Tea is one of the most popular beverages on the planet. The humble plant from which the vast majority of tea is brewed is camellia sinensis. It’s been enjoyed for thousands of years in casual and ceremonial circumstances.
While you may be familiar with black tea and green tea, there is one riff on the traditional tea plant that you may not be familiar with -- matcha.
Today, we’re going to discuss what matcha is as well as the various ways it support health and well-being.
Let’s get started!
What is Matcha?
Matcha is a powdered type of Japanese green tea (Camellia sinensis) of the Tencha variety. The leaves of the plant are shaded for 20 days before the harvest. This limits the growth of the plant and causes chlorophyll to build up in the parts of the plant that are used to make tea, which is why matcha powder has a vibrant green color.
The shade growing process also triggers an increased production of certain nutrients, including antioxidants and L-theanine -- a calming amino acid.[1]
What Are the Benefits of Matcha?
Antioxidant Powerhouse
Matcha’s health-promoting properties are attributed to the high content of antioxidants, including tea catechins like EGCG.[1,2,3] Antioxidants help the body to neutralize free radicals and combat oxidative stress. This ultimately helps support a healthy inflammatory response and help the body not to get overrun by toxins
Matcha also contains chlorophyll and quercetin which are widely recognized for their health-promoting effects.[3]
Jitter-Free Energy
Coffee provides a great natural source of caffeine and antioxidants. However, many people feel jittery and/or have trouble sleeping after drinking a cup of coffee (especially in the afternoon).
Matcha offers a superior energy-boosting option. It combines caffeine with L-theanine, which delivers a calm, controlled energy boost that won’t leave you feeling jittery or have you lying awake all night. Furthermore, research finds that the combination of L-theanine and caffeine is beneficial for improving performance on cognitively demanding tasks.
Supports Cardiovascular Health
HDL (“good”) cholesterol helps remove bad cholesterol from arteries, preventing atherosclerosis and helping to reduce the risk of adverse cardiovascular events (heart attacks, strokes, etc.).
Tea is rich in polyphenols that have been shown in scientific studies to help lower “bad” cholesterol and inhibit thrombosis (blood clots).[4,5] Furthermore, habitual tea drinking may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).[6,7]
Supports Healthy Immune Function
Matcha fortifies the immune system by delivering powerful antioxidants and catechins, including EGCG, which has been found to combat various pathogens and support well-being.[8,9]
In fact, tea polyphenols possess the ability to increase the number of "regulatory T cells" that play a key role in immune function and suppression of autoimmune disease.[9]
Essentially, the bioactive components in matcha possess immune-supporting and anti-inflammatory properties that reduce immune-related inflammation, promoting overall health.
Reduces Stress
Lifestyle-induced stress contributes to difficult sleep, poor mood, reduced performance, impaired recovery and a lower quality of life. In addition to lifestyle modifications, such as spending time outdoors, regular exercise, limiting time on social media, etc., what you eat and drink may also help your stress levels, including matcha!
In fact, matcha has been shown in human studies to decrease stress and anxiety.[2] This is primarily due to L-theanine -- an amino acid renowned for its calming effects on the body (though, we should mention that the act of brewing a cup of tea --where you take time out of your day to boil water, prepare the tea leaves, steep them, etc. -- also helps you to unplug and relax).
Additional research also shows that the calming amino acid “...has the potential to promote mental health in the general population with stress-related ailments and cognitive impairments.”[10]
Boosts Memory & Cognitive Function
As we’ve already mentioned, matcha contains both caffeine and theanine which have a synergistic relationship. Caffeine provides a boost in mental energy while L-theanine helps “refine” the stimulation of caffeine, providing a controlled and “harnessed” type of focus juxtaposed with the “rush” of energy and motivation brought on by caffeine and pre workout supplements.
Research finds that matcha improves memory and short- and long-term cognitive function, which means it can offer benefits both acutely and over prolonged consumption.[2]
Animal studies also find that match boosts Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and enhances spatial learning. BDNF is a vitally important brain protein that impacts the growth, development and maintenance of brain cells (neurons).
