With the Covid-19 Coronavirus epidemic turning into a global emergency, causing fear and panic in almost everyone in countries affected by this invisible killer, people are taking precautionary measures and boosting up their immune system to fight this menace.  From face mask to hand sanitizer to vitamins and eating healthy foods, everyone surrounding me from the young to the old have suddenly turned health and hygiene conscious, which is a good thing.  Not only have I been stocking up more frequently on fruits and vegetables, sweet potatoes and herbs but also on matcha green tea powder.

Boosting your immunity could be as simple as drinking matcha and green tea daily. Matcha contains a class of antioxidants called catechins. Matcha is high in a catechin called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), which is believed to have cancer-fighting effects on the body. Studies have linked green tea to a variety of health benefits, like prevention of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and even encouraging weight loss.

According to a meta-analysis published in Molecules (from US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health),  green tea may be an immune booster, helping fight both cold and influenza viruses. Researchers found that not only does drinking tea on a regular basis help you recover from a cold but may also make you less likely to get one in the first place and could help prevent recurring or new infections.  Gargling with green tea may also help, a practice that is common in Japan.

Green tea is a powerful antioxidant, which is believed to protect against a variety of diseases including cancer. Because of it’s ability to eliminate free radicals, it inhibits the flu virus from replicating. Therefore, it will not only help prevent the flu virus from entering your system, but if you do catch the flu, it could greatly lessen the duration of the flu.  Drinking green tea is also a great way of ensuring that you are taking in enough fluids.

Amongst its many health benefits, matcha:
~ is packed with antioxidants including the powerful EGCg
~ boosts metabolism and burns calories
~ detoxifies naturally
~ is rich in fiber, chlorophyll and vitamins
~ helps increase focus and calmness. The L-Theanine in green tea is known to help stimulate alpha brain waves which in turn helps with focus, concentration and calmness.
~ provides vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc and magnesium
prevents disease
~ lowers cholesterol and blood sugar

The consumption of tea extracts including catechins and theanine has also been reported to enhance systemic immunity and prevent the occurrence of upper respiratory tract infection and influenza symptoms in healthy adults.

Do choose matcha powder (ground green tea leaves) over green tea bags or brewed green tea leaves. When you drink matcha, you ingest the entire leaf and receive 100% of the nutrients of the leaf. Matcha green tea has approximately 137 times more antioxidants than regularly brewed green tea.  This type of green tea contains over 60x the antioxidants of spinach and 7x the antioxidants of high quality dark chocolate.

One cup of matcha = 10 cups of regularly brewed green tea in terms of nutritional content.

The influenza virus is a cause of serious illness and even death, so it is imperative to take preventive measures to stay healthy. These are some simple things that you can do to prevent getting the flu:

Keep it clean. To help prevent contracting or spreading the flu, be sure to wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth with tissue paper or handkerchief when you cough or sneeze, and get a flu shot.  Where possible, avoid people who have the flu or going to work if you have flu. While these measures aren’t 100% guaranteed, they go a long way toward lowering the risk of respiratory illness and flu.

Lead a healthy lifestyle. Living a balanced life that includes a healthy diet, regular exercise, getting sufficient sleep, and indulge in stress-reducing activities to boost your immunity.  Stay committed to these activities to improve and maintain good health.

Talk with a doctor. Visit your doctor to discuss ways to prevent the flu and whether or not a flu shot is appropriate for you.

Note: The majority of researches on green tea assume that we are drinking at least 3-5 cups per day. So, if you only have one cup of green tea a day, you may not reap all of the benefits.  But don’t let that stop you from drinking this wonderful beverage whenever you can.