before gaining its present day popularity, green tea was part of ancient chinese medicine for the past 4000 years. because of the process of steaming the leaves after harvesting, the beneficial ingredients in green tea leaves were prescrved, while these same ingredients were lost because of the oxidation that occurs during the fermentation process in other kinds of tea, such as black tea and oolong tea. Among the countless beneficial vitamins and mineral in green tea: its most sought-after ingredient is a substance known as