PubMed internet access of the National Library of Medicine.

reviewed and searched for science-based evidence relevant to the relationship between green tea and cancer. Data Extraction and Synthesis: The data extracted from 63 relevant publications formed the scientific basis of using green tea as a non-toxic agent in the combat against cancer. The results presented in the 37 epidemiological and clinical studies offered the guidelines for designing a practical regimen in the application of green tea for health protection. Conclusion: Green tea has been shown to be effective in suppressing cancer development at multiple steps in the laboratory and experimental animal studies, and may enhance the anticancer effects of some chemotherapeutic drugs. Daily consumption of high-antioxidant green tea in a sufficient quantity may reduce the risk of cancer of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, colon, rectum, urinary bladder, prostate, lung, breast, liver, uterus and ovary. However, this benefit of tea consumption was apparently observed only in high-volume tea drinkers who had ready commercial access to high-quality green teas in the East. To illustrate the lack of understanding about tea in the West, the author relates his personal experience: I asked the “Americans ” about the meaning of the word “Orange Pekoe”. Their answe