Green Tea Adds Power to Antibiotics.
from Bottomline's Daily Health news.

Next time you take an antibiotic, swallow it down with some green tea. Not only will the antioxidant-rich brew be soothing, it may actually help the drugs do their job better. Egyptian researchers have discovered that green tea can boost the effectiveness of antibiotics and may even help to beat superbugs such as MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) that have evolved to resist antibiotics.

In a series of in-vitro laboratory experiments, researchers at Alexandria University pitted green tea plus antibiotics against 28 disease-causing microorganisms. In almost every case and for all types of antibiotics tested, the combination reduced the bacteria’s drug resistance and increased the action of the antibiotics. In some cases, the drugs in combination with green tea were up to three times more powerful in their fight against the harmful bacteria. “The synergistic action of green tea when taken with antibiotics was demonstrated against Staphylococcus, E. coli and P. aeruginosa,” said Mervat A. Kassem, PhD, of the faculty of pharmacy at Alexandria University in Egypt. The study was presented in March at the meeting of the Society for General Microbiology in Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

MRSA-FIGHTING MAGIC
Of special interest in our fight against the public health scourge of drug-resistant bacteria, researchers found that green tea combined with antibiotics made one in five drug-resistant bacteria susceptible to one of the cephalosporin antibiotics (a class of antibiotics that some strains of bacteria have mutated to resist). And, interestingly, “green tea alone demonstrated some antibacterial activity against MRSA,” said Dr. Kassem.
As noted above, the study was done in the lab and has not yet been replicated with humans. Dr. Kassem noted, however, that the study dose is close to what would be consumed in a cup of tea. Though researchers haven’t yet pinned down the mechanism by which green tea enhances antibiotic power, she speculates that it “disturbs the bacteria’s permeability, enhancing the entrance of the antibiotics into the bacterial cells.”
Further research will explore that question, along with what is the most effective dosage and what type of green tea is best for bacteria-fighting properties. We’ll keep you up to date on these findings but in the meantime, this is definitely advice to file under “can’t hurt, might help.” If green tea isn’t already in your kitchen cabinet, this is a good reason to get some.
Source(s):

Mervat A. Kassem, PhD, department of microbiology, faculty of pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.

Thank you Pinky.
Another good reason to be drinking green tea - I wish I liked it
Here's one link to it's anti-cancer benefits:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=green-tea-and-ginger-show
Christina

Thank you dear Pinky for your continued updates.

Christina, my sister-in-law is staying with me and I'll get her to post- I may have struck on the reason I don't like green tea either

Regards, Kerry

Hello Christina,
My son has a Chinese girlfriend and he told me that the best way to drink green tea is to always buy loose leaf tea from Asian grocery stores and to only put one very small pinch into a cup. The liquid should only be slightly coloured, that's how the Chinese people drink it. Westerners use a whole teabag into a cup which is far too much apparently. I can vouch for a much nicer cup of tea using this method.
I am going to try it out on Kerry.
Regards
Liz

Thank you Liz and Kerry.
MY sister also informed my I might be making the mistake a lot of folks do by letting it steep to long, making it too strong.
So last night I started with about a sixteenth+ teaspoon of dried ginger (the only kind I have right now), one teaspoon of honey mixed with a little boiling water. I stirred then added a green tea bag (it's also all I have at the moment) added the rest with water and TIMED it for one minute.
Rick and I both agreed it was fine - quite decent and tonight I'll up the ginger to one eighth teaspoon unless I get to a store for some root. I don't know what form of ginger is best. But there is something about the synergy between the two that's exceptionally effective.
Christina

Christina

I love strong green tea!

Hallo Pinky and Hugger!

Don´t mean to be rude, but isn´t in Green Tee a lot of Fluoride, which is poisonous?

Just a cautions thought.

Hi Hands,
I don't think anyone would feel that expressing concern for others is rude!

MY understanding is that the fluoride found in green tea is calcium fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral. The one found in toothpaste, mouthwash, water etc. is natrium fluoide which is a toxic by-product of some kind of chemical process.

The difference between a soft, cuddley teddy bear and a real live grizzly.

Green tea has been proven for eons to enhance immunity, enhance and extend life.

Again, my thoughts.
Christina

Did you drink your epigallocatechin-3-gallate today?

You did if you drank a cup of green tea.

That awkwardly named polyphenol (better known as EGCG) is one of the key components that make green tea such a healthy beverage.

Researchers at the University of Wales recently tested EGCG on more than 45 subjects who took 400 mg of an EGCG supplement daily for eight weeks, while 42 subjects took a placebo. The study was designed to test the polyphenol's effect on insulin sensitivity, but no benefit was found. However, subjects in the EGCG group reduced diastolic blood pressure and reported more positive mood, compared to placebo.

Other green tea studies have shown that EGCG may help reduce the beta-amyloid plaques that contribute to Alzheimer's, and may even play a role in cancer prevention. But there could be one drawback to excessive EGCG intake.

A few years ago I told you about a UK study in which researchers found that EGCG inhibited cancer cell growth. But this study also showed that high levels of EGCG might reduce folate – the B vitamin that helps protect the heart, relieve depression, and reduce stroke risk.

Of course, green tea drinkers can address any potential folate deficiency by increasing dietary sources of folate (chicken liver, spinach, lentils, and asparagus), and by taking a folic acid supplement. But talk to your doctor before adding folic acid or EGCG supplements to your daily regimen.

HSI newsletter