How to make green tea extract

Green tea has been hailed by many as one of today’s super foods, and with good reason! Studies have shown its health benefits range from improved brain function to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and decreased risk of Type II diabetes.

Green tea extract is super potent, offering all of green tea's benefits in a concentrated fashion. You can buy it, but it’s really not that hard to learn how to make green tea extract - and you'll save money! Here, I'll share a method for making a cold water extraction. This method could also be called a green tea infusion.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 4-cup containers (one with a lid)
3 ½ oz. (or about 7 Tbs.) of green tea (Try Starwest Botanicals)
4 cups of mineral water (still, not sparkling)
Something to strain with (e.g., cheesecloth or a sieve)

Once you’ve collected your equipment....

1. Combine the tea and mineral water
2. Steep at room temperature for 1 hour
3. Pour the tea into the container with a lid (straining as you go)
4. Refrigerate the extract and toss out the tea leaves (or get ideas on reusing them here.)

See? Simple! And look at some of the benefits green tea extract has to offer:

It can help keep you young and healthy...

Green tea extract carries heaping helpings of powerful antioxidants that fight cell damage closely associated with aging. Other major health benefits include the ability to improve blood flow and lower cholesterol, as well as prevent high blood pressure and congestive heart failure.

In addition to stabilizing blood sugar for diabetics, green tea may reduce your risk for certain types of cancer—breast, prostate, colorectal. It can boost your energy level, may boost your metabolism, and used as a mouthwash, kills bacteria to improve both your dental health and, well, your breath.

You can even use it topically in your homemade beauty products to get those benefits: try using it as a facial toner and adding it to creams and lotions.

It can keep you happier and smarter...

Amino acids contained in green tea can cross the blood-brain barrier to boost neurotransmitters like GABA, not to mention increase dopamine and alpha waves, possibly making for a happier, less anxious you.

According to a recent Swiss study, folks who partook of green tea had healthier blood vessels in their brains, which translated into a lot more activity in the working-memory region. And how's this for super-amazing? Green tea has been shown to obstruct the plaque formation associated with Alzheimer’s disease!

Given the great things green tea can do for you, you'll want to get that extract brewing today!