Green tea is enjoyed around the world. It originated in Asia but is becoming popular in the West due to its proven antioxidant and anticancer actions. Green tea’s antioxidant action is widely known and studies have found its beneficial effects on the skin.

 

Polyphenol, a major component of green tea, has anti-inflammatory and anticancer actions. It also modulates an important biochemical mechanism during cell division. Polyphenol is a term used to refer to thousands of botanic chemicals with high molecular weight and potent antioxidant actions.

 

Polyphenols can largely be categorized into four groups;

1. ECG               (-) EpiCatechin-3-O-Gallate

2. GCG              (-) GalloCatechin-3-O-Gallate

3. EGCG             (-) EpiGalloCatechin-3-O-Gallate

4. EGC               (-) EpiGalloCatechin

 

EGCG is biologically the most abundant and has the strongest activity. Special preserving techniques can increase the antioxidant activity of polyphenols. Like green tea, white tea is also extracted from Camellia sinensis, however, as it is extracted from the tips of green tea leaves, immature leaves or bulbs still covered with white hair, it is harder to obtain and therefore, more expensive. EGCG is a main ingredient found in white tea and plays an important role in its antioxidant action. EGCG is the most powerful in green tea polyphenol and is dark brown in color.

 

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Oral or topical administration of green tea in hairless mice showed that green tea polyphenol inhibited carcinogenesis caused by chemical and UV exposure. Another study found that EGCG had the strongest preventive action against photocarcinogenesis.

 

Topical use of green tea polyphenol (Green Tea Polyphenol, GTP) showed strong, dose-dependent photoprotective effects which inhibited UV-induced erythema, sunburn cells, and DNA damage as well as protected epidermal Langerhans cells. Another study reported that GTP reduced reactive oxygen species, stabilized glutathione and catalase and inhibited nitric oxide synthase, lipoxygenase, COX, xanthine oxidase, and lipid peroxidase.

 

-To be continued