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Matcha is one of Asia's most popular herbs and is highly recommended by athletes and health professionals, but is it worth all the hype?

That is what we will discover in this article.

What’s Matcha?

Matcha is a superfood green tea made entirely of green tea leaves that contains natural green tea flavonoids known as catechins. The best matcha is shade-grown in Japan (not directly in the sun). The leaves are ground to a fine powder after being collected.

Matcha has the same nutrient value as 10 cups of regular green tea, which is why we call it super power green tea. One of the reasons Matcha is so healthy is that the tea bushes are grown in lots of shade, which increases the chlorophyll content in the leaves, giving them their bright green color. They are also picked by hand, with the stems and veins of the crop removed, leaving only the best, juiciest part of the leaves.

Why should I use Matcha?

We all know that green tea is good for your health because it contains antioxidants and many vitamins, but imagine throwing all of these nutrients and only having a little of it.

When you drink traditional green tea, you throw away the leaves like you would boiling spinach—throwing away the spinach and drinking its water. It will provide some nutrients, but you will be wasting the best. With Matcha, you consume the entire tea leaf, so you get every last drop of that wonderful green tea goodness.

Matcha is thought to provide a slow release of energy that lasts all day.

It can also help you stay calm, alert, and focused at the same time.

When Japanese students are studying for exams, they drink it to help them focus. It is also used by Buddhist monks to keep them calm and focused during long periods of meditation.

Benefits of Matcha?

Matcha has numerous applications for every part of your body; here are a few of them:

1- Dazzling skin
Matcha is used as a sun-induced skin disorder and can help to keep your skin young, healthy, and beautiful because it contains a significant number of Polyphenols that can inhibit UV-radiation-induced skin damage.

2- Calorie burning
Matcha influences the body's thermogenesis as well as fat oxidation during exercise. Its extract is also now used in a variety of slimming supplements.

3- Energy, concentration, and focus
Matcha contains caffeine, a natural stimulant. Matcha also contains an essential amino acid known as L-theanine. Both provide a slow release of energy as well as a quick energy boost.
Athletes and sports people have also recommended it for its ability to increase focus and energy for championships.

What do experts say about Matcha?

The Sirtfood Diet is the best-selling book by Aidan Goggins and Glen Matten. Aidan is a pharmacist and nutritionist, and Glen has a master's degree in nutritional medicine.

They were asked about Matcha, and here's what they had to say about it.

Cancer

Matcha appears to play an essential role in cancer prevention, according to animal and human studies. Significant benefits for green tea consumption, particularly EGCG, have been observed for inhibiting cancer growth and low toxicity.

Heart Health

Matcha consumption has been shown in over 20 clinical trials to lower blood pressure and cholesterol significantly.

According to a large Japanese study, those who drank Matcha and green tea daily had a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than those who did not.

Diabetes

Compared to other drinks, Matcha tea reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by 15-20%.

Weight

Matcha catechins have a thermogenic effect, which means they help to drive fat burning, making Matcha a valuable aid in the battle to lose weight.

How to use Matcha?

Matcha can be combined with your favourite smoothies, added to cookie and cake dough, or served as a hot tea.

Matcha Ideas

• Add it to your vanilla Ice Cream.
• Mix it with fruit smoothies.
• Add it to your daily oatmeal.
• Matcha latte

Some Recipes For Matcha

Matcha mint iced tea:

• Mix in the blender 200ml of water with 1/2 tsp matcha powder, juice of one lime, and mint leaves with honey.
• Serve it with ice.

Matcha smoothie

In a blender, mix 250ml of hazelnut milk, 2 tbsp natural yogurt, strawberries, 1 tsp flax seeds, vanilla, and 1 tsp matcha powder, with ice cubes.

Matcha yogurt with berries

Use 100g of mixed berries, 1 tsp matcha powder, 500ml of natural yoghourt, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and a handful of flaked almonds to top.