Modern medical science is just now, it would seem, catching on to what many Asian people have known for centuries; green tea (nihoncha) when combined with the practice of T’ai chi can improve bone health and reduce inflammation in postmenopausal women.
Research by Dr. Chwan-Li Shen, an associate professor at the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s health, who has studied Eastern lifestyle traditions recently made public the results of her most recent research, which presents results that, in fact, are no great surprise but serve as reinforcement for what has been common knowledge.
Dr. Shen studied one hundred and seventy-one postmenopausal women who typically had weak bones, focusing on the effects of GTP (green tea polyphenols (antioxidants)) when combined with T’ai chi. In short, her findings ere that those who took GTP, equivalent to 4-6 cups of nihoncha per day and participated in T’ai chi significantly enhanced bone growth in both three and six month periods. In addition, of note was the fact that participants in T’ai chi also reported significant positive effects in relation to quality of life and improved emotional and mental health. Certainly one can then extrapolate that what is good for “baa” is also good for “jii”. Men may also realize distinct benefits such as stronger bones, increased joint flexibility, decreased joint inflammation, increased bladder and prostate health, and lower blood pressure.
If one is skeptical, one need look no further than the morning T’ai chi classes conducted in a dozen cities, Tokyō, Ōsaka, Kyōto, or even in Gifu or Tajimi, (not to mention Saigon, Hanoi, Shanghai, Beijing and a thousand other places) and see the healthy, happier women and men over 50 who combine green tea and T’ai chi as part of their daily routines. And in my classes? Well, we always finish up with a nice bottle of cool nihoncha to cool down.
