Products
Matcha is available, for example, in pharmacies, drugstores and specialty tea stores.
Stem plant
The parent plant is the tea plant from the tea shrub family (Theaceae). It grows into an evergreen shrub or tree.
Medicinal drug
The unfermented leaves of the tea plant are used as the medicinal raw material (Theae viridis folium, green tea leaves). Matcha is a Japanese green tea that has been ground into a fine powder. Both the growing conditions and processing differ from classic green tea. For example, the tea plants are allowed to grow in the shade.
Ingredients
- Methylxanthines: caffeine, theobromine, theophylline.
- Flavonoids, polyphenols, catechins (eg epicatechin, epicatechin-3-gallate, epigallocatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, EGCG), tannins.
- Amino acids, proteins, enzymes
- Aromatic substances, volatile compounds
- Minerals, vitamins
Effects
Matcha has health-promoting properties. It is antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, thermogenic and lipid-lowering, among others. Matcha has mild stimulant effects due to its caffeine.
Indications for use
Matcha is consumed in the West mainly as a health-promoting and mildly stimulating stimulant. It is also used for food preparation and as a green colorant, for example in sweets.
Dosage
Matcha is a component of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. The powder is placed in a round tea bowl with a bamboo spoon and water (not boiling, about 70 °C) is poured over it. A bamboo whisk is used to whisk until a fine foam is formed. Unlike other teas, the crushed leaves are thus drunk along with the tea and not strained. Matcha with a good quality is not bitter.
Undesirable effects
Among the possible adverse effects of the tea are digestive disorders. The caffeine can cause several side effects (see there).
