Amid the global health crisis due to COVID-19, the world is desperate to find ways to slow the spread of the virus and find effective treatments. According to Live Science, more than 200 clinical trials of COVID-19 treatments or vaccines are either ongoing or recruiting patients. The drugs being tested include repurposed flu treatments, failed ebola drugs, and malaria treatments that were first developed many years ago.
While many doctors and researchers are experimenting with various agents as a drug candidate, a group of doctors in India experimented with an agent called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), which can be found in green tea. They published the result on Research Square, a preprint platform for faster, fairer and more useful science research communication. They suggest EGCG as a potential SARS-CoV–2 inhibitor, and it might be a future drug candidate to treat COVID-19.
The doctors concluded that further research is still needed. However, they say that meanwhile the daily intake of green tea, a rich source of EGCG, may have a significant role in preventing and controlling COVID-19.
We should not jump to any conclusions yet—however, drinking green tea might serve as a health benefit, and it is delicious!
Stay safe and healthy!
You can find the article at
https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-19560/v1
- 2 eggs
- 100g (3.5oz) sugar
- 200ml (4/5 cup) milk
- 4 tablespoons canola oil
- 200g (7oz) flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons hojicha powder (grind 3 tablespoons of loose leaf hojicha)
- In a large bowl, mix the eggs and sugar well with a whisk.
- Add the milk and mix, then add the oil and mix well.
- Add the flour, baking powder and hojicha powder, sifting, and mix by folding with a spatula.
- Pour the batter into paper-lined cups and steam in a steamer for 20 minutes on mid-high heat or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- for a 8" x 10" pan
- 60g (2oz) roasted walnuts
- 160g (6oz) white chocolate, chopped or use chips
- 60g (2oz) unsalted butter
- 60g (2oz) sugar
- 60ml (2oz) milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 60g (2oz) flour
- 2 tablespoons matcha powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Line the pan with a parchment paper. Heat the oven to 360℉.
- Melt the white chocolate and butter in a large bowl on a double boiler. Mix well.
- Add sugar and mix well with a spatula.
- Remove from the double boiler, add the milk and mix. Add the beaten eggs in three times and mix well.
- Add the flour, matcha powder and baking powder, sifting. Gently mix by folding with a spatula.
- Add the walnut and mix.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, with the temperature reduced to 320℉.
- 3-4 slices thin sliced bread (or store bought sponge cake)
- 1½ Tablespoons matcha powder
- 1½ Tablespoons sugar
- 2/5 cup (100 ml) boiling hot water
- ⅘ cup (450ml) heavy cream
- 3-4 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 package (8oz) cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons plain yogurt
- matcha powder to dust
- Tear thinly sliced bread into small pieces and lay them on the bottom of the cups.
- Mix matcha powder and sugar and add hot water to make a matcha syrup. Stir well.
- Pour the matcha syrup over the bread in the cup and set aside.
- Put the heavy cream and sugar in a bowl and whip with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
- Put the cream cheese and yogurt in another large bowl and mix well with an electric mixer.
- Add the heavy whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and mix well.
- Ladle the cream mixture on top of the soaked bread pieces.
- Using a tea strainer, sprinkle matcha powder on top.
- 6 oz (150g) white chocolate, chopped (or use chips)
- 1 stick (113g) unsalted butter
- 4 egg yolks
- 3 Tablespoons (45g) sugar
- ⅓ cup (75cc) heavy cream
- 3 Tablespoons (30g) flour
- 4 Tablespoons (30g) matcha powder
- 4 egg whites
- 3 Tablespoons (45g) sugar
- Preheat oven to 360℉.
- Melt the chopped white chocolate and butter in a double boiler.
- In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture looks almost white.
- Add the chocolate and butter mixture to the egg yolks and mix well.
- Add the heavy cream and mix.
- Sift the flour and matcha powder and add to the chocolate and egg yolk mixture. Mix well.
- In another bowl, beat the egg whites with electric mixer. Add the sugar in 3 times and beat very well.
- Add the beaten egg white to the chocolate mixture in 2-3 times. Mix well till you don't see the foamy egg white.
- Put the batter in a 8" pan, lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 320℉ and bake for another 20 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes. Remove from the pan and put it on a plate.
Otsuka Seiyaku, one of Japan’s leading pharmaceutical companies, published an article on how to boost immune system on its website. While there are several ways, one of them is to consume green tea components. A study on 200 subjects shows that one group who was given green tea components (378 mg catechin and 210 mg theanine per day) were significantly less susceptible to influenza in contrast to another group who received placebo!
The other ways to boost immune system in the article include: to laugh, to stay warm, to stay positive, to exercise moderately, and to have a balanced diet.
Please stay healthy and safe! Wash your hands, and drink lots of green tea!
どうぞお元気で!
Four students of a junior high school in Osaka, Japan did some research on their friends’ water bottles and found that sencha (classic green tea) prevents mold from reproducing! The result of their research was published in a Japanese science magazine.
They took samples from the lids of the 43 water bottles from their friends. They found molds on 24 lids and found that the lids of the bottles that usually contain sencha (classic green tea) had the least mold spores.
The average number of spores in bottles that usually contain hojicha (roasted tea) is 3,681, and mugicha (barley tea) is 1,863. On the other hand, the number of spores was 228 for water and 112 for the ones with sencha (classic green tea). The sencha bottle had less than one-tenth mold spores than the hojicha and mugicha bottles and less than half of the bottles that contain water.
This must be the product of the green tea’s catechin which has an antibacterial action. It is also known that catechin fights against viruses.
Kudos to the students! Let’s drink green tea and stay healthy!
Jugetsudo Organic Sencha
There are some foods that help boost immune system according to the article on Healthline. The list includes citrus fruits, red bell peppers, broccoli, yogurt, almonds…and green tea!
Green tea has an antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) that enhances immune function.
The article also says green tea is a good source of L-theanine, an amino acid that may aid on the production of germ-fighting compounds in your T-cells.
Our Organic Mecha might be a good tea to drink to boost your immune system as it is made of new leaf buds that has theanine. And mecha has some matcha powder, too!
Don’t forget to wash your hands with soap. And try not to touch your face. Stay healthy!
Healthline article on immune booster, “15 Foods That Boost the Immune System”:
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/foods-that-boost-the-immune-system
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Did you know that Martha Hunt, a Victoria’s Secret model, starts her day with a matcha latte? She substitutes almond milk for whole milk for its high energy, proteins, and fiber, and has zero lactose and cholesterol. When mixed with matcha that is rich in vitamins and antioxidants, almond matcha latte makes a perfect energizer to kickstart a brand new day!
Experiment with Jugetsudo’s matcha and almond milk to make a healthy and delicious latte!
You can read more about Martha’s healthy diet here:
Martha Hunt Food Diary
When you have the shivers and think you’ve caught a cold, have some ginger tea. It is said that ginger contains components that open blood vessels and improve blood flow, so ginger can help warm you up!
Put 7-8 thin slices of fresh ginger and 1 cup of water into a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add 1-2 tablespoons of honey to taste. Take out the slices and pour the liquid into a cup.
If you want to consume ginger in an easier way, hojicha with ginger is a good option. When brewing hojicha, just add 2-3 slices of ginger. Or you can just add the slices to brewed hojicha. The spicy ginger flavor goes very well with the earthy aroma of hojicha. Add some honey for some sweetness!! When you are warmed up with ginger tea, go to bed and rest!