Green Tea: A Natural Plant Extract High in EGCG Content For Our Brain, Mood, and Metabolic Health

Unprocessed, raw Camellia sinensis leaves produce a collection of compounds called ‘Catechins’ which are flavan derivatives that contain a 2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromen-3-ol skeleton. The four main catechins that are present in Camellia sinensis leaves are:

- Epigallocatechin-3-gallate
- Epigallocatechin
- Epicatechin gallate
- Epicatechin

In Green Tea, all of the above flavan derivatives are preserved due to the minimal amount of processing involved with Green Tea production. However, during the processing of black teas, something very interesting happens! Camellia sinensis leaves contain a compound called polyphenol oxidase (PPO), which is released during the maceration and fermentation stage of black tea processing. This enzyme, in tandem with pH changes that occur during fermentation, turn the flavan derivatives into Theaflavins and Thearubigins. These two compounds give black tea its characteristic taste, aroma and appearance but it also significantly changes the effects profile! Both the flavan derivatives found in Green Tea and the theaflavins found in black tea both have excellent bioactivities. A standout, however, is Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which is found in high concentrations in Green Tea.

RAs we discussed earlier in this article, EGCG is one of the major flavan derivatives in Camellia sinensis leaves, and can be found in high concentrations in Green Tea. With modern extraction techniques, we are able to isolate this compound from Green Tea leaves. This allows us to get enormous amounts of this compound into extracts, like our EGCG extract we are discussing in this blog, which contains a whopping 45% EGCG! So what makes EGCG so special, and so highly sought after?

Green Tea Extract which has a high EGCG content is a great supplement, however, absorption of EGCG is not fantastic. With this in mind, we dove into the research behind EGCG absorption, to figure out a way to unlock the best possible bioavailability. This led to utilizing an enteric coating and a targeted 6 mg dose of Piperine.

You may be asking, what’s the benefit of an enteric coating? Well, an enteric coating keeps EGCG protected while it passes through the stomach. While EGCG is stable in gastric environments, it can interact with food which can slow its absorption. This effect is called the food matrix effect. EGCG is only absorbed in the intestines, so bypassing the stomach through an enteric coating makes the most sense for achieving maximum bioavailability.

We also added Piperine because Piperine helps regulate absorbed EGCG from being pumped back out into the intestines. Piperine achieves this by blocking the function of p-glycoprotein, which is mainly responsible for pumping absorbed EGCG back into the intestines. Piperine also helps regulate glucuronidation of EGCG, which further promotes bioavailability. Overall, the combination of an enteric coating and Piperine, significantly amplifies the Green Tea Extract benefits!

One of the most common Green Tea benefits is its ability to promote brain health via its EGCG content. It does this through a variety of pathways, two of the main pathways are through promoting balanced levels of oxidation and inflammation. Our brains are very sensitive to the effects of oxidative stress and inflammation, but luckily our brains are also very good at naturally regulating healthy oxidative and inflammatory responses. However, sometimes our brain needs an extra level of support, and this is where a Green Tea supplement may be useful.

The EGCG content in Green Tea supplements, especially a Green Tea extract that is standardized to high EGCG content, does a fantastic job of supporting a healthy balance of oxidation and inflammation in our brains. This will help not only support general brain health, but it will also help promote cognitive function. Green Tea supplements may also have much more interesting effects on brain health, so let's dive into some newly discovered cutting edge Green Tea benefits for brain health!

It has been found that the EGCG content in Green Tea supplements helps kick start a process in the brain called ‘neurite outgrowth’. This is a process by which neurons grow and form new connections. This helps promote brain health but also helps promote cognitive function. Interestingly enough though, EGCG only helps promote neurite outgrowth, yet it does not actually help promote neurite outgrowth. Looks like we have hit a dead end then? According to new research, it appears that EGCG levels become undetectable at a fairly rapid rate in the brain, so what’s happening to EGCG once it enters the brain? It appears that EGCG only has a brief moment to exert its effects in the brain, after which it becomes metabolized into other bioactive compounds. The EGCG metabolites appear to be able to actually promote neurite outgrowth, piggybacking on the neurite outgrowth induction that was initially produced by EGCG. This means that both EGCG and its metabolites may work hand-in-hand to promote neuritogenesis!

As we briefly mentioned in the section above, Green Tea supplements have a very positive effect on helping to balance levels of oxidation throughout the body and brain. The oxidation-balancing effects of EGCG have long been a mystery, but recent research has uncovered some very interesting properties of EGCG.

All of the Green Tea Catechins have the ability to support balanced oxidation levels. They do this largely through their molecular structure, which allows them to donate electrons to free radicals. This helps neutralize free radicals, thereby helping to balance oxidation. The reason Green Tea catechins can do this, is due to the presence of hydroxyl groups in their molecular structure. EGCG has 8 hydroxyl groups, all lined up in just the perfect way, which allows EGCG the best efficacy as a free radical scavenger, amongst all of the other Green Tea Catechins. This is why we standardize for such a high amount of EGCG in our Green Tea supplements!

Furthemore, Green Tea EGCG also appears to be able to chelate various metals such as Iron, Copper, Chromium and Cadmium, which can all promote oxidative damage. By chelating these metals, EGCG may help support balanced levels of oxidation. This is a very minor effect in comparison to its other oxidation balancing effects, however. Furthermore, EGCG also appears to be able to promote superoxide dismutase (SOD) function. SOD is an enzyme which helps support balanced oxidation levels, and by enhancing SOD levels, EGCG may exert beneficial effects on oxidation.

Green Tea supplements are also quite popular for skin health, and for very good reason! Our skin is sensitive to the effects of oxidation, and thus by balancing oxidation levels, EGCG has a direct positive effect on skin health. However, Green Tea supplements can go a step further via a very unique mechanism!

Green Tea supplements, through their EGCG content, may help regulate sebum production. This may lead to noticeably smoother and blemish free skin, in addition to the increased smoothness and plasticity of the skin due to EGCG’s oxidation balancing effects!

If you would like to learn more about how Green Tea supplements help promote skin health, we would like to invite you to read our skin health blog, which covers Green Tea, and its effects on skin, in much more detail!