Green Tea Liver Benefit - Hangover Remedy?

When we have too many alcoholic drinks, the alcohol metabolism process kicks in. This process releases a lot of free radicals that overwhelm the liver and cause injury.

Given green tea's reputation as a powerful antioxidant, it may well protect the liver against excessive alcohol consumption.

That is exactly what scientists found in a study published by the Addiction Biology.

Rats were intoxicated with alcohol for 4 weeks. But green tea prevented damage to their livers.

In another study, green tea antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) was found to protect the liver from the free radicals generated when mice are exposed to carbon tetrachloride, a toxic chemical solvent.

Without EGCG, the carbon tetrachloride destroyed a significant amount of the liver cells.

With EGCG, liver injury was so greatly reduced that researchers suggested that green tea should be used to treat liver disease.

The bottom line? Drink green tea to repair any wear and tear, but avoid drinking green tea right after you have too many drinks.

Why? Because according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, drinking tea and alcohol together is harmful to the kidney system, causing constipation and problems to the sexual organs. But it is okay to drink green tea the day after.

Skrzydlewska E, Ostrowska J, Stankiewicz A, Farbiszewski R (2002). Green tea as a potent antioxidant in alcohol intoxication. Addiction biology. 7(3):307-14.

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