Matcha is a plant food that can help you cope with stress, give you energy but reduce anxiety, improve memory and focus, reduce inflammation and supports both phase 1 and phase 2 of liver detoxification (which helps many things including balancing hormones). I consider it to be a superfood! I know of very few things that can have such a wide beneficial impact on health.
Matcha is Green Tea, but on steroids because of the way it is grown. It’s the same Camellia sinensi plant, but 20-30 days prior to harvest, the plant is covered so the amount of antioxidants, amino acid (L-theanine) and chlorophyll increases exponentially.
One of the compounds, called Catechins - epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), is very abundant in Matcha and has been shown to help with cognitive performance.
The Antioxidant effects of Matcha help reduce inflammation and damage done by free radicals.
Matcha reduces enzymatic activity - aromatase, used to convert testosterone to estrogen (helping to combat estrogen dominant symptoms). Matcha also reduces activity of 5-alpha reductase which converts testosterone to DHT (a potent androgen that contributes to scalp hair loss and unwanted facial hair in women).
Matcha has L-Theanine in it which helps the energy response of the caffeine so it is more balanced and you are less likely to experience a “caffeine energy” drop. Matcha has also been shown to help with the stress response.
In a study involving the use of Matcha, “Caffeine was found to mainly improve performance on demanding long-duration cognitive tasks and self-reported alertness, arousal, and vigor. Significant effects already occurred at low doses of 40 mg. L-theanine alone improved self-reported relaxation, tension, and calmness starting at 200 mg. L-theanine and caffeine combined were found to particularly improve performance in attention-switching tasks and alertness, but to a lesser extent than caffeine alone”. DOI: 10.2174/1381612823666170105151800
Several studies have reported that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the main constituent of green tea, has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and is great for supporting the immune system against these microbes. DOI: 10.1111/bph.12009
In a metanalysis, evidence that "green tea influences psychopathological symptoms (e.g. reduction of anxiety), cognition (e.g. benefits in memory and attention) and brain function (e.g. activation of working memory seen in functional MRI)". DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2017.07.008
RECIPE: (Add to any smoothie)
My favorite way to prepare Matcha:
Pour 12 oz of oat or almond milk over ice
In a separate glass, whisk 1 tsp of Matcha in ¼ cup of hot water
Add 1 tsp each of vanilla, cinnamon and honey (to tea mixture and stir)
Then pour it over the oat milk, stir and enjoy the taste and all the health benefits! :)
This is my favorite Matcha brand, grown organically in Japan. You can use Alyssfnp for 10% off.
Additional Resources:
DOI: 10.3390/nu10101468
DOI: 10.3390/nu12123639