Improved Performance
Not only does matcha help you perform better mentally, it can also boost your physical performance, especially during athletic endeavors that require concentration.
Research published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that co-ingestion of caffeine and theanine resulted in better cognitive and athletic performance in trained athletes compared to caffeine alone, theanine alone, or placebo.[11]
Ways to Add Matcha Into Your Diet
Vegan Greens & Reds Superfoods metabolic complex contains organic matcha. Every container of this premium high-antioxidant ingredient. It can be enjoyed anytime of day -- upon waking, breakfast, midday, evening, etc.
Experience the ultimate convenience with our All-in-1 Daily Essential Nutrition. The Organic Greens & Reds Superfood + 25 vitamins and minerals, probiotics, prebiotics, digestive enzymes, and a metabolic complex help boost your health, support your gut, reduce bloating, strengthen immunity, fuel natural energy, and fill nutritional gaps—all in one delicious daily drink
References
- Kochman J, Jakubczyk K, Antoniewicz J, Mruk H, Janda K. Health Benefits and Chemical Composition of Matcha Green Tea: A Review. Molecules. 2020 Dec 27;26(1):85. doi: 10.3390/molecules26010085. PMID: 33375458; PMCID: PMC7796401.
- Sokary S, Al-Asmakh M, Zakaria Z, Bawadi H. The therapeutic potential of matcha tea: A critical review on human and animal studies. Curr Res Food Sci. 2022 Nov 23;6:100396. doi: 10.1016/j.crfs.2022.11.015. PMID: 36582446; PMCID: PMC9792400.
- Fujioka K, Iwamoto T, Shima H, Tomaru K, Saito H, Ohtsuka M, Yoshidome A, Kawamura Y and Manome Y: The powdering process with a set of ceramic mills for green tea promoted catechin extraction and the ROS inhibition effect. Molecules. 21:4742016.
- Keller, A, and Wallace, TC. Tea intake and cardiovascular disease: an umbrella review. Ann Med. (2021) 53:929–44. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2021.1933164
- Zheng XX, Xu YL, Li SH, Liu XX, Hui R, Huang XH. Green tea intake lowers fasting serum total and LDL cholesterol in adults: a meta-analysis of 14 randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Aug;94(2):601-10. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.110.010926. Epub 2011 Jun 29. PMID: 21715508.
- Zheng, H, Lin, F, Xin, N, Yang, L, and Zhu, P. Association of coffee, tea, and caffeine consumption with all-cause risk and specific mortality for cardiovascular disease patients. Front Nutr. (2022) 9:842856. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.842856
- Guo, J., Li, K., Lin, Y., & Liu, Y. (2023). Protective effects and molecular mechanisms of tea polyphenols on cardiovascular diseases. Frontiers in Nutrition, 10(June), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2023.1202378
- Pae M, Wu D. Immunomodulating effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate from green tea: mechanisms and applications. Food Funct. 2013 Sep;4(9):1287-303. doi: 10.1039/c3fo60076a. PMID: 23835657.
- Carmen P. Wong, Linda P. Nguyen, Sang K. Noh, Tammy M. Bray, Richard S. Bruno, Emily Ho. Induction of regulatory T cells by green tea polyphenol EGCG. Immunology Letters, 2011; DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2011.04.009
- Hidese S, Ogawa S, Ota M, Ishida I, Yasukawa Z, Ozeki M, Kunugi H. Effects of L-Theanine Administration on Stress-Related Symptoms and Cognitive Functions in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2019 Oct 3;11(10):2362. doi: 10.3390/nu11102362. PMID: 31623400; PMCID: PMC6836118.
- Yilmaz U, Buzdagli Y, Polat ML, Bakir Y, Ozhanci B, Alkazan S, Ucar H. Effect of single or combined caffeine and L-Theanine supplementation on shooting and cognitive performance in elite curling athletes: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2023 Dec;20(1):2267536. doi: 10.1080/15502783.2023.2267536. Epub 2023 Oct 10. PMID: 37815006; PMCID: PMC10566444.
