Chewing and Swallowing Green Tea Leaves

"You're the one who doubts the problem. You look."

thanks, thats helpful,

and i dont doubt that fluoride impairs bone formation, i doubt that its this big deal youre making it out to be.

from the looks of it, most people in China and on this group already have fluorosis ...so yeah, im sure its a problem.

smokers dying of lung cancer, im sure their concern is fluoride content.

children with inadequate nutrition and so inadequate bone growth, im sure fluoride will fix the problem NOT taking care to eat enough, healthy and nutritious.

Hi all, On this flouride issue, can anyone say about the health of the people who drink whole leaf, like matcha? Does this little tea leaf have the effects of the other tea when it is consumed daily or several times a day? I have read that all the tea leaves are ground and used in this yummy beverage. I have heard that powdered green tea leaves are used in cookies, ice cream, tea supplements like green tea capsules, and green tea smoothies or lattes. What do you think is a safe amount of this form of tea? Jenn

Shen, another excellent post from you. I still remember your post on iced green tea . Some day I will come to you for permission to use your article, if you don't mind.

I have documented a case study of green tea fluoride here: The person involved sounds really extreme, but it is probably this is probably most serious risk of over-consuming green tea (other than green tea extract), compounded by the low quality of bottled green tea.

Green Tea and Fluoride

As for kidney stones, the scientific evidence is mixed. This are the studies I can find to date. I think each person has to make their mind up on this one.

Green Tea and Kidney Stones

I haven't tried chewing tea leaves.The Chinese tea experts are generally against it. They haven't got any studies to back up their claim. Apparently a lot of unhealthy substances are locked up inside the leaves that are not released in brewing.

When when you chew, or over-brew, these bad stuff are more likely to come out.

Put it another way, brewing is far healthier and enjoyable than chewing.

I don't think it is deadly, as Nigel kindly pointed out, but sometimes it is worth listening to these centuries old folk wisdom.

Julian

Thank you. I am concerned about fluoride. Two things that may make me safer are:

1. I don't use toothpaste with fluoride.
2. I live in Maine, and we do not get our water from a public water source (we have an artesian well).

Still, moderation in tea leaf ingestion is the right way to go. On days I chew tea leaves, I do not drink the infusion. (I would get too much caffeine if I did.)

George

dentists & the ADA recommend that you use toothpaste with fluoride to prevent caries.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ tgfop.wordpress.com You can handle my gaiwan, but... be gentle.

That sucks because I am addicted to green tea. I consume at least 4 tea bags a day (served with fruit juices, honey, and ginseng extract, yum!) and the thought that it could be unhealthy is terrifying. Is the high level of fluoride the result of biology or soil contamination?

Hello George If you send me a quick email I will send you all the info bout the silver needle I have off line... Jenn

The only tool available to a tea man to decide the process chain on a particular green tea leaf standing on a bush in the field is his mouth and its unlimited capacity to analyse everything present or contained in tea.

Rajiv Lochan

Thanks loads!

George snipped-for-privacy@alum.mit.edu

I just watched the episode of Bizarre Foods (http:// travel.discovery.com/tv/bizarre-foods/bizarre-foods.html) on the Travel Channel where Andrew goes to Taiwan. He went to a restaurant that prepares many dishes using tea leaves. For example, battered and fried fresh tea leaves, and other dishes in which mostly fresh leaves are used similar to how spinach might be used. It was only a few minutes of an hour-long program, but interesting nonetheless.

Alan

When I was in Taiwan, I spent a lot of time in Chiufen which is loaded with teahouses on the mountainside overlooking to ocean, a beautiful (though touristy) place. But, I remember the proprietors of a particular teahouse taking my spent Dung Ding tea leaves and baking them into a shortbread-like cookie (in a pouch, like ravioli) and bringing them out for us to finish off the afternoon. They were actually quite good, and the leaves, while a bit tough, were perfectly edible (I munch on them as I drink my Dung Dung gongfu style all day too). I never thought twice about eating the leaves in the cookies, and have sought in vain for a recipe for the dough. But it's interesting to see that they can be used in a myriad of ways, even after being steeped.

I love tea leaves. Here's what I do twice daily. I put enough green tea leaves (sometimes orange pekoe) for two large cups of tea in a microwave bowl with about 16 ounces of boiling water. I then put the bowl in the microwave and bring the water to a simmer. I then reduce the power to level 2 and simmer the leaves for 3-4 minutes. I add about a cup of vanilla Soy Slender to the bowl and my wife and I split the infusion and the tea leaves. I love it. What a shame to through away the leaves! I'll never make tea the conventional way again. To me, tea is a flavorful plant FOOD.

George