The soothing beverage with a bounty of health benefits

Have you heard of matcha? It’s a unique type of green tea from Japan that’s derived from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, and it’s been touted to have all kinds of benefits—from antioxidant properties and cancer protection to weight loss and lowering blood pressure. It also can have as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, but regular drinkers say it provides the mental sharpness of caffeine without the jitters and anxiety.

Another thing that makes it unique is that it’s made from tea leaves that are ground into a fine powder. Hot water is added, and then it’s whisked into a frothy, bright green drink. Traditional hot tea, on the other hand, is made by steeping the tea leaves (as in a tea bag), which are then removed before drinking. Because matcha is made from high-quality tea, and because the powdered leaves are consumed, it’s a more powerful source of nutrients than steeped green tea.

What does it taste like? Aficionados describe matcha as having a vegetal, even seaweed taste. High-quality matcha isn’t sweet—in fact, it may be slightly astringent—but it should not be bitter either (that’s a sign of the cheap stuff). Good matcha should also be smooth and frothy—even creamy—but not lumpy or watery. And it should be bright green, not brownish or grayish.

Are you thirsty yet for a hot, thick, green-colored seaweed drink? If so, drink in these many benefits of matcha.

High in antioxidants

Matcha is rich in antioxidants, which have been linked to protection against heart disease and cancer, blood sugar regulation, blood pressure reduction, and anti-aging. The particular type of antioxidants in green tea are known as catechins, which comprise about 5% of powdered matcha (dry weight). Of the four catechins in matcha—epicatechin (EC), EC-3-gallate (ECG), epigallocatechin (EGC), and EGC-3-gallate (EGCG)—EGCG has the highest antioxidant activity. The powdering process of making matcha increases the catechin contents, especially EGCG. In fact, matcha has three times the EGCG of steeped green tea.

Reduces stress, induces relaxation

The “secret ingredient” in matcha is L-theanine, an amino acid found in tea. L-theanine is the main reason why tea is associated with relaxation and relief of stress, as compared with coffee, even though both contain significant amounts of caffeine. L-theanine diminishes the stress response, reducing heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol, and feelings of stress and anxiety. L-theanine also influences neural indices of relaxation, such as amplifying alpha brain waves.

Improves alertness, cognition, and memory

But the relaxing effects of matcha don’t dull the mental alertness effects of its caffeine. In fact, one cup of matcha can contain about three times as much caffeine as a cup of steeped tea, or about the same amount as a mug of brewed coffee. It turns out that matcha’s ingredients of caffeine and L-theanine, when consumed together, exert similar cognitive effects to that of caffeine alone, such as better mental alertness, task-switching attention, visual response time, and working memory. Some researchers have reasoned that the improved cognitive effects of matcha are due to caffeine alone, while other researchers have indicated that L-theanine has independent or additive effects when taken with caffeine. To matcha drinkers, the effect produced is one of “alert calm.”

Antimicrobial properties

Green tea has been studied extensively for its antimicrobial properties. In particular, matcha’s main catechin, EGCG, has demonstrated activity against a number of viruses, bacteria, and fungi. EGCG has shown activity against diverse families of viruses, including Retroviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, and Flaviviridae, as well as significant pathogens such as HIV, influenza A, and hepatitis C. In in vitro studies, EGCG interfered with the replication cycle of DNA viruses like hepatitis B, herpes simplex, and adenovirus. In addition, EGCG (alone and in combination with different antibiotics) has shown activity against a number of bacteria, including multidrug-resistant strains such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. EGCG has also demonstrated antifungal activity against human pathogens like Candida albicans and Fusobacterium nucleatum.

Aids in weight loss, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol

In several studies, investigators have shown that the catechins in matcha, particularly EGCG, are associated with weight loss and weight maintenance. In one 12-week study, adults who drank a daily cup of green tea containing a high amount of catechins had decreases in body weight, body mass index, body fat ratio, body fat mass, waist circumference, hip circumference, visceral fat area, and subcutaneous fat area when compared with participants in a control group who drank a low-catechin green tea.

In addition, participants with high systolic blood pressure (130 mmHg or higher) who drank the high-catechin tea had greater decreases in systolic blood pressure compared with similar participants in the control group. People in the high-catechin group also showed a decrease in low?density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

Protects against cancer

Several studies have investigated green tea’s effect against different types of cancer, with many positive results. Researchers have shown through in vitro and in vivo studies that green tea and/or EGCG may be protective against breast, colorectal, prostate, and other cancer types, as well as acute myeloid leukemia and colorectal adenoma. Some researchers have suggested that matcha’s anti-cancer activity is mediated by the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells.

Other things to know about matcha

High cost: Quality is important, but it comes at a price. That is, high-quality, fresh, pure matcha is expensive. A low price tag can be a red flag for an inferior product. It should also be bright green—other colors are a clue to less matcha in your drink.

Possibility of lead: Even green tea that’s organically grown may contain lead (particularly tea grown in China), which the plant absorbs from its environment. However, almost all the lead remains in the leaves. This is fine for drinkers of steeped tea, but true matcha includes the leaves. When an independent group tested teas, they found that a cup of matcha may contain up to 30 times more lead than a cup of regular green tea. However, none of the top brands of matcha available in the United States were contaminated by lead or other metals, and also didn’t contain pesticides. So, overall, lead exposure isn’t a risk for matcha drinkers in America, the group concluded.

Get the good stuff: Avoid matcha drinks with too much added sugar and milk. They may make it more palatable, but you’ll get less of the healthy stuff and more of the unhealthy stuff. These additions may also be masking the use of inferior matcha.

Use it as an ingredient: If you can’t swallow the idea of a cup of hot matcha but you still want the benefits, try mixing some matcha powder into other drinks, such as smoothies or coffee. You can also include it in baked goods like cookies—although then you’re adding all the extra sugar, fats, and calories that come along with these treats.