Ale and just prefer the Schwepps better. Besides, unlike some like Vernon’’s which is only available in certain areas of the country, Schwepps is available everywhere.

So, the next time you have an upset stomach you might want to try my remedy — drink a can of Ginger Ale.

About The Author

Della Franklin is a business owner, successful IT Systems Manager & Internet Marketer. She counts 10 years experience as a teacher as well as being a Certified Network Engineer, cook, wife & mother. See more about her at http://www.foodielooksatfood.com or http://www.dogwoodsquare.com