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The tea plant (Camellia Sinensis), whose origins can be traced to China, is an evergreen that can be cultivated at various altitudes. At the highest altitudes the most valuable varieties are obtained. Moreover, more harvests of the leaves and buds are possible during the year.

The classic drink is prepared, as is commonly known, by infusing (4-5 minutes) the leaves in hot water: best if not brought to the boil to allow an efficient extraction of the most active substances.
Green tea, more commonly enjoyed in oriental countries where it is also the object of ritual (in Japan the “Sado ” tea ceremony represents the cult of tea: the preparation and consumption take place in an appropriate atmosphere and setting) is prepared by the dehydration of the leaves and avoidance of fermentation. This differentiates it from black tea more common in Western countries.
The leaves are stretched and exposed to a low heat or steam and dehydrated so they take on their typical colour.

This simple process means that green tea contains a large quantity of biologically active substances, so that on balance with those present in extra virgin olive oil we can simplistically define “biophenols in green tea”.

The “biophenols in green tea” although showing differences in molecular structure possess the same functionalities as the biophenols in olive oil and perform antioxidant operations that we can define as complementary and synergistic with those listed above.

Among the most active are those of the family of the so-called catechins. From studies carried out in the Far East, these substances have been recognised for their ability to intervene in the complex mechanism of cellular biochemistry and participate in resisting the absorption of various pathologies, above all cardiovascular and tumoral